Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The whistle for a pause was still lingering in the air when the stands erupted in chaos.

"Hainan has called for a halt!"

"11 points! Shohoku leads Hainan by 11 points!"

"Am I seeing things? Hainan is being completely overwhelmed?"

A cacophony of chatter poured down from the stands from all directions. The Hainan students looked at each other in dismay. The champions of last year, the year before, and the year before that, the kings of Kanagawa who had reached the national tournament for sixteen consecutive years, Hainan, had been forced to call a timeout by Shohoku in the 11th minute of the first half.

In the stands of Shohoku, Kenji Fujima stood with his arms crossed and leaned slightly forward. His gaze shifted from the scoreboard to the players from both teams walking back to their benches.

"Hainan is essentially a team that favors inside offense," Fujima explained. "That's why we assembled a lineup of tall players this year and have been working hard on zone defense."

"Maki Shinichi's breakthroughs, Takasago's low post play, and Muto and Kiyota's cuts to the basket all lead to the basket. Although Shinichi has the ability to create space with a three-pointer, Hainan's offense always starts from the inside."

Fujima shifted his gaze to the two tallest figures on the Shohoku bench.

"Unfortunately, Shohoku's inside players are Akagi and Sakuragi. One is a towering figure guarding the paint, and the other can defend positions one through five."

It can be said to be the strongest interior defensive combination in Kanagawa right now.

Furthermore, even if Sakuragi pulls out to guard Maki one-on-one, Rukawa (number 11) guarding the power forward position can still team up with Akagi to protect the paint.

Hanagata continued, "So Takasago got completely destroyed by Akagi, and Maki, after finally breaking through Sakuragi's defense, still had to face Akagi's rim protection and Sakuragi's double-team from behind. Hainan's entire offensive system was shut down."

"Yes." Fujima's gaze lingered on Sakuragi. "I used to think Sakuragi's most terrifying trait was his physical abilities, but now I think his defensive talent is even more terrifying. His footwork in defending Maki is unlike that of a rookie."

"Do you think Hainan can recover?" a Xiangyang team member couldn't help but ask.

"It's unlikely." Fujima narrowed his eyes. "The current Shohoku roster and player system are a perfect counter to Hainan."

Hainan's substitute bench.

Gao Touli slammed the tactical board onto the folding chair, holding the folding fan in his hand, the fan ribs slightly bent from his grip.

His face was two shades redder than usual, and the Hainan players stood in a semi-circle in front of him.

"What are you fighting?!"

The roar of Gao Tou drowned out the clamor in the stands, and the air within a five-meter radius of the Hainan substitutes' bench trembled.

"11 points! They're down by 11 points halfway through the first half! Their interior defense is being torn apart by Akagi, and they're getting ripped off on the boards. On offense, no one can step up except Maki. Is this Hainan University Affiliated High School or some third-rate team?!"

No one dared to speak, and Kiyota's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Gao Tou took a deep breath, reopened the folding fan, fanned himself a couple of times, and the redness on his face faded a little.

His gaze swept across the tactics board, then he looked up, his voice lowered and deep.

"The most troublesome player on the court is Akagi." He pointed to Akagi Takenori's name on the whiteboard. "With him under the basket, our inside offense can never get going. Maki's drives to the basket will face his help defense, and Takasago's low post isolation plays will be suppressed by him. As long as Akagi is under the basket, our offensive system is 70% shut down."

Takato looked up at Maki Shinichi and Takasago. "So we have to get Akagi down."

"Draw a foul." Takato looked at Takasago. "You have the ball in the low post, face him and attack. Don't avoid his block, actively move towards his hands. Akagi's defensive habit is to jump vertically, but he can't always stop his hand."

Then he looked at Shinichi Maki: "Maki, when you break through, keep an eye on Akagi. His help defense habit is to come up to him head-on. As long as you get close to him after he jumps, the referee's whistle won't always be biased towards him."

Maki Shinichi and Takasago didn't speak, then nodded slightly.

Shinichi Maki knew very well that this was the most undignified part of a basketball game: not defeating the opponent within the rules, but using the rules to remove the opponent from the board.

"As long as Akagi is not on the court, their inside defense will only consist of Sakuragi. At that time, Sakuragi will switch to defend the inside players and will no longer pull out to guard you."

Takato stared into Maki Shinichi's eyes. "With your impact, you could beat Sakuragi, this rookie, one-on-one until he fouls out. As long as Sakuragi gets kicked off the court..."

He didn't finish his sentence. But everyone present understood.

The atmosphere on the Shohoku bench was completely opposite to that on the opposing side; the players were relaxed, chatting and laughing.

"You all played very well in the first half, very well." Coach Anzai's voice was still calm and unhurried. "Remember, you are all the strongest players. For the rest of the game, don't overcomplicate things. Akagi, guard the paint."

Akagi nodded.

"Sakuragi, keep a close eye on Maki Shinichi and try your best not to let him score easily."

"Don't worry, Dad! Watch me!" Sakuragi said smugly.

A glint flashed across Coach Anzai's glasses: "Just play it safe and steady."

The pause has ended.

The referee blew the whistle, and the players from both sides walked onto the field, as the cheers from the stands rose again.

Takato stood on the sidelines, watching his players walk onto the field. Maki Shinichi walked at the very back.

"Amu," Gao Tou called out.

Maki Shinichi turned around. But Takato didn't say anything. He just looked into Maki Shinichi's eyes, his gaze holding a tacit understanding that only a coach and a player could comprehend.

...You know what to do.

Mu Shenyi understood immediately. He nodded slightly, turned around, and walked to the baseline to receive the serve.

The game continued, and Maki Shinichi controlled the ball at the top of the arc, with Sakuragi's defense closing in again.

Maki Shinichi didn't force a drive. His gaze swept towards the inside, where Takasago was establishing position on the left side of the three-second zone, backing down Akagi and raising his right hand to call for the ball. Maki Shinichi lobbed the ball in with one hand.

Takasago received the ball. He leaned against Akagi, feeling the weight and solidity of the tower behind him, and then turned towards the baseline.

His movements were slow, even deliberately stiff, not to score, but to get Akagi to come up and block the shot.

As expected, Akagi jumped.

Takasago precisely detected Akagi's defensive habits at this moment. Akagi jumped very high and his arms stretched wide enough, but his palms tilted slightly forward as he pressed down.

Just as Akagi blocked the shot, Takasago pulled the ball back an inch and then deliberately positioned his shooting wrist to meet Akagi's fingers.

Snapped.

The impact was soft, a damp sound carrying the scent of sweat.

"Beep!"

The referee's whistle blew. Akagi Takenori committed a foul by hitting the hand. Takasago stepped to the free-throw line.

Akagi clutched his head, truly unwilling to accept defeat this time. His movements were clean, but Takasago's skill in drawing fouls was too adept.

The tall coach on the sidelines fanned himself expressionlessly. "Yes, that's it!"

Shohoku bench.

Kogure Kiminobu stared in astonishment as Takasago walked toward the free-throw line.

He turned to look at Coach Anzai beside him... The old man remained seated, but his hands, which had been folded on his stomach, had somehow separated. He clasped his hands together, his thumbs pressing against the soft flesh of his chin, and muttered something under his breath.

Kogure heard it clearly.

"I hope we don't get in... I hope we don't get in..."

The bespectacled vice-captain paused for a second. Then he quickly clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and began to mutter incantations.

The other players on the Shohoku bench looked at each other as they watched this scene. Then... seven or eight people sat on the Shohoku bench, all of them in a praying posture, muttering the same thing.

"What kind of cult ritual is this..." Takamiya Nozomi paused, the potato chips in her hand at her lips, looking at the scene on the Shohoku bench with a bewildered expression.

Takasago stood at the free-throw line. Thousands of eyes in the arena were on him. Takasago dribbled the ball, bent his knees, raised the basketball, and flicked it out with his wrist.

The ball bounced off the rim.

It didn't go in.

The Shohoku bench collectively let out a "whoosh," and then continued to exert their power.

Second penalty.

Takasago's breathing was noticeably heavier than during the first free throw. He wiped the sweat from his brow, took the ball from the referee, and dribbled it. He raised the ball, bent his knee, and released the ball.

The ball bounced off the inside of the rim. Akagi grabbed the rebound.

Both free throws missed.

"Yeah...!!" The prayer squad on the Shohoku bench jumped up at the same time, towels flying everywhere, and Kogure's glasses finally tilted to below his nose.

Coach Anzai's hands were still clasped together, and his chin twitched three times.

The Hainan substitutes' bench on the opposite side.

Gao Touli slammed the folding fan to the ground. The fan ribs bounced and tumbled on the ground.

"Two missed free throws... both...?"

The substitute player next to him silently bent down, picked up the fan, and handed it back. Gao Tou snatched the fan, gripped it tightly in his hand, and the fan ribs made an unsettling creaking sound as he squeezed them.