Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Halftime break.

In the Hainan team's locker room, as soon as the door closed, Gao Tou began to roar:

"23 points! Ryonan is down by 23 points at halftime! What's wrong with you guys? Don't you want to go to the national tournament?"

The sound bounced back and forth on the four walls of the locker room several times, causing Kiyota to flinch.

Maki Shinichi stood there, head down, offering no explanation or rebuttal.

Gao Tou took a few deep breaths, and the rise and fall of his chest gradually subsided.

"If Uozumi doesn't leave the court, their zone defense won't be able to break through. That guy's rim protection range is too big; his rim protection ability is even better than Akagi's. With him under the basket, any attempt to break in is just a gift."

So in the second half, draw fouls. Maki, Takasago. No matter who has the ball, keep an eye on Uozumi. Get him to his fourth foul, fifth foul, and eject. We only have a chance if Uozumi isn't under the basket.

Shinichi Maki and Takasago nodded.

"And then there's A-Shen." Takato turned to the sweating shooting guard, "In the second half, the whole team will set screens for you. Muto, Takasago, Kiyota, all of you, go and screen for A-Shen. Pull Ikegami away from you. Just shoot whenever you get an open shot. Three-pointers are the only weapon we can use to quickly close the gap. If you want to win, you have to get going."

Ah Shen took a deep breath and raised his head: "Understood."

In the other side of Ryonan's locker room, Shigeichi Taoka stood in front of his teammates, his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised.

"We played well in the first half. Sendoh's playmaking, Fukuda's cuts, Ikegami's defense, and Uozumi's rim protection—everyone did what they were supposed to do."

He slowly scanned each person's face, then his expression hardened. "But that's not enough. 23 points isn't enough to be complacent. We need to keep the offensive onslaught in the second half and widen the gap to over 30 points. What Shohoku can do, we Ryonan can do too."

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"Our goal isn't just to qualify for the national tournament. Tomorrow we also need to compete with Shohoku for the prefectural championship. So today's game isn't just about winning, it's about winning convincingly. We need to let Shohoku know that we, Ryonan, aren't here to challenge them for the title."

The team members sat up straight.

"But," Taoka's voice suddenly turned serious, "be careful of fouls in the second half. Especially you, Uozumi."

He stared into Uozumi's eyes and said, "You can let the other team score some points, but you also need to control your fouls. You have two fouls now, and if you get another one, it will be difficult to play in the second half."

Uozumi nodded emphatically: "Understood."

The whistle signaling the end of halftime blew from the end of the tunnel. Players from both sides ran back out of the tunnel, and the roar of the stands rose again.

The second half begins, and Hainan has possession of the ball.

Maki Shinichi dribbled the ball from the backcourt across half-court, his eyes changed, and he faced Sendoh at the top of the arc, directly changing direction and making a strong drive, Maki Shinichi drove into the free throw line.

Uozumi lunged out from under the basket, arms raised high, legs pushing off the ground as he leaped, his massive body blocking Maki Shinichi's layup path. Maki Shinichi didn't dodge; he jumped to meet Uozumi's block, their bodies colliding in mid-air.

Goal! The referee blows the whistle. Blue number 4, defensive foul, goal stands, one free throw added.

"Uozumi...!" Taoka exploded on the sidelines, his face flushed red. "You idiot!! Have you forgotten what the locker room manager just told you?"

Uozumi stood there, stunned. He glanced at the referee, then at the furious Taoka on the sidelines, and finally realized what was happening. He scratched the back of his head in frustration, looking like a schoolboy who had done something wrong.

Shinichi Maki stepped up to the free throw line and calmly sank the shot.

In the next round, Uozumi learned his lesson. When Maki Shinichi broke through again, Uozumi raised his hands high without jumping, then jumped vertically with his arms straight, without making any downward movement.

He steadily placed his palm over the ball, but only attempted to block it as a last resort. His task was no longer to block shots, but to act as a moving wall.

Takasago received the ball in the low post and tried to draw a foul, but Uozumi held his arms high and remained motionless. The ball flew out of Takasago's hands crookedly and went wide.

However, this defensive approach created space for Maki Shinichi's mid-range jump shot and Takasago's layup, allowing Hainan to start closing the gap.

The real trouble came from the perimeter. A-Shen started moving, no longer just setting simple off-ball screens, but a mobile fortress built for him by the entire Hainan team. Takasago set a horizontal screen at the free-throw line, Muto a vertical screen at the baseline, and Kiyota ran over from the wing to create a third screen.

Ashen weaved through the layers of human walls, and Ikegami tried desperately to keep up, but was blocked by two consecutive screens. Ashen received the pass from Maki Shinichi at the top of the arc, jumped, and took a three-point shot.

The point difference narrowed from 23 points to 18 points.

In the next possession, A-Shen received the ball again in the corner after a double screen, but it was too late for Ikegami to pounce.

Swish, a 15-point difference.

The Hainan support section in the stands erupted in cheers again.

Just as the score difference was about to be narrowed to within 15 points, Sendoh Akira received the ball at the top of the arc, then stopped organizing and passing. Facing Maki Shinichi's defense, he took a step with his right foot, changed direction, and drove to the basket, stopping abruptly just inside the free-throw line for a jump shot.

The ball went in, bringing the point difference back to 17.

Hainan attacks, Kiyota drives to the basket, jumps for a layup, but Fukuda leaps from the weak side and slaps the ball away. Ikegami retrieves the ball and launches a fast break, making a long pass to Sendoh who has already rushed to the frontcourt. Sendoh receives the ball and drives to the basket for a powerful one-handed dunk.

The point difference is back to 19 points.

In the next possession, Ajin received the ball beyond the three-point line and faked a shot. Ikegami and Koshino simultaneously rushed to defend him. Ajin was forced to pass the ball to Muto, whose mid-range shot missed. Uozumi grabbed the rebound. Ryonan attacked, and Sendoh faced Maki Shinichi and once again pulled up for a jump shot.

Swish, the point difference widened again to 21 points.

Gao Touli on the sidelines was pacing anxiously. He made a timeout gesture to the referee and used up his last timeout.

On Hainan's bench, Gao Tou's voice was hoarse, but every word he uttered was like sparks flying: "Everyone, pick-and-roll, drive, shoot, go all out! Kiyota, don't be afraid of getting blocked when you attack the basket, even if you get blocked ten times, it's worth it if you draw one foul! A-Shen, shoot when you get out of the pick-and-roll! A-Mu, after you drive hard, go for it no matter who's under the basket!"

The game continued. Hainan's morale exploded after the timeout. Kiyota Nobunaga received the ball and drove straight to the basket. Facing Uozumi's block attempt, he jumped without flinching, instead slamming the ball into the rim in mid-air. The ball went in, a dunk over Uozumi.

The roar of cheers from Hainan reached its peak.

In the next possession, A Shen received the ball at the top of the arc after a screen and took a three-pointer over the defense of Ikegami and Koshino.

In the next possession, Maki Shinichi drove hard past Sendoh, and despite being double-teamed by Uozumi and Fukuda, he forced a jump shot and made the basket.

Hainan narrowed the gap to 13 points.

Taoka Shigeichi jumped up from his chair and called for a pause. There were 11 minutes left on the timer.

Taoka stood silently in front of the team members for a moment before giving instructions.

"Strengthen the defense. Two people will guard A Shen. Chi Shang and Yue Ye, you two will mark him at the same time. We can let Hainan score two points. But we can't let A Shen shoot three-pointers, not even one. Remember. Two points are okay, but three-pointers must be shut down."

He turned to the immortal path. "In the final moments, you will take the lead."

Taoka's voice was calm, not in the tone of giving tactical instructions, but in the tone of entrusting trust: "Whether you post up or shoot mid-range, play however you like. Just keep scoring and keeping the score close."

If the score difference is narrowed to within 7 points, then use that secret weapon.

"Leave it to me, Coach! Let's save that secret weapon for Shohoku tomorrow. I want the prefectural championship trophy too!"

Sendoh draped the towel over the chair, his eyes no longer showing any sign of laziness.

With 11 minutes remaining in the game, A Shen was being closely marked by both Ikegami and Koshino. When making off-the-ball runs, Ikegami stayed close to him in front, while Koshino guarded his back.

Every time A-Shen receives the ball, he has to exert all his strength, and his shooting space is almost completely compressed. The ball can only be finished by Maki Shinichi and Kiyota.

Maki Shinichi drives hard and stops for a jump shot, two points. Kiyota drives to the basket and makes a layup, two points.

Ryonan's half of the court. Sendoh Akira dribbled past half-court, raised his left hand and waved to his teammate, then pulled away, clearing the top of the key.

Ryonan's formation spread out, leaving the top arc for Sendoh and Maki to fight one-on-one.

Sendoh turned around, leaned his back against Maki Shinichi's chest, and began to backstab him.

Maki Shinichi gritted his teeth and held on, his arm around Sendoh's waist, but Sendoh's core strength, after a year of training and strengthening, was no longer at the level of last year's county competition.

Sendoh somersaulted and jumped before the double team could close in, his body slightly leaning back in mid-air as he flicked the ball with his wrist. The ball traced a flat arc. Swish.

Gao Touli, standing on the sidelines, saw this scene, and his new folding fan snapped in his hand with a crack.

It's another back-to-the-basket move, Sakuragi from Shohoku. Sendoh from Ryonan is also backing down. Both opponents he's faced this year are using the same tactic against him: first, widen the score gap, then have their ace back down Maki to keep the score close.

What made his scalp tingle even more was that this method always worked. Maki Shinichi could defend against speed, change of direction, and all sorts of fancy breakthroughs.

But he couldn't defend against back-to-the-basket shots, not because of a technical problem, but because of the overwhelming physical contact and strength.

The final 11 minutes of the match turned into a back-and-forth battle.

Hainan launched an attack, with Maki Shinichi and Kiyota taking turns attacking the paint and scoring two points.

Ryonan is on offense. Sendoh is one-on-one against Maki Shinichi, backs down to the basket, and makes a turnaround jump shot that goes in smoothly.

Hainan also tried to double-team Sendoh, but the other Ryonan players were very consistent in their scoring ability when they were left open, giving them no chance at all.

Maki Shinichi's defense was perfect in every round, but his body began to groan under Sendoh's tireless back-to-the-basket attacks.

After defending, Maki Shinichi landed with another backhand attack and a turn, panting heavily as he watched Sendoh run back expressionlessly.

A thought that he himself could hardly believe flashed through his mind: himself, Shinichi Maki, the strongest point guard in Kanagawa, the core of last year's national top four team, was now a sitting duck being backed down in two games.

The final whistle pierced the stadium. The sharp electronic sound froze everyone's movements in the last second. The scoreboard stopped.

Hainan University Affiliated 68: 77 Lingnan.

The Ryonan substitutes rushed onto the court to celebrate.

Aida Hikoichi hugged Taoka tightly, laughing and crying at the same time, wiping his tears and snot all over the coach's clothes.

Taoka didn't push him away. He looked up at the scoreboard, his eyes reddening.

He had waited for this day for so many years, but Mitsui didn't come, Miyagi didn't come, Rukawa didn't come, Sakuragi didn't come. All the players he had his eye on went to Shohoku.

But this team, this team he cobbled together using "not the first choice" players, won against King of Glory Hainan today, and they're going to the national tournament.

On the opposite side, on the Hainan bench, Gao Touli slumped in his chair, his gaze blankly fixed on the scoreboard. His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. This was the first time since he took over as coach of Hainan that they had failed to qualify for the national tournament.

Kiyota Nobunaga's shoulders trembled violently. Takasago stood with his back to the court, his hands supporting his knees.

Shinichi Maki stood in the center of the field, sweat dripping from his chin onto the floor. He walked towards his teammate and gently rubbed Kiyota's hair, who was still crying.

In the stands of Shohoku, Kogure and others jumped up in celebration. With Hainan defeated, Shohoku's qualification for the national tournament was secured ahead of schedule.