Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Man-to-man marking might be effective against Jōrin, but it's incredibly physically demanding. If Jōrin is tightly marked from the start of the first quarter, Xiangyang estimates that by the third or fourth quarter, the entire Kaijō team will be exhausted, allowing Jōrin to turn the tide.

As for targeting Kuroko on offense, this plan is theoretically feasible. After all, Kuroko's stats are definitely the lowest among the "Miracle" players, and he is even slightly inferior to ordinary players.

However, the most powerful aspect of the Phantom Sixth Man has always been his elusive playing style. With no one at Kaijo possessing the "vision" special ability, just guarding against Kuroko's steals is already exhausting for Xiangyang, let alone picking him to play against, where he can't even see his shadow, and constantly looking for open spaces to pass the ball, which only increases the risk of being stolen by Kuroko.

Unfortunately, despite Xiang Yang's view that this long passage was "nine parts false and one part true," a large number of people online believed it to be true.

The few knowledgeable football fans in Haichang who corrected the blogger's words were also lost in the vast sea of ​​comments.

Of course, it wasn't just Kaijo; there were also quite a few fans of Seirin. When basketball bloggers in the Seirin area saw this nonsensical statement, they immediately released a counterattack video.

Fans from both sides pulled out their keyboards and started a heated online debate.

Innocent fans are being misled and turned into tools by bloggers to gain attention and traffic. Tragically, most people are not only unaware of this, but actually enjoy it.

Praising one team while belittling others might draw insults from fans of those teams, but for small bloggers with a pitifully small following, stirring up controversy can generate traffic, and the money is practically the same as handing it to them.

However, not every blogger is looking to make money by inciting conflict. For big bloggers, they have long since moved beyond the stage of using such petty tricks to attract attention.

For example, Bobo, a popular basketball commentator, maintained his composure and level-headedness in his remarks.

"Shiro Rin vs. Kaijo... um... hard to say, hard to say, haha, really hard to say, brothers, but it's going to be great, everyone look forward to it!"

With the intervention of mediators like Bobo, the tense atmosphere between the fans of Seirin and Kaijo was eased.

However... the matter did not end there!

It's that same blogger who claims to have a 70/30 advantage over Shiroi Rin. After studying the matchup chart all night, this prodigy has discovered a new source of "traffic"!

"According to the official match schedule, Kaijo will face Shutoku after defeating Seirin, while Rakuzan's opponent in the second round is not worth mentioning. Although they will face Touou in the semifinals, the training they have undergone is completely incomparable to that of Kaijo! While you Kaijo are fighting hard, I, Rakuzan, am waiting in comfort and taking advantage of the situation!"

"I predict that this year's champion will be Luo."

Mountain!"

These words immediately sparked an uproar on the internet!

Apart from the Yangquan fans who have already been eliminated, the other five miracle teams all have a considerable fan base.

This "eccentric" person's remarks indirectly dragged all five teams into the mess.

At first, everyone was united in attacking the blogger, but soon the sentiment in the comments section changed.

"What trash blogger? The draw is all about luck. Everyone's opponents are randomly assigned. Why is Los Angeles getting a free win? Do they play fewer games than other teams?"

"Upstairs, I have no problem with you calling this blogger trash, but isn't it obvious that Rakuzan got a bargain? Can an unknown team plus Touou compare to Seirin and Shutoku? Kaijo's schedule this year is clearly more difficult than Rakuzan's!"

"Touou is not even as good as Shutoku? The Generation of Miracles, who have no leadership ability, can be compared with Aomine? Midorima is just a softie who can only shoot three-pointers?"

"Did you watch the North District qualifiers? They're leading you by more than twenty points. It's one thing for Rakuzan and Kaijo, but Touou can even take on Shutoku? If you can't afford tickets, watch more videos online. Match recordings are free."

……

In short, the internet is in complete chaos right now.

As for Xiang Yang, he didn't care about the war between the fans. On the night before the game, he stayed at the Shark Gym and trained hard.

call--

Taking a deep breath, Xiangyang put the barbell back on the bench press rack.

Is 96 kilograms my current limit?

After Masako adjusted his diet, Xiangyang's weight has stabilized at 80 kilograms. At this stage, this weight is just right for Xiangyang to maintain his speed while maximizing his physical advantages and combat skills.

Compared to his weight, a 96-kilogram barbell bench press is somewhere between an amateur and a professional. Of course, Xiang Yang isn't a professional fitness enthusiast; he only does strength training to support his basketball skills, so the value of this statistic has room for improvement.

Just as Xiangyang was sitting on the cushion, feeling the tearing sensation in his chest muscles, Yako walked over.

Like Xiangyang, who had just finished bench pressing, Masako had also just finished squatting. A little sweat on her neck dampened the collar of her yoga clothes, giving off a wild beauty.

"Have you been online? You've all been in the spotlight lately."

Yako waved her phone. Because Yangquan was eliminated early this year, as the team coach, she was effectively on vacation early. Coincidentally, Yako had recently become obsessed with some basketball programs on TV, so she had naturally heard about the turmoil that had occurred in the online basketball circle.

Xiangyang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Yeah, of course I saw it."

"The players are showing mutual respect, while the fans are fighting like crazy."

Xiangyang smiled. Last night, they had talked about this in the group chat of the "miracles".

Akashi: The voices of a bunch of ants are not worth listening to.

Aomine: I don't care what they say, but to inexplicably regard Touou as a stumbling block for Rakuzan is to underestimate me.

Vulcan: Yeah! And that bastard who said we were 70/30 against Kaijo, he's infuriating!!

Midorima: Geminis are prone to verbal disputes this week, so don't worry too much about it.

Kise: Beep beep beep! This year's champion has arrived!

Murasakibara: Hey, a new barbecue restaurant just opened in the east. Anyone want to go eat there together?

Hei Zi: (Silently watching the screen)

Xiangyang: (Subway elderly emoji)

As the central figures in public opinion, all the "miracles" maintained a tacit understanding and made no statement.

No matter how intense the online arguments were, it didn't affect their enthusiasm for competing on the field.

In the second round, the first three matches were naturally without any suspense, with all three miracle teams advancing simultaneously. However, the fourth match, between Kaijo and Seirin, was not a tough battle as many experts had predicted.

Last year, Shiro Rin defeated Rakuzan to advance to the finals and battled Kaijo for four quarters, but in today's game, he seemed to have lost his soul.

Not only did they fail to unlock the "realm beyond the zone," but apart from Kuroko, the other four members of the starting five at Shiro Rin seemed to be out of sorts.

Vulcan, in particular, was targeted by Kaijo once again. Unable to pull the trigger immediately, his scoring efficiency in the first half was disastrous.

Under Kise's defense, Kagami's offense in the first quarter was 2-for-8, with his close-range attacks frequently blocked by Kise. Even his mid-range shots were nowhere to be seen. Towards the end of the quarter, in desperation, Kagami even stood outside the three-point line and threw up two three-pointers.

One strikes with lightning speed, the other remains untouched by anything.

During the break at the end of the first quarter, Xiangyang, who was sitting on the bench at Kaijo, could clearly hear Aida Riko roaring from the opposite half of the court.

When Xiangyang returned in the second quarter, he could sense that Cheng Lin was trying to find his rhythm, but for Hai Chang...

Should we take advantage of your weakness to kill you, or give you a chance to seek a more evenly matched competition?

It goes without saying that everyone knows.

Under Xiangyang's organization, Shiro Rin had no time to gain a foothold before being defeated by Kaijo's overwhelming offensive.

At halftime, the score was 61-38, with Haichang leading by a large margin.

During halftime, Kise couldn't even believe his eyes. He stared at the scoreboard with his mouth slightly open and even asked Xiangyang to pinch him a few times to see if he was dreaming.

Not only Kise, but everyone at Kaijo felt a little unreal.

The team that sent Akashi home last year and almost rebelled by taking Kaijo away, Shiro Rin, is so easily defeated today?

It sounds like an impossible thing, but Xiangyang has some guesses about it.

Although the team, Shiro Rin, has only been established for about three years, managed to gather five exceptionally talented players by chance (or perhaps due to the protagonist's halo), their foundation is far too shallow.

Three years ago, which of the teams that made it to the top eight in the country wasn't a basketball powerhouse that had dominated for over a decade or two? Only Shiro Rin didn't even have a basketball club three years ago.

In the past two years, Shiro Rin was united and eager to prove their strength. With the whole team working together, they relied on their drive and perseverance to win the national runner-up position.

For a team that has been established for about two and a half years, this achievement is quite impressive!

Unfortunately... miracles won't always favor Shiro Rin, and this isn't "Kuroko's Basketball," so they aren't the main characters.

The lack of a solid foundation is a disadvantage for any team, and it's only natural that their performance will be inconsistent. It just so happens that this year, Shirorin, has begun to show signs of fatigue.

The final score was 107-95, with Haichang winning.

In the second half, Shiro Rin did regain their form. Although they didn't unleash their full potential, they still played to their full potential. However, it was too late.

Kaijo, giving their opponents no chance whatsoever, successfully capitalized on their advantage from the first half to engage in a grueling battle with Shirorin in the fourth quarter.

The suspense had already vanished before the game even reached the endgame.

Hai Changsheng won the fourth match of the second round!

(Regarding the second year's Shiro Rin, it was actually mentioned at the end of the manga, but there was no match scene; it just said that Shiro Rin reached the semi-finals but didn't make it to the finals. To respect the original work, and of course, also out of my personal desire to speed up the pace a bit, I've decided to just fill in that match!)

Chapter 163 The Sea Twins have a 100% win rate.

"Regarding the fact that Seirin lost to Kaijo, does it really mean that Kaijo has a 70/30 chance against Seirin? Uh... I think..."

Bobo paused for a moment, then turned to the camera and continued, "Actually, many people don't know much about Seirin High School. They only know that they are a dark horse team and defeated the championship favorite Rakuzan last year. But few people know that just three years ago, Seirin High School was an ordinary school that didn't even have a basketball club."

"For a new team like Seirin, we can't raise our expectations just because they've performed well. Kaijo is a championship-caliber team, so losing to them isn't shameful."

"Moreover, in terms of raw strength, Seirin is actually no less than Kaijo. What they really lack is the foundation and mentality inherent in top teams. I personally have high hopes for Seirin. In the future, they will definitely join the ranks of top teams! Let's wait and see."

……

……

The impact of Seirin's crushing defeat to Kaijo was significant, but it was merely a minor incident in the face of the upcoming semi-finals.

So far in the competition, the four teams that have reached the finals of the official tournament have been determined. They are Rakuzan, Tooh, Shutoku, and Kaijo.

The first match of the semifinals is between Xiude and Haichang!

"It seems we've never met Xiude before."

Haichang's team bus

While covering his mouth and yawning, Xiangyang spoke to Kise beside him.

The latter thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "That's true. After all, we're not in the same region, and their competition is really fierce. If you're unlucky, you might not even make it out of the qualifiers."

Wild North District is not just talk. In the first summer season, Shutoku encountered Shirorin in the last match of the qualifiers. Midorima Shintaro, who had just left the "Miracle" team, was not used to leading the team as a single core and was defeated by the inexperienced duo of Light and Shadow.

As for the Winter Cup, although Xiude made it out of the round-robin stage, he unfortunately encountered Luoshan in the quarterfinals and was eliminated before he could even meet Haijian.

This has resulted in Haichang never having faced this "miracle team" that relies on three points as its main weapon, except for a few training matches.

"It's not a big problem. I've watched Xiude's game videos countless times. There's no point in thinking about it now. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get to the stadium."

Xiangyang touched his nose and took out an eye mask from his pocket. It had a raccoon dog pattern on it. Yazi had given it to him a while ago when she heard that he had trouble sleeping.

After putting on the eye mask, Xiangyang adjusted his posture and lay half-reclined in the seat. After a while, a soft snore began to sound, and Xiangyang fell asleep.