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

Xiangyang stood outside the boundary and served the ball to Shimamura.

Due to Tanaka's departure, Kaijo's current number five position is occupied by Ohara, while the number four position is occupied by Fukuhara Toshihide.

However, there is a problem here. Since Fukuhara was originally a small forward, his height is somewhat of a disadvantage among power forwards. In order to make up for the defensive ability on the front line, Xiangyang put Yuki in the small forward position.

Fun fact about Haichang: Yuki's height has increased from 1.91 meters last year to 1.93 meters.

Of the current starting five, aside from Ohara, Yuki is the tallest.

Shimamura received the ball in the backfield and, without hesitation, passed it directly to Xiangyang before heading towards Yangquan's half of the field.

Xiang Yang dribbled the ball forward with one hand, his eyes lowered as he observed the defensive formation of Yangquan's five players. Although he had decided to use the artillery-style attack, this tactic was not something he could use at will against Yangquan's excellent defense.

Therefore, in this offensive play, Xiang Yang did not choose to organize the play too much. Instead, he made a gesture to spread out and then went one-on-one against Yang Quan's point guard, scoring a point.

Since Kise left the team, Kaijo has lacked a one-on-one player on offense. Fortunately, Hikaru, whose offensive ability has been improved in all aspects, can fill this role well.

Xiangyang advances, offense and defense switch, Yangquan takes possession of the ball and attacks.

Although the current starting five players of Kaijo look very short, it doesn't actually have much of an impact. After all, even if they are taller, can they be taller than Murasakibara?

On the contrary, with the addition of the physically strong Fukuhara, Kaijo posed a greater threat to Yosen in terms of steals.

After a round of ball passing, Yangquan once again passed the ball to Ziyuan, and this inside monster did not disappoint his teammates. He grabbed the ball with both hands, jumped up, and performed "showtime" again on the basket in Haichang's half of the court.

This time, the Kaijo members, who were already used to Murasakibara's presence, were not intimidated. Instead, they walked towards the center in an orderly manner.

Yuki jogged to the outside and passed the ball directly to Xiangyang. At the same time, everyone from Haichang was shocked and rushed towards Yangquan's half of the court.

Himuro was the first to react, quickly retreating to defend while shouting, "Watch out! They're going to pass the ball all over the court!"

Having suffered a setback at the hands of Hikaru and Yuki in the second quarter, Himuro subconsciously assumed that they were going to try to replicate the scene from the previous one.

But this time... they guessed wrong.

After receiving the ball, Xiang Yang not only showed no intention of passing it, but also changed his previous casual dribbling style and sprinted towards Yangquan's half of the court with one hand.

Is he planning a fast-paced, all-out attack?

At that moment, the thought flashed through Himuro's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Because, apart from Xiang Yang, the other four players in Haichang's starting five, along with center forward Da Yuan, all sprinted towards Yangquan's half of the field.

Instinctively, the Yangquan team quickly retreated to defend, except for Murasakibara, who was still in the midfield and had not been able to get back to the defensive position.

At this moment, a five-on-four situation has emerged in Yangquan's half of the court!

Xiang Yang's eyes sharpened, and with a wave of his right hand, he directed the movement while passing the ball to Yuki in the corner. After attracting the attention of one of Yang Quan's interior defenders, he decisively passed the ball to Ohara on the other side.

Similarly, a Yangquan defender moved towards Dayuan to cover, and then the script repeated itself. Every time a Haichang player received the ball, a Yangquan player would follow. It has to be said that their defense was very good, but unfortunately... Yangquan is now playing five against four in the half.

In just three seconds, the five players from Kaijo each received a pass. Finally, the basketball was passed to Xiangyang. He stood at the free throw line, glanced back at Murasakibara who was about to arrive, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"He's been arrested, big guy."

"Don't worry, this kind of situation will happen quite often in the future."

(Two chapters combined)

Chapter 241: Replace Murasakibara?

Swish!

A crisp sound of swiping the net.

Murasakibara, who arrived late, watched as Hikaru easily made a mid-range shot from the free-throw line and couldn't help but purse his lips: "He's really lucky."

Upon hearing these words, Xiang Yang turned his head and gave Murasakibara a deep look, then retorted, "Do you think I got this vacancy because of luck?"

"Huh? What else could it be but luck?"

Murasakibara, slightly annoyed, argued with Xiangyang, "You don't think we'll give you that easy spot to shoot and score every time we attack, do you?"

Xiang Yang shook his head and said, "Who knows?"

After saying that, Xiang Yang didn't say anything more, but turned around and returned to Haichang's half of the court to prepare to deal with Yangquan's attack.

It must be said that although Tanaka's strength is mediocre, his height of just over two meters makes him quite intimidating in the paint. At least after he left the court, Yangquan's attacks on the inside increased significantly.

After Murasakibara once again broke through the defense in the paint and dunked the ball, Himuro immediately shouted, "Get back on defense! Watch out for passing!"

Yes, after Kaijo's repeated fast attacks succeeded, Himuro realized something was wrong.

If nothing unexpected happens, they will launch another fast break once the basketball hits the ground.

As Himuro retreated, he kept an eye on Xiangyang. Sure enough, the latter accelerated to full speed the moment he received the ball, rushing towards Yangquan's half of the court. Accompanying him were the other four players from Haichang. Haichang's fast break offensive from the previous round was about to be repeated.

However, this time, Yangquan's team had the experience from before, and their defensive speed was much faster. After they were all in position against the Shanghai players, Bing Shi looked at Xiang Yang with a bit of relief, thinking to himself: This time, you won't have another chance!

However, that one glance made Himuro feel as if he were sitting in an ice cave.

Xiang Yang stood alone in the restricted area, looking at Bing Shi with a smile, while there was no one around him.

What's going on? Where are the people guarding Xiangyang?

Himuro's face was half panicked and half angry as he turned his head, trying to find out who had let their guard down again.

Yangquan's point guard, Changzhe, faced off against Shimamura; the small forward went to Fukuhara; the power forward stood firmly in front of Ohara; and Yuki was guarded by him.

In an instant, Himuro's pupils contracted sharply. He turned his gaze to the midfield, where Murasakibara was frantically running towards Yosen's half of the field, his eyes filled with panic.

Swish!

Another crisp swish of the net echoed as Yuki passed the ball to Xiangyang, repeating the seemingly childish goal scored by Kaijo in the previous round of attack and defense.

Murasakibara finally reached his team's three-point line, but it was too late. He put his hands on his knees and looked at Xiangyang in disbelief.

"why?"

Hearing Murasakibara's question, Xiangyang turned around in surprise and replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't it obvious?"

"You're too slow, Murasakibara."

……

……

Yangquan applies for suspension

Masako sat on the bench with her arms crossed and legs crossed. Her right hand unconsciously clenched her arm, and the cold sweat constantly trickling down her face made it clear that she was...

Yangquan is already standing on the edge of a cliff.

With a score of 67:54, in the first half of the third quarter, Haichang finally showcased its "bombardment tactics" to the world, which led to Yangquan's defeat.

At this very moment, Rakuzan's coach, Eiji Shirakane, is sitting at home, watching the live broadcast recording with a serious expression.

"Substitute the center off the court and continuously employ five-man fast breaks, preventing the opposing center from getting back on defense in time, thus creating a five-on-four advantage..."

Shirogane Eiji's face twitched, and he sighed, "That's a truly unconventional tactic, quite wicked... but also ruthless..."

……

"Um... I was wondering if we should change the starting lineup?"

On the Yangquan bench, after a struggle with his conscience, Chang Zhe raised his right hand to express his opinion.

"Because you guys look at Haichang, they put their center down, and they did a really good job winning loose balls and fast breaks, so I was thinking..."

As the conversation progressed, Chang Zhe's voice grew softer, and everyone else in Yangquan turned their attention to him. Although he didn't say it aloud, everyone present understood what Chang Zhe meant.

Murasakibara, who had been keeping his head down and silent, raised his head at this moment. His usually calm and world-weary eyes were now mixed with a hint of anger.

"You mean, you want to substitute me off the field?"

Murasakibara said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Nagatsu, as if he would burst out and tear him to pieces at any moment.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

Changzhe waved his hands repeatedly, about to say something, but then he saw Murasakibara lower his head again.

"Fine, I've had enough. Whatever you want, if you think you can win by taking me off the court, then take me off."

Murasakibara's lazy voice rang out, but because his head was lowered, no one could see the expression on his face.

“Dun…”

Himuro touched Murasakibara's shoulder with a worried look, then glared at Chotetsu. The latter knew he had said the wrong thing and sat there hesitantly, his expression somewhat unnatural.

In fact, although Murasakibara's physical talent is the strongest in the Yosen team, his personality is like that of a child. He will complain about being tired from training, and he will be happy when someone gives him snacks. In their daily interactions, everyone in Yosen carefully takes care of Murasakibara's emotions. In their eyes, this big guy from the "Generation of Miracles" is not only their ace, but also someone in the team who needs to be taken care of.

Just as the space gradually quieted down and the atmosphere became awkward, Masako spoke up.

"Murasakibara... cannot leave the field."

Masako mimicked someone else's gesture, licking her lips as she analyzed, "So far, Murasakibara's performance on the field has indeed been poor. He can't keep up with his opponents on defense, and he hasn't had any particularly impressive moments on offense..."

Upon hearing this, Murasakibara's body visibly trembled, indicating that he was not as magnanimous as he had just said.

"but!"

Masako emphasized her words, turning to look at the Kaijo bench, and said through gritted teeth, "That was all a show put on for us by Kaijo."

Upon hearing this, everyone in Yangquan froze, clearly not understanding Masako's meaning, except for Himuro.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if pondering something.

"By substituting the team's only center off the court, we not only sped up the game but also pretended to be vulnerable inside. So, whether it was Murasakibara or anyone else, as long as they rushed into the paint, they only offered symbolic defense and didn't put much pressure on them."

Masako frowned, glanced at everyone in Yosen, and continued, "If we really let Murasakibara off the court, then the situation will become what they want to see. At that point, we won't even have an advantage in the paint..."

Furthermore, Murasakibara might play passively because we don't trust him. If that's the case, then the outcome of this match is already decided.

Masako didn't say the second half of her sentence, but her guess was almost exactly the same as what Xiangyang had planned!

Himuro banged his fist in response, "The coach is right. I don't know how many people could come up with such a vicious plan, but Xiangyang is definitely one of them..."

"He's the kind of person who'll stop at nothing as long as he doesn't cross any moral line."

Having successfully identified the problem, the atmosphere in Yangquan eased considerably. Even Murasakibara, who had been deep in thought, sat up straight and turned his gaze to Masako.

"Coach, what should we do?"

Masako glanced at the scoreboard, mentally estimated the remaining time, then turned to Murasakibara and solemnly said, "We..."

"Do nothing."