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

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

Xiang Yang walked over to Gong Zhi and patted his bottom to comfort him, saying that it was really asking too much of him to defend against Vulcan alone.

During Kaijo's offensive possession, Xiangyang leisurely dribbled the ball across half-court. Unlike Seirin, who needed to attack aggressively, Kaijo's strategy was to slow down the pace and use the advantage created by Kise before he left the court to solidify their victory. Coincidentally, slow-paced games were exactly what Xiangyang liked best.

And... time needs to slow down a bit more towards the sun.

Shiro Rin's attack was very fast, scoring in just 8 seconds.

Xiang Yang glanced at the scoreboard: 3 minutes and 19 seconds.

Yi Yue stood outside the three-point line, watching Xiang Yang's movements warily. Although she knew that Xiang Yang was definitely going to run down the clock, Yi Yue did not relax her defense just in case Xiang Yang suddenly launched a surprise attack.

Time slowly passed, and when the scoreboard reached 3 minutes, Xiang Yang's expression changed.

Talent: Zone activated.

Talent: King of the Final Quarter has been activated.

Thanks to Kise's sustained bursts of energy, Xiangyang's stamina finally recovered to the point where he could barely unleash his full potential, but this time, he wasn't thinking about a one-on-one fight.

At the same time, Kobo immediately rushed to the high post to set a screen for Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu understood and accepted the screen, creating an open space in front of him.

Talent: The Right Choice has been activated.

A mechanical voice sounded in his mind, and Xiangyang immediately passed the ball across to Kasamatsu.

This was the decisive strategy that Xiangyang had just proposed: he would pass the ball, and the rest of the Kaijo team would finish the attack! He had also specifically planned to start the first round of attack just as the three-minute mark was up, with the priority finisher naturally being the reliable senior Kasamatsu.

Yi Yue's expression changed. He hadn't expected that Xiang Yang wouldn't choose to go one-on-one at this point, since Cheng Lin's defensive focus was intentionally or unintentionally tilting towards Xiang Yang.

With Kasamatsu in an open position, no one in the Jōrin could stop him except for Teppei in the penalty area!

When he saw Kobori move up, he became wary. When he saw that the screener was not Hikaru but Kasamatsu, he decisively rushed to the outside to help defend. Kiyoshi Teppei, whose foot speed is definitely among the best of centers, successfully got in front of Kasamatsu and completed this wonderful help defense.

Kasamatsu ignored the large hand blocking his view and raised his hand to shoot. With an unprecedentedly realistic fake move, he actually knocked Teppei away!

With only two seconds left on the 24-second shot clock, Kasamatsu didn't hesitate, immediately dribbling past Teppei and taking the free throw.

A long-range floater from the line was quickly released and swished through the net! At the same time, the referee blew the whistle, and the 24-second shot clock expired!

An excited Takeuchi simply stood up, staring at the scorer's table, ready to fight. It seemed that if the referee dared to say that the goal was disallowed, he would immediately rush up and fight him to the death!

Given the intensity of the match, where any single point could drastically alter the outcome, and of course, there was the threatening look from Takeuchi, the referee ultimately decided to review the video footage!

In the footage, the basketball had already left Kasamatsu's hands the moment the timer went to zero, which was undoubtedly a good shot!

beep—

Haichang No. 8's two points are valid!

After a moment of silence, the arena erupted in cheers. Kasamatsu made the buzzer-beater, bringing the score difference back to 7 points, 96-89! Kaijo took the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

"Good shot, Kasamatsu-senpai!!"

On the Kaijo bench, Kise put his hands to his mouth like megaphones and cheered for his teammates with a grin.

Even at such a crucial moment, Kise remained completely calm despite not being on the field, even more relaxed than the Kaicho members who were playing, because this Kaicho team was not just his team!

On the court, Kasamatsu waved his hand when he heard Kise's voice, but his eyes were glancing at Hinohi out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but mutter to himself: That pass just now... made my movements feel smoother. Was it this guy?

Kasamatsu's guess was correct; this was indeed Hikaru's new...old talent! "The right choice!"

When the game enters the final three minutes, every pass you make will improve the strength of your teammates.

Xiang Yang had tried this tactic in the previous summer qualifiers, but the effect was not significant. After the game, when he asked his teammates who received the pass, they all said that it was no different from the usual pass. So Xiang Yang didn't pay too much attention to this talent, since it was better than nothing!

But after winning the "King of the Final Quarter" and "Zone", a bold idea arose in Xiangyang's mind!

Given that "zone" can enhance one's own strength, and also known that "King of the Final Quarter" can enhance one's own strength in the final quarter, what is the result of combining these two buffs with "the right choice"?

A: It's equivalent to Seijuro Akashi in the fourth quarter! Of course, this only applies to the offensive end, since the defensive strength of teammates hasn't been improved compared to the team zone.

"It doesn't matter! We win as long as we score more points than them."

Watching Kagami once again put the ball into the basket despite the defense of Kobori and Miyaji, Xiangyang remained calm and said in a composed manner.

Although his mind wasn't as turbulent as it appeared on the surface, the point guard is the team's brain. In any case, he hypnotized his body to believe in himself, and Xiangyang's face would never show any panic or fear about the game.

And he wasn't wrong. The essence of basketball is scoring. Even if the opponent scores 500 points, you can still win if you score 1,000.

Xiang Yang's words had a great effect. The Haichang players, who had been a little agitated, calmed down again and focused their attention back on basketball.

96:91, a five-point difference in two and a half minutes.

During Kaijo's offensive possession, Xiangyang continued to press the clock, ignoring Izuki's pained expression and desperate attempt to steal the ball. Xiangyang's gaze swept over everyone on the court; Kuroko was no longer on the court, so he could safely pass the ball around.

After a few passes, the finishing opportunity came to Kogoro. When he received the pass from Xiangyang, he felt a surge of heat in his heart, as if his jumping ability had increased significantly!

The passionate young man leaped high, holding the ball above his head, ready to dunk over Tie Ping!

Standing under the basket, Teppei watched Kobo jump but didn't defend. Instead, he charged directly towards Kaijo's half of the court. This unexpected scene made Xiangyang's pupils shrink.

There's only one reason why Teppei would make that move at this time...

From the bottom corner, a red figure suddenly flew in.

Bang!

A deafening roar, a massive, sky-covering hood! Kogoro was even slammed into the ground by the Vulcan, flying a great distance away.

Kise, watching from the sidelines, frowned slightly, silently praying for his teammates.

It's up to you now, Xiao Xiangyang!

My friend's book, feel free to check it out if you're interested! Don't rush me to update more every day, I'm in a hurry too…

Chapter 122 Have you heard of Soma? (4000-word chapter, please vote for me)

Chapter 122 Have you heard of Soma? (4000-word chapter, please vote!)

beep—

The referee's whistle blew

Fortunately, the basketball flew out of bounds. Although Kaijo's attack failed, Seirin also lost the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and Kaijo inbounded the ball again.

With his hands on his hips, Xiangyang watched as Kasamatsu helped Kobori up, a hint of helplessness flashing through his mind: This Kagami is just too damn outrageous.

Even Xiang Yang couldn't see when he rushed into the paint to help defend. What kind of monster is he?

After Kise left the field, Xiangyang experienced the immense pressure of leading the team alone for the first time.

"It seems like inside offense isn't going to work..."

Xiangyang rubbed his chin, and taking advantage of the fact that the ball was out of bounds and a substitution was still possible, he immediately gave Takeuchi a wink.

Hai Chang applied for a replacement.

After Miyaji left the court, the new player to enter the game was named Moriyama Yoshitaka. Before Hikaru pushed Kasamatsu to the shooting guard position, he was the shooting guard for Kaijo, and he had a very special and peculiar shooting style! A toilet-inverted three-pointer!

Considering that Kagami's pressure in the paint was too strong, Xiangyang decided to abandon the idea of ​​playing inside and put all the offensive focus on the outside. Therefore, Miyaji, who was good at mid-range shooting, was naturally not as useful as Moriyama, who was good at three-point shooting.

What? The three defenders on the field are too short to defend? Are you kidding me? It's not like you can stop Vulcan just by putting a few tall guys on the field. Below the level of miracles, everyone is equal, just ants.

Xiangyang no longer has the energy to do anything on the defensive end, so it's better to let Vulcan score and use his energy on crucial moments and improving his teammates' abilities.

Kaijo served again, and this time Seirin didn't just watch Kaijo run down the clock. Instead, they started man-to-man defense from the serve to force Kaijo to make mistakes. With two minutes left and a five-point difference, if they scored on this ball, Seirin would be finished.

Izuki stuck close to Xiangyang, desperately trying to interfere with his receiving the ball. However, Xiangyang was not only heavier but also taller than Izuki, easily trapping him behind him and resolving Kaicho's serving crisis.

But before Xiangyang could adjust his posture, Kagami, who was pretending to defend Moriyama, immediately dropped his disguise and rushed up to double-team Xiangyang. With Kise not around, Shiro Rin naturally knew who was the most dangerous person on the court right now!

Seeing Vulcan arrive, Xiangyang quickly bounced the ball to Moriyama, who was in an open position. Unlike Izuki, whom he could easily control, being entangled by Vulcan meant there was a real risk of being dispossessed.

Moriyama received the ball in an open position, hesitated for a moment before passing it back to Xiangyang, who was in a safe position. Firstly, he was new to the game and his shooting touch wasn't guaranteed; secondly, time was running out, and as long as Kaijo managed to control the clock, their advantage would remain!

Seeing that his steal attempt had failed, Vulcan showed a hint of frustration on his face. The absence of Kuroko had also had a significant impact on him!

Xiang Yang keenly noticed the change in Vulcan's emotions, and dribbled the ball with one hand as if deep in thought.

With the 24-second shot clock fast approaching, Kaijo, just like in the previous possession, used Xiangyang's pass and a pick-and-roll inside to create a three-point opportunity. Unfortunately, Moriyama, who had no feel for the ball since entering the game, failed to capitalize on it, and the ball missed, only to be steadily caught by Tieping.

As expected, Shirorin's offense was as expected. Kagami received the ball and charged straight into Kaijo's paint, scoring in just 7 seconds.

After completing a round of attacks, the point difference narrowed again.

With one minute remaining, Haichang led 96-93.

Xiang Yang let out a long sigh, suppressing his anxiety. The closer it got to the end, the less he could afford to make a mistake.

After crossing half-court, even Xiangyang's defender changed this time. Vulcan replaced Yiyue and immediately closed in, his eyes revealing a hint of urgency.

That shot! I absolutely have to stop him!

Xiang Yang slowly dribbled the ball to adjust his rhythm. Although it was unrealistic for him to break through Vulcan's defense with his stamina, it would be easy for him to avoid being intercepted.

While dealing with Kagami, Xiangyang still had time to look up and observe his teammates' positioning. However, in this offensive round that could potentially determine the outcome of the game, Chenglin gave him no chance whatsoever.

Kaijo's pick-and-roll positioning was very standard, but Seirin's defensive response was terrifying. The switching and delaying between the two players had no timing flaws whatsoever. It can only be said that the "five players working together" was simply too abnormal.

On the sidelines, Takeuchi watched his players' positioning with bated breath. If this ball went in, Kaijo would have a huge advantage in the next round of attack and defense. Conversely, if it went out, the two teams would be back to square one in the final moments, which would be fatal for Kaijo, whose players had already been substituted.

With only five seconds left on the shot clock, and none of his teammates had created any openings, Xiangyang had no choice but to go it alone. He tried to shoot a three-pointer despite Vulcan's defense, but unfortunately, it missed.

A wail erupted from the crowd, along with cheers from a small group of Shiro Rin fans. With this attack, Kaijo lost the chance to end the match early.

Despite Hori's best efforts in the battle for rebounds, it was still quite difficult for him to secure offensive rebounds from Teppei.

Seeing his teammates secure the rebound, Vulcan immediately reached out for the ball.

96:93, only 37 seconds left!

They scored a goal in time, defended against Haichang's next attack, and then scored a last-minute winner!

A hint of excitement flashed in Vulcan's eyes. He could almost see the deafening roar of the crowd in the stadium after his game-winning shot against Haichang!

This time, Xiangyang didn't hold back. Instead, he took the initiative to find Vulcan. It was the last two rounds. No matter how exhausted he was, he had to grit his teeth and persevere!

Vulcan glanced at Xiang Yang in front of him, but didn't pay much attention. Xiang Yang had never shown Vulcan his defensive abilities, and hadn't even taken the initiative to defend against him in the first few rounds. The difference in intelligence made Vulcan a little too confident.

It was still a rapid and aggressive attack. Vulcan barely dribbled the ball before grabbing it and trying to drive into the paint against Xiang Yang. But he underestimated Xiang Yang's physical strength!

Kagami's power should not be underestimated, but Xiangyang after special training is no pushover either. His defensive ability is recorded as "strong" in Masako's database! With the addition of "Death Binding", Xiangyang's current defensive ability even surpasses that of Kise in his normal state!

boom!