Shohoku vs. Hainan! A Classic Reborn (Part 1)

"Nice one, Sakuragi!" Miyagi turned and pulled Sakuragi up from the floor.

"Hahaha, this genius's performance is only just beginning!" Sakuragi said excitedly.

"Can't take a compliment...," Miyagi said.

Swish. He made the free throw as well. Sakuragi had come out incredibly strong, scoring five straight points.

"Sakuragi... I never expected you to find your rhythm so quickly. Just think, a few years ago, you were an outsider who didn't even know the rules of basketball. But now you're playing professionally, and you're performing brilliantly. Sakuragi, you've given us so many surprises!" Watching Sakuragi score again and again from the sidelines, Haruko sighed with emotion.

"Since he began his special swimming training, Sakuragi's core strength has indeed improved noticeably. This game is very similar to the preseason match. As the game goes on and the Deer Horns learn more about Sakuragi, they'll definitely adjust their defensive strategy. It all depends on how Sakuragi responds next." Coach Omoki was also analyzing the situation on the court.

The Deer Horns went on offense.

The ball went straight to Maki. Sakuragi guarded him closely. Maki began dribbling, preparing to attack the basket head-on, while the other four Deer Horns players all pulled to the opposite side, creating an isolation opportunity for Maki against Sakuragi.

At that moment, Jin suddenly slipped along the baseline and arrived beneath the completely unguarded basket. Maki immediately understood and lofted the ball toward him.

"Too obvious!" Sakuragi extended his long arm again, intercepting the ball in midair and grabbing it outright for the steal!

"Go, Miyagi!" While everyone, including Maki, was still marveling at Sakuragi's jumping ability and reflexes, Sakuragi passed the ball to the streaking Miyagi before he had even landed. With only the basket ahead of him, Miyagi easily finished the layup!

"The opposing Sakuragi truly has exceptional athleticism. I expected him to make some miraculous plays, but what surprised me was the tremendous chemistry between Miyagi and Sakuragi. The moment Maki released that pass, Miyagi anticipated that Sakuragi would definitely steal it, which was why he broke so decisively on the fast break. The same went for that earlier fast break pass back to Sakuragi. Their connection is going to be quite troublesome!" Coach Yoshioka's analysis made sense. Right from the start, his team had indeed been somewhat passive.

"Timeout!" The Deer Horns called a timeout. It seemed they needed to address the problem of Sakuragi.

The score was 8:. Sakuragi had been outstanding on both ends of the floor, already recording 5 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 rebound.

"Everyone's doing great. Keep carrying out this physical, body-to-body defense. We can't let them run their offense smoothly. This time, we'll attack like this...," Omoki said, pleased with the team's performance as he set up another play.

Play resumed after the timeout.

"Let these eight points punish me for underestimating you!" Maki said to Sakuragi.

"Not just eight points!" Sakuragi refused to back down.

The Deer Horns went on offense. This possession finally had some structure to it. Nobunaga ran a pick-and-roll with Maki. Rather than passing, Nobunaga suddenly lowered his center of gravity and drove straight to the basket for a layup.

"Tch!" Rukawa Kaede rotated over and swatted away the ball Nobunaga had just released.

But by sheer coincidence, the ball flew into the hands of the Deer Horns' center, Takasato. Akagi had been screened outside the paint and had yet to recover, allowing Takasato to dunk it easily.

"There's no questioning Rukawa Kaede's offensive ability. The key is his defensive effort. They scored on that play, but his defensive resilience was still pretty good!" Omoki hoped Rukawa Kaede would contribute more to the team.

The Deer Horns had finally gotten on the board.

Miyagi dribbled the ball up and found Mitsui, who had gotten open. Mitsui did not rush to shoot after receiving the ball. Seeing Akagi had already established position, he passed it inside.

Akagi faced Takasato. At first glance, this looked like a favorable matchup, but Takasato, as a purely defensive interior player, was no pushover. Akagi backed him down repeatedly and spun several times, yet failed to shake him off. He could only force up a shot in frustration.

Missed! This time, Maki did not let Sakuragi steal the spotlight again. He firmly sealed him off and grabbed the rebound.

Sakuragi was unwilling to accept it and tried to reach in to steal the ball already in Maki's hands.

"You're thinking too simply!" Maki had clearly been prepared.

With a clean spin move, Maki left Sakuragi, who had just been in front of him, directly behind him.

"Here, Maki!!" Seeing Maki break free of the defense, Nobunaga called for the ball.

"You fell for it!" A strange smile appeared on Maki's face.

The instant Nobunaga raised his hand for the ball, Rukawa Kaede and Mitsui both ran toward him without any prior coordination, hoping to get a steal. However, they may have both forgotten one thing: Maki could play three positions!

After getting past Sakuragi, Maki pushed the ball upcourt like a guard. Since Rukawa Kaede and Mitsui both thought he would pass to Nobunaga, they had left a wide-open lane straight ahead.

Maki gradually accelerated. Once Rukawa and Mitsui realized they had been fooled, they chased after him with all their might. But Maki truly moved like a guard, getting faster and faster, charging forward with unstoppable momentum like a tank.

But Rukawa Kaede was also extremely fast. He gradually caught up to Maki and tried to block his dunk.

Maki seemed to notice the pursuit behind him as well. At the last moment, he switched to a two-footed standing dunk. Rukawa Kaede leaped with all his strength to block it, and the two collided fiercely in midair.

"Tweet! Number 1, shooting foul! Number 41's basket counts! One free throw!"

"Damn it..." Rukawa Kaede was breathing heavily. He still failed to stop Maki's dunk and even gave up the foul.

"Hahahahaha, monkey boy, you got blown by, didn't you? Hahaha!" Nobunaga mocked Sakuragi.

"And Rukawa Kaede, you actually overestimated yourself enough to try and block Maki's dunk. In the end, you gave him an and-one! Hahahaha, I'm dying!" After mocking Sakuragi, he did not forget Rukawa Kaede either.

"Say that again!!" For once, Sakuragi and Rukawa Kaede stood on the same side. They spoke in unison, their eyes filled with killing intent.

"Nobunaga! Don't cause trouble!" Team captain Maki came over and dragged Nobunaga away.

"You two, focus on the game!" Akagi also came over to tell them to calm down.

Maki made the free throw, scoring five straight points.

The Jaguars went on offense, and the ball again went inside. But Akagi really seemed out of sorts today. Though he did not force an attack, he used too much strength when trying to pass out to Mitsui, sending the ball out of bounds for another turnover.

The Deer Horns had found their rhythm. After receiving the ball, Jin made a fake. Mitsui, well aware of Jin's three-point ability, took the bait. Seeing Mitsui had been faked into the air, Jin adjusted and calmly released the shot.

"Swish!" Three-pointer!

"Tweet! The Jaguars request a timeout."

From 8: at the opening to an 8:8 tie now, the Deer Horns had gradually settled into the game after their slow start.

"Rukawa Kaede, whenever you have the chance, isolate against Nobunaga. You're much taller than him; that's something we can exploit. Akagi, don't rush. Their center likes physical play, so pulling him out is fine too. Mitsui, shoot whenever you get the opportunity. Stay calm on defense. Treat him like an ordinary opponent and don't put psychological pressure on yourself. Miyagi, get back more on defense!" Omoki used the brief time to rearrange the team's offensive and defensive tactics.

"What about me??? Coach!!" Sakuragi was confused when he did not hear his own name.

"You're being subbed out." Omoki's words were unequivocal.

"Why!!! No way, I only got beaten once!!! Please, Coach, have mercy! Please! Please! I still have lots of special moves I haven't used yet!" Sakuragi was unwilling to be taken out.

"Watch from the bench. Figure out how to contain Maki first!" Coach Omoki's attitude was resolute.

"Damn it... Rukawa Kaede hasn't scored a single point and he has a foul, yet you're taking me out instead!" Sakuragi could only obey the coach's arrangement, but he remained unconvinced.

For the remainder of the first quarter, both sides continued trading blows. Rukawa Kaede repeatedly used his individual ability to beat Nobunaga in isolation, while the three-pronged attack on the other side scored from multiple points. By the end of the quarter, the two sides were tied at 5!

The second quarter began, but Sakuragi still did not take the court. It appeared he still had not come up with a way to deal with Maki.

At the start of the second quarter, Akagi found his rhythm, scoring repeatedly inside to stretch the lead to 1 point. But Jin's shooting touch remained scorching hot as he knocked down two more three-pointers in a row, tying the score again.

"Damn it, at this rate, I won't get another chance to play!! No, I need to watch Maki carefully. I have to find a way to contain that old man!" Sakuragi was extremely anxious, but for now, all he could do was watch from the sidelines.

The Deer Horns went on offense, and Maki had the ball again. After the defensive rotation, a switch occurred. The one standing in front of Maki was actually Miyagi. Without hesitation, Maki went to work in the post like an interior player. Miyagi's defense was practically nonexistent in Maki's eyes. Once Maki saw the opportunity, he spun and knocked down a jump shot! It was incredibly easy.

"What the heck! He's way too steady. As long as he gets the ball, he's sure to score..." Sakuragi had a flash of inspiration, as if he had thought of something.

"Omoki!! I've got it!" Sakuragi ran eagerly to Coach Omoki's side.

He leaned close and whispered into Omoki's ear.

"The Jaguars make a substitution. Number 6, Sakuragi Hanamichi, replaces Number 9, Okizaki Tōsei!"

It seemed Sakuragi had finally found a way to contain Maki. Waves of applause also rang out around the arena, welcoming Sakuragi back onto the court. Since the 8:8 tie in the first quarter, Sakuragi had finally returned. Now, there were still five minutes remaining in the first half.