Shohoku vs. Hainan! A Classic Reborn (Part 2)

This game between the Jaguars and the Deer Horns had almost become a replay of Shohoku versus Hainan. Sakuragi, back from suspension, came out incredibly strong, scoring and assisting in succession to give his team an 8-point lead. But then the Deer Horns' star player, Maki, stepped up, using his polished skills and accurate shooting to pull the game into the Deer Horns' rhythm.

Sakuragi, who had been pinned to the bench for most of the first quarter, seemed to have finally figured something out. He appeared to have found a way to contain Maki.

"Long time no see, Sakuragi!" Maki joked when he saw Sakuragi take the court.

"Hmph, old man, your show ends here. I won't let you touch the ball again!" Sakuragi was dead serious this time.

The Jaguars went on offense. Mitsui came out to receive the ball, then passed it to Sakuragi.

"Come on, old man! I'm going to crush you!" Sakuragi immediately pulled up for a jumper, while Maki stayed locked in and followed him up.

Sakuragi shot with plenty of confidence, but he had been sitting on the bench for too long. The ball's arc in the air was a little... and in the end, it flew straight out of bounds—a textbook airball beyond the basket.

"How could this happen? My set shot actually..." Sakuragi seemed unable to accept the reality.

"Idiot, who were you passing to..." Rukawa Kaede teased Sakuragi.

"Damn it, that was a shot!!" Even Sakuragi had no energy left after trying to explain himself. It really had flown out of bounds. It did look a bit like a pass.

"Enough. Focus on defense!" With Akagi off the court, Mitsui became the temporary captain.

The Deer Horns had Akiyama bringing up the ball, still focusing their offense on Maki. Just as Akiyama was about to pass to Maki, who had already established position, Sakuragi did something unexpected.

"Don't think you're passing it over!" Sakuragi suddenly spun around and moved in front of Maki, sealing him off like an offensive player.

"This is... fronting defense!! I never thought that blockhead could play fronting defense!" Coach Yoshioka could hardly believe Sakuragi's move.

"Sakuragi finally realized it. Against a player like Maki, you have to make it difficult for him to receive the ball—or even prevent him from getting it entirely. That's the only way to disrupt his offensive rhythm and wear him out trying to get free." Omoki's decision to bench Sakuragi had apparently worked. Sakuragi had finally caught on.

Seeing that the pass was difficult to make, Akiyama hesitated—and the 4-second count expired!

"Great job, Sakuragi!" Akagi rose from the bench and cheered for him.

"Gorilla, just sit back and rest. Watch me put on a deer-hunting show!" Sakuragi's confidence surged.

For the rest of the second quarter, it was practically a physical war between Sakuragi and Maki. Sakuragi's touch was poor on offense, but on defense, he forced Maki to expend tremendous energy fighting for position, making it hard for Maki to find his offensive rhythm as well.

With Rukawa Kaede repeatedly driving inside to draw fouls and sink free throws in the final possessions, the Jaguars ended the first half ahead 54-46.

As for the numbers, Maki had scored 18 points, but Sakuragi held him to just 6-of-18 shooting. After scoring five straight points at the start, Sakuragi failed to score again. Rukawa Kaede, meanwhile, remained all-around with 14 points, 6 rebounds, assists, and steals.

"This has to be the most closely contested half the Deer Horns have played since the season began. The two teams really are evenly matched. This scene truly reminds me of that classic Shohoku-versus-Hainan game from back then!" The commentator had clearly done plenty of homework before the game. The wide-open, back-and-forth first half really did evoke that old Shohoku-Hainan showdown.

"Everyone did great in the first half, especially on defense. The other side will likely change tactics in the second half, but we need to maintain our defensive intensity. Sakuragi! How's your stamina?"

In the locker room, Coach Omoki laid out the second-half strategy and asked about Sakuragi's condition.

"No problem. I'm bursting with energy! Don't worry, leave that old man to me. I won't let him score a single point in the second half!" Sakuragi's fronting defense had paid off, boosting his confidence.

"We were still a little slow to warm up in the first half. We need to take our opponent seriously! Luckily, we aren't behind by much. Keep your spirits up and turn the score around in one push during the second half." Coach Yoshioka also addressed his team in the locker room.

"Maki, don't get hung up on that rookie. If you keep tangling with him, you'll cost the whole team valuable opportunities!" Although Maki was the team's top star, Coach Yoshioka did not spare his feelings over his poor performance.

"I understand. I did waste too many opportunities in the first half. I'll adjust." Maki began reflecting on himself as well.

The second half was about to begin.

"How about it, old man? I'm sticking to you for the rest of this game!" The moment he returned to the court, Sakuragi headed straight for Maki and provoked him.

"If you keep defending me like this and put all your energy into defense, are you really going to let Rukawa Kaede shine on offense?!" Maki asked Sakuragi instead.

"Heh heh, old man, I'm excellent at both offense and defense. Against a team like yours, I can crush you even without scoring!" It seemed Sakuragi's emotional intelligence had improved; he did not fall for Maki's provocation.

Damn it, if this keeps up, Rukawa Kaede will score more and more! The cheers are all going to him, while I can only quietly wrestle with this old man...

"The game's starting, Sakuragi. Stop spacing out!" Akagi reminded him when he noticed Sakuragi drifting off.

On the first possession of the second half, the Jaguars fed the ball inside. Akagi did not force the issue, instead passing to Sakuragi nearby. Sakuragi pump-faked after receiving it, but Maki did not bite. Seeing that Maki had stayed put, Sakuragi drove hard into the paint, forcing his way past Maki. Maki's physical ability was no worse than Sakuragi's. After backing Maki down with his body, Sakuragi forced up a floater!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Not only did Maki not lose out in the physical battle, he actually gained a slight edge. Sakuragi's floater was practically a standing shot, released from a low point. Maki barely had to jump before delivering a heavy block to Sakuragi.

The ball went to Nobunaga, and the Deer Horns launched a fast break. Nobunaga dribbled into the frontcourt, found no good opportunity, and prepared to wait for his teammates to arrive so they could run a half-court set.

But Nobunaga passed the ball back. Maki came charging in, caught it, and shot immediately. Sakuragi had only focused on sprinting forward and did not realize his assignment was gone until he had reached the basket.

Swish! Maki finally found an open look and knocked down his first three-pointer of the game.

"Sakuragi, stop forcing things!" Akagi scolded him.

"Then I'll just score one back!" Sakuragi still longed to contribute on offense.

The Jaguars attacked. After receiving the ball, Rukawa Kaede motioned for everyone to clear out and prepared to take Nobunaga one-on-one. Nobunaga had already been beaten repeatedly by Rukawa Kaede in the first half and had lost plenty of face. This time... it was still the same. Rukawa Kaede spun past Nobunaga and drove into the paint. Center Watanabe quickly stepped up to help, and seeing the help defense arrive, Rukawa Kaede went for a high floater to avoid Watanabe's block. The ball did clear Watanabe, but perhaps the arc was too high—it sailed over the hoop without touching anything.

"Now that's how you shoot, stupid fox!" Sakuragi charged in from the baseline again, preparing for a putback dunk.

Beep! Offensive foul, number 6! Pushing! The whistle sounded just as Sakuragi slammed the ball through.

In his desperation, Sakuragi shoved Maki, who had boxed him out. The referee made the call without hesitation.

Sakuragi already had four fouls.

"Although Sakuragi has plenty of stamina, he's no longer focusing all his attention on defense like he did in the first half. He wants to get involved on offense, probably because Rukawa Kaede's excellent offensive performance has stirred him up. But neither of these two can be substituted right now, so we can only wait and see." Omoki had analyzed Sakuragi's current state of mind.

Swish! A long three-pointer from number 41, Maki Shinichi!

Just as Omoki finished his analysis, Maki used a teammate's screen to launch another long-range shot. Sakuragi desperately tried to block it, but Maki's hand had heated up, and he knocked it down cleanly again.

Beep! Jaguars timeout! Coach Omoki could not wait any longer. At the start of the second half, Sakuragi's lapse in focus had allowed Maki to find his touch, and he had hit two straight threes to cut the lead to just two points.

"Miyagi, we'll focus the offense on you next. Rukawa Kaede will drive to draw the double-team. Miyagi, move to Mitsui's spot. Mitsui has also used up a lot of energy defending Jin today. You're the weak link in their coverage now. Once you get an open look, don't hesitate! Shoot it decisively!" Coach Omoki was apparently trying to switch Rukawa Kaede and Miyagi's positions, which might also keep Sakuragi from getting distracted by offense.

"Miyagi! Shoot with confidence. I'll grab the rebounds for you!" Sakuragi encouraged Miyagi as well.

After the timeout, Rukawa Kaede indeed brought the ball across half court.

"Omoki really has moved Rukawa Kaede to point guard. Akagi also can't easily overpower Watanabe, Sakuragi has lost confidence in his shooting, and Miyagi isn't a consistent outside threat either. In that case, as long as we keep a close eye on Mitsui outside, we can completely lock down the Jaguars' offense!" Coach Yoshioka's analysis was thorough.

After Rukawa Kaede and Akagi ran a pick-and-roll, Rukawa Kaede drove into the paint. He glanced at Mitsui in the corner and passed the ball out, but Mitsui was not ready to receive it.

"Shoot it, Miyagi!" Sakuragi shouted as he battled for position under the basket.

It turned out Rukawa Kaede and Miyagi had planned the play long ago. Rukawa Kaede had not even looked at Miyagi before passing the ball; his glance toward Mitsui had merely been a feint. Miyagi caught the pass completely wide open!

"You're underestimating me!" Miyagi decisively launched a three!

The ball spun fiercely backward and dropped cleanly through the net!

"Beautiful, Miyagi!!" Miyagi scored the Jaguars' first basket of the second half.

"Come on, everyone! Stop them on this possession!" Miyagi was fired up now, shouting for everyone to defend!

"I didn't expect Miyagi to hit a three, but that isn't a standard Jaguars weapon. Letting Miyagi shoot threes shows that the Jaguars' offense has already fallen apart. That was just a lucky shot, and... what?!!!" Just as Coach Yoshioka was analyzing the situation, Miyagi hit another three!

"Beautiful!!! Miyagi!!!" Sakuragi was overjoyed, and the two slapped hands hard!

Ten seconds earlier, Nobunaga's blind drive had been stripped. After Sakuragi got the ball, he passed it to Miyagi. Before Miyagi had even set his feet at the three-point line, he launched another three without hesitation! It went in cleanly again! In less than a minute, Miyagi answered Maki with two straight threes, opening up the gap once more!

"People see Miyagi as someone fast, skilled at dribbling, but with poor shooting consistency. Yet if a point guard has no confidence in his shot at all, he can hardly draw defenders and create opportunities for his teammates. That's why elite point guards all possess reliable shooting. Miyagi didn't have that before, but the special training this offseason has gradually given him confidence in his shot!" As Coach Omoki analyzed, he recalled Miyagi practicing his shooting tirelessly every day.