Perfectly Balanced Lineup

The game between the Kobe Jaguars at home and the Sado Island Glories had begun. The Jaguars came out blazing, scoring shot after shot. Although Sakuragi had some lapses on defense, he made up for them with miraculous plays on offense. 6:, while the Glories had scored only two points off Eguchi Kyozo's free throws.

But Coach Toyama did not call a timeout. He felt his players could adjust.

"I heard Sakuragi suffered a serious lower-back injury before, the kind that nearly ruined his basketball career. I was already surprised he could return to the court, but I never expected him to still be capable of moves like that. Looks like he recovered well!"

Coach Toyama seemed to know something about Sakuragi.

For the remainder of the first quarter, the Jaguars controlled the tempo. Although the Glories occasionally made difficult shots, it felt like a drop in the bucket. The team had not found its rhythm. At the end of the quarter, the Jaguars led :19 by 14 points.

"Everyone, let go of the pressure. They did make a lot of mid-range and long-range shots this quarter, but you must believe one thing: that shooting percentage won't last forever. Once their shots stop falling, our chance will come! And Akagi, try to give him more rest."

Even with the team behind, Coach Toyama continued encouraging his players. They would stick to their system and wait for their chance. And it seemed he intended to take good "care" of Akagi.

"Everyone played very well. Keep this rhythm going. Akagi, watch your fouls! And Sakuragi, help Akagi with rotations when necessary. Try to maintain this lead! Let's go!"

Since the team was playing well, Coach Omoki did not go over too many tactics. Keeping everyone energized was the most important thing.

The second quarter began, with the Glories attacking first.

Miura dribbled the ball. This time, instead of creating opportunities for his teammates as he had in the first quarter, he drove straight to the basket against Miyagi's defense. Miyagi's height of 185 was not short for a guard, but against a big 191-centimeter guard like Miura, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Miura also deliberately slowed down on his drive to prevent Miyagi, whose center of gravity was lower, from stealing the ball.

"Damn it, this kind of drive is hard to handle. This guy!" Miyagi looked helpless.

Miura bulldozed through Miyagi like a tank.

"I'm going for it!"

Miyagi lowered his center of gravity again, deciding to gamble and see whether he could strip the ball from Miura.

"Really!"

Seeing Miyagi slip under his arm to steal the ball, Miura quickly brought it up as if he had anticipated it. Miyagi lunged at nothing and fell to the floor because his center of gravity was too low.

Miura raised the ball over his head and went up for a floater. Akagi hurried over to help!

"Tweet! Defensive number 4, shooting foul! Offensive number 1, two free throws."

"What?!"

Akagi could hardly believe the call and wanted to argue with the referee.

"Akagi, forget it. We're still ahead, don't panic!" Mitsui ran over to talk him down.

Just like that, not long after the second quarter began, Akagi picked up his second personal foul.

"The concern has appeared after all. The Glories love charging into the paint to draw fouls and slow down the game. Akagi has become the first victim. This is going to be troublesome!"

Coach Omoki realized Akagi was in danger.

Miura made both free throws.

The Jaguars went on offense.

Miyagi dribbled across half court, but Miura remained glued to him. It was difficult for Miyagi to organize the offense, and he could only struggle to protect the ball.

"From now on, I'm locking you down completely!" Miura threatened.

"Miura Fei's defense is extremely aggressive. It seems the other side discovered Miyagi's weakness in physical confrontations. If Miyagi remains trapped by this defense, our offensive efficiency will plummet!"

Perhaps Coach Omoki had not expected the Glories to study his team so thoroughly.

"Damn it!"

Miyagi got stubborn, continuing to battle Miura without passing or driving.

"Buzzer!" The four seconds were up.

"Yeahhh!!" The Glories' bench erupted in cheers. Their defensive objective had been achieved.

The Jaguars players seemed to have forgotten about the clock as well. No one reminded Miyagi.

"Miyagi, don't go head-to-head with that guy. Move the ball more!"

It was unclear whether Miyagi took Akagi's words to heart. But judging from how drenched in sweat he was, his stamina was draining quickly.

The Glories switched to another offensive set. This time, Abe received the ball. It seemed the Glories wanted Abe to attack more while Rukawa Kaede was off the court and regain some shooting touch.

After receiving the pass, Abe drove left-handed. After only a few steps, he fired a low pass out.

"Oh no..." Sakuragi, who had just come over to help, realized Abe had passed the ball and immediately knew he had lost position.

"Great pass, Abe!"

Sure enough, the ball reached Eguchi, whom Sakuragi had been guarding.

After catching the ball, Eguchi took one dribble and entered the restricted area, preparing for a layup.

"Not happening!"

Akagi stood tall and leaped high. With his 1 height, blocking Eguchi's layup should have been effortless.

"What?!"

Just as Akagi prepared to block the shot, the ball Eguchi had raised suddenly dropped, turning into a pass.

"It's not over yet..."

After realizing he had been fooled, Akagi predicted that the ball had gone to Shirai, the player he had been guarding. The instant he landed, he jumped again, leaning his body to the left as he attempted another block.

"Tweet! Defensive number 4, blocking foul! Offensive number 15, basket counts! One free throw!"

Akagi's read had been correct, but Shirai was too close to the basket. Akagi had jumped a moment too late and missed the best chance to block him. Not only did Shirai slam the ball in, Akagi also picked up another foul for overcommitting.

"Gorilla..."

Sakuragi had never seen another center gain an advantage over Akagi. He wanted to say something, but could not get the words out.

"I'll leave it to you. I need to come out now. Remember, use your head!"

Akagi clearly remembered his foul count. Before the second quarter had even reached its halfway point, he already had three fouls and could only be substituted out.

"Akagi still couldn't avoid this crisis. We can only bring Rukawa Kaede in early!"

Coach Omoki was forced into a substitution.

"Swish!" The extra free throw was good.

The Jaguars returned to offense. Miyagi was still completely locked down, and Rukawa Kaede's desperate three-point attempt at the end did not go in.

"The Jaguars still haven't scored in the second quarter!"

Even the commentator could not help worrying for the Jaguars.

Perhaps because Akagi had left the court, the Jaguars lacked someone who could read the overall situation on defense. Before the Jaguars players could react, the Glories grabbed the rebound and launched a fast break. Miura moved the ball quickly, firing a long pass to forward Kuroki Akira, who had just reached the three-point line. Kuroki caught it and immediately rose for a three!

"Swish!"

The three-pointer was good, and his shooting rhythm was incredibly smooth!

It was Kuroki's first three-pointer of the game. After missing two in the first quarter, he had finally found the range.

"That guy is so dark, he's hard to notice on the court! And his hair looks like a broom. Could he be brothers with that punk?"

Sakuragi complained.

Right at the start of the second quarter, with Akagi subbed out due to foul trouble, the Jaguars were repeatedly beaten on defense by the Glories, who went on an 8: run. The momentum on the court had quietly shifted as well.

Coach Omoki did not call a timeout. He believed the team could adjust.

"Give it to me!"

Mitsui was about to inbound from the baseline when Rukawa Kaede ran over and called for the ball. His gaze had become exceptionally sharp. It seemed Rukawa Kaede intended to solve the problem with his individual ability.

Sure enough, Rukawa Kaede dribbled across half court and began directing the half-court offense.

"That's right, Rukawa Kaede. When the team can't open things up, you need to step forward. Courageously take on this responsibility! Only then can you go even further!" Coach Omoki had been right not to call a timeout. Rukawa Kaede was preparing to take over the game.

"Want to go one-on-one? Come on!" Abe, who was guarding Rukawa Kaede, was eager and showed no fear.

Rukawa Kaede signaled for his teammates to spread out. It seemed he really intended to go one-on-one with Abe and relive the feeling from his college days.

Rukawa Kaede dribbled between his legs rhythmically, considering his route to the basket. Suddenly, after crossing the ball to his right hand, he took off!

Abe was fully focused. The moment Rukawa Kaede accelerated, Abe alertly retreated. Rukawa Kaede lowered his center of gravity and charged into the paint with only one word in mind: attack!

Rukawa Kaede suddenly slowed down at the free-throw line and passed the ball out.

Mitsui, at the three-point line at a 45-degree angle, received the ball but did not rush his shot. Instead, he passed it straight back to Rukawa Kaede.

When Rukawa Kaede received the ball again, he was already back at the three-point line, while Abe had assumed Mitsui would shoot and rushed under the basket for the rebound. So...

"So I'll guard you!" Power forward Eguchi Kyozo saw Abe's misjudgment and quickly ran over to help defend Rukawa Kaede.

"Tch!" Rukawa Kaede dismissed him, but there truly was not much time left. Even with Eguchi switching onto him, it would be difficult.

"Good, Eguchi. Keep taking turns guarding Rukawa Kaede like this. Don't give him any chance. You have the advantage!"

Coach Toyama was very satisfied with his team's performance at this stage.

"First, Eguchi is a power forward at 199 centimeters, only slightly taller than Rukawa Kaede, who plays shooting guard at 198 centimeters. So in terms of speed, Eguchi can keep up with Rukawa Kaede. Second, Eguchi's fierce defense is very suitable for dealing with a technical player like Rukawa Kaede. So this isn't a mismatch—it's an advantageous matchup."

Just as Coach Toyama had said, Rukawa Kaede could not shake Eguchi when he tried to drive, and he was wary of Eguchi's height when he wanted to shoot. In that moment of hesitation, the Glories completed another brilliant Four-Second Defense!

"Yes, this is exactly our defense. Other than center, our players at every position can handle multiple roles. The four of them have no significant differences in height, speed, or other aspects, so our players are almost never caught in mismatches on defense. By the time our opponents realize this, it will already be too late. On offense, every player can handle the ball, so ball movement will be extremely fluid. Even if we bring in substitutes, as long as one starter remains on the court, we will still be the same. This is our lineup! A Perfectly Balanced Lineup! The scales of victory are already tilting toward us!"

Coach Toyama revealed an eerie smile, as if victory were already in his grasp.