The Real Gap

The game between the Kobe Jaguars and the Sendai Wanderers had barely begun when Sendoh Akira's dunk was blocked head-on by Sakuragi Hanamichi. That play ignited Sendoh's fighting spirit. He scored repeatedly for eight straight points, added assists, steals, and blocks on defense, and brought the entire team to life. The game had practically become Sendoh's personal show!

The Wanderers launched another fast break. It was Sendoh distributing the ball again, sending it to Yohei, but this time Mitsui stayed with him, and Yohei did not choose to shoot!

"It's a drive!"

Mitsui noticed the change in Yohei's footwork and made his read.

Sure enough, Yohei made a feint and drove. Yohei was not particularly fast, and Mitsui stayed tight on him.

But for some reason, Rukawa Kaede suddenly ran over to double-team Yohei.

"Oh no!"

Coach Omoki regretted Rukawa Kaede's decision to double-team.

"He took the bait!"

Yohei was delighted when he saw Rukawa Kaede come over to double-team him.

Sure enough, Yohei leaped high. Although Mitsui rushed at him fiercely, Yohei was not shooting. Instead, he passed the ball to the perimeter player Rukawa Kaede should have been guarding—Sendoh Akira!

After receiving the ball, Sendoh was completely open. With Sendoh in such blazing form and left totally unguarded, the basket before him seemed as wide as the sea!

"Swish!" The three-pointer went in!

With just a simple two-man play, the Jaguars' defense showed another hole, allowing Sendoh to find another opportunity. 1:4, and the gap widened!

"Rukawa Kaede seems a little impatient. Perhaps seeing Sendoh's dominant performance made him want to prove himself too, but it backfired. Not only did he fail to intercept Yohei's pass, but more importantly, he left Sendoh wide open. That is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Beep! The Jaguars request a timeout!"

The first quarter was only halfway through, yet Coach Omoki had already called two timeouts. If the team kept playing like this, it might end up like the last game again. By then, they really would be powerless to turn things around.

"Wake up, everyone! What is wrong with you? If you cannot contain Sendoh, then you must contain everyone else! Being behind by this much is still acceptable! Play steadily, and remember: cut off the connection between Sendoh and his teammates. If Sendoh scores one point, then we will accept it!"

Coach Omoki was deeply dissatisfied with the team's current state and hoped they would recover quickly. If they kept playing like this, the team might very well suffer its second straight loss.

After the timeout, the Jaguars attacked!

At last, Miyagi and Akagi ran a pick-and-roll. A change in approach might bring different results.

Sure enough, after the pick-and-roll and the defensive switch, Otake ended up guarding Sakuragi. Miyagi immediately passed to Sakuragi. It would have been a terrible waste not to exploit such an obvious mismatch!

"You think you can guard me?? Grow a little taller first!!"

Sakuragi spoke with immense confidence. With the ball in hand and Otake two heads shorter than him, he decisively rose for a standing mid-range jumper!

"Swish!"

Nothing but net!

"Wow!! Wow!! Did you two see that? Sakuragi—Sakuragi scored! And it was a jump shot!! We were counting Sakuragi's fouls, but he actually scored! Hahaha, this is so exciting!!"

Perhaps they had not watched Sakuragi play in a long time and were not sure how much his basketball skills had improved. Even an ordinary mid-range shot left the Sakuragi Gang astonished.

"Sakuragi scoring should, in a way, reflect how sluggish the team's offense is at this stage. But there is nothing wrong with letting Sakuragi try more on offense. Given the team's current state, someone needs to step up!"

Could the person Coach Omoki meant—the one who could step up—really be Sakuragi!?

"Get back on defense! We have to stop them!"

That basket gave Sakuragi a huge boost of confidence, and he called on his teammates to defend!

Sendoh got the ball again. Facing Rukawa Kaede, confidence shone in Sendoh's eyes.

This time, Sendoh chose to post up. Though both stood at 198 centimeters, the older Sendoh held the advantage in terms of strength. Still, Rukawa Kaede was no pushover. He stubbornly held his position, making it difficult for Sendoh to continue his next move!

The repeated post-ups drained both of them to some extent. At that moment, Sendoh shot. There was no warning—he merely bumped Rukawa Kaede with his shoulder, shed the force, and sprang powerfully backward. Rukawa Kaede did not stand by watching. He desperately reached out to disrupt Sendoh's shot, but Sendoh's fadeaway was simply too extreme, his body nearly at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Rukawa Kaede could hardly block it.

"Tap, swish!"

Another bank shot went in, and it had been a difficult fadeaway!

"Rukawa Kaede really gave everything on that play, but Sendoh is simply too capable. Honestly, he has exceeded my expectations."

Even Coach Omoki was somewhat at a loss when faced with a performance like Sendoh's.

But on the Jaguars' next possession, Sakuragi found his rhythm and sank another mid-range shot over Fukuda's block attempt!

For the remainder of the first quarter, both sides sent in their substitutes. 8:19, with the Wanderers temporarily ahead. If Sakuragi had not made several shots in a row, perhaps the Wanderers would have led by even more!

The second quarter began as a contest between the two teams' bench units, and the battle remained tight. Near the end, Sendoh returned to the court, while the Jaguars gradually brought back their starters. But Sendoh continued to thrive for the Wanderers, whereas the Jaguars' offense struggled and found it difficult to build any sustained momentum!

At halftime, the Wanderers led the Jaguars 55:41, already ahead by 14 points.

The red-hot Sendoh went 8 for 14, added free throws, and scored 1 point in the first half alone. In contrast, Rukawa Kaede was in poor form, making only 7 shots, missing all his three-pointers, and scoring just 5 points.

"From the first half, the home-court Wanderers were clearly better prepared, and their players performed more normally. Sendoh has also proven his standing through his performance. The Jaguars need to make changes in the second half, especially Rukawa Kaede. He could have played much better!"

Just as the commentator had analyzed, the performances of Sendoh and Rukawa Kaede reflected the situations of their respective teams.

"Everyone, we did not play very well in the first half. They are the defending champions, and their strength is there for all to see. Falling behind by this much is not too embarrassing. Just treat this like an ordinary game. In the second half, do your best not to let the score gap grow any larger!"

"Coach, what do you mean by that!? Are you saying we do not have any chance to win!?"

Coach Omoki's words were too much for Sakuragi to bear, and the two looked ready to argue.

"Sakuragi, you have only just entered the league. There are some things you still cannot see clearly. This is the real gap between our two teams. A belly full of passion alone is useless!"

"Hmph! I do not believe it. There are five people playing on both sides, so why can't we beat them!"

Sakuragi grew more and more furious!

"That's enough, Sakuragi. Calm down!" Akagi held down Sakuragi, who had risen to his feet in agitation.

"Hmph, I am not going to admit defeat anyway!"

Sakuragi remained stubborn.

The Jaguars were already trailing on the court, and now discord broke out in the locker room during halftime, making matters even worse for the team!

"Coach, why did you say something like that just now!?"

The Jaguars' players gradually left the locker room to prepare for the second half. As captain, Akagi did not understand the intent behind the coach's words either, so he stayed behind to ask.

"Akagi, at this stage, all we can use is a provocation tactic!!"

"All right. I hope that guy Sakuragi gets fired up by it!"

The second half was about to begin. Could Coach Omoki's provocation really enrage Sakuragi!? Time would tell.

"Sendoh! In the second half, do not even think about scoring again!"

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped onto the court, Sakuragi walked straight toward Sendoh, murder in his eyes!

"Then you still will not win!"

Sendoh's response was just as forceful!

"Just wait and see!" Sakuragi had indeed been provoked by Coach Omoki, and his desire to fight burst through the roof!

The Jaguars had possession first.

Sure enough, Sakuragi actively came up to demand the ball, preparing to isolate against Fukuda as he had in the first half!

After receiving the ball, Sakuragi began dribbling and assumed the posture of a drive!

Fukuda defended well, and Sakuragi could not get completely past him!

"You can't stop me!"

Sakuragi drove to the free-throw line and shot directly!

"Swish!"

Nothing but net!

This was already Sakuragi's fourth mid-range shot over Fukuda. Fukuda's defense seemed completely useless against Sakuragi.

"Hey!! I really can't believe it—our Sakuragi is actually leading the team's offense, scoring again and again and doing his best to close the gap, but..."

Before Takamiya could finish speaking, Sendoh drilled another three-pointer over Rukawa Kaede's defense.

"Hey! I scored! Looks like your wish is going to fall through!"

Sendoh responded to Sakuragi, who was thoroughly enraged.

"You stupid fox, are you doing this on purpose? How many shots have you let Sendoh score? Damn it!!"

Rukawa Kaede was out of rhythm on offense and on defense as well, allowing Sendoh to do whatever he wanted.

The second half remained completely one-sided. At one point, the Wanderers led by as many as 5 points. Other than Sakuragi, every Jaguar was out of form. Even the usually steady Akagi grew impatient because he could not get the ball in the paint for so long. The entire team was performing abnormally!

In the end, the Wanderers crushed the Jaguars 11:96 at home, putting on a grand return of the king before a nationwide audience. The up-and-coming Jaguars' first national broadcast ended in dismal fashion. Following their heavy loss to Glory in the previous game, they suffered another crushing defeat to the Wanderers, giving them two straight losses!

"Perhaps after this game, no one will discuss who the league's number one player is anymore! Thank you for joining us, and see you in the next game!"

As the commentator wrapped up, this highly anticipated game came to an unexpectedly abrupt end.