When Kudo's team went on offense, Ryota Kudo once again displayed his court vision.
He drove off Hiroshi Morishige's solid screen, drew Wang Zhizhi over to help, and chose not to force a shot.
Nor did he pass to Morishige, who had been left temporarily open (because the other players were collapsing inward). Instead, he kicked the ball to Eiji Sawakita, who had freed himself using Li Nan's off-ball screen.
Sawakita caught the ball on the right wing at a 45-degree angle, with his defender desperately chasing him down.
Facing the help defense, Eiji Sawakita displayed the isolation skills befitting "Japan's number one high school player"!
He sent the closing defender flying with a convincing shot fake, then dribbled one step sideways, creating all the space he needed before rising for a pull-up jumper!
His elevation, release speed, and form were all nearly perfect!
Swish!
The midrange shot dropped cleanly! 10-7!
After scoring, Eiji Sawakita's gaze was cold as he punched the air, his immense confidence on full display.
His individual scoring ability truly was the best on the court. Once he found his rhythm, he was almost unstoppable.
Wang Zhizhi's team responded immediately.
Their forward used his strong frame to attack the basket, drawing a foul on Hiroshi Morishige and making one of two free throws. 10-8.
The game became a grueling tug-of-war.
Wang Zhizhi lived up to his standing as a future NBA-caliber player, displaying a dazzling array of offensive moves.
Sometimes he toyed with Hiroshi Morishige using dreamlike footwork and finished with an easy layup;
sometimes he suddenly fired from outside and knocked down a long-range shot;
and sometimes he drew a double-team in the low post before promptly finding a cutting teammate.
Against him, Hiroshi Morishige seemed unable to fully exploit the strength advantage he took