Kenji Fujima stood near the paint area, his chest heaving violently.
Even though the game had just begun, a deep-seated sense of powerlessness permeated my entire body.
He has played countless matches, facing Shinichi Maki of Kainan and Akira Sendoh of Ryonan.
But no one had ever made him feel as desperate as Kawamoto before him.
Strength, speed, technique, composure...
The opponent possesses all the qualities a star player should have, and in every single one of them, they are exceptionally strong.
He gestured to the sidelines, Shoyo issued their first timeout.
"Gather!"
Fujima tried his best to maintain his captain's dignity.
The four players on the Shoyo team immediately surrounded them.
"I can't stop him by myself."
Fujima cut to the chase, his gaze sweeping over Takano and Nagano.
" Takano, Nagano, be ready to help on defense later. If he tries to drive past me again, block his path and draw an offensive foul."
Shoichi Takano nodded, but a hint of hesitation flashed across his face. "What if he shoots a three-pointer? Those two just now..."
Hasegawa.
Fujima looked at the defensive expert beside him.
Kazushi Hasegawa analyzed, "The conventional way to defend against three-point shooters is to wear them down with close contact, using physical contact to disrupt their shots and make every attempt extremely uncomfortable. But according to Fujima's description, Kawamoto's stamina is monstrous. In a war of attrition, we're likely to be the first to fall."
He lowered his voice, so that only the few people gathered around could hear him. "However, I've studied a lot of game videos of domestic and international shooters being restricted these past few days. There's a method that, while not exactly honorable, isn't considered a foul under current FIBA rules."
"What method?" Mitsuru Nagano pressed.
"Blindfold defense."
Hasegawa raised his right hand, his palm open, almost touching Nagano's face.
"Without touching the opponent's body, but at the moment they jump and shoot, completely cover their field of vision with your palm, obstructing their view of the shot."
Nagano frowned. "Isn't that too dirty? It's really not a foul?"
"Currently, the rules state that as long as there is no physical contact or violation of the cylinder, it doesn't count."
Hasegawa's tone remained calm. "The effect is really good. It's a huge test of the opponent's mental fortitude, easily enraging them and causing them to completely lose their rhythm and become frantic."
Shoyo and the others looked up at the sky, and the image of Kawamoto's ferocious beast-like body flashed through their minds.
What kind of person should you provoke?
What if a violent incident occurs on the field?
They shook their heads.
It's just playing basketball; it's not like you'll lose your life.
Fujima made a decision. "Not for now. Takano and Nagano will run the zone defense for now, Hasegawa, you're ready to switch at any time. Let's try to limit him with team defense."
The Shoyo team nodded, but they weren't very confident.
The seats for the Kainan University Affiliated High School in the stands.
Shinichi Maki's gaze locked onto Kawamoto.
Even he felt a slight tremor when that dunk came.
That pure physical talent...
"Senior..."
Nobunaga Kiyota, standing nearby, was no longer as arrogant as before.
He didn't take Kaede Rukawa, Sendoh, or Sakuragi seriously.
But this white number 15 from Shohoku...
He swallowed hard, his voice a little dry. "If Shoyo loses, that guy will be our next opponent?"
Shinichi Maki nodded.
Although they haven't Takezono yet, victory is a foregone conclusion.
The seat in Ryonan.
Moichi Taoka's brows furrowed into a tight knot.
He looked at Shohoku's bench, but his heart was bleeding.
Koichiro Nango!
The inside talent he had his eye on was currently sitting on the Shohoku Shohoku, shouting and yelling, wearing the red number 15 jersey.
Meanwhile, the real monster number 15 on the court was leisurely sipping a drink on the sidelines, crushing Shoyo, whom he had originally planned to face in the future.
"Damn it... why are all the best prospects going to Shohoku?"
Taoka cursed under his breath, "What kind of magic does that old man Anzai possess?"
Jun Uozumi was standing next to him, clenched his fists tightly.
Akagi was clearly provoked by Hanagata's fadeaway jump shot.
Both he and Akagi are traditional power centers, and they are simply powerless against Hanagata's fadeaway shot.
The one-minute timeout ended quickly, and the game resumed.
Shoyo launches an attack.
Hanagata once again performed a turnaround fadeaway jump shot.
Akagi's giant hand couldn't reach it.
12:8.
"Yes!" Hanagata fist clenched.
Shoyo scores two more points.
"Hateful!"
Akagi growled fiercely.
here we go again.
Another backward lean.
Toru Hanagata cleverly avoided Akagi's forte of power-based confrontations, using a soft touch and excellent technique to score over Akagi's head time and time again.
Akagi felt frustrated because he had no outlet for his energy, and that sense of pent-up anger made him furious.
Kawamoto's presence gave him the confidence that he wouldn't lose.
However, as the team's interior anchor, he was repeatedly scored on in the same way.
In his view, this was an intolerable dereliction of duty.
It's been three years.
He single-handedly carried the weak Shohoku team, and he was used to always being the one to shoulder the responsibility in the end.
Mindset is something that can't be changed overnight.
Even with strong teammates, the deep-seated sense of responsibility to do more and better, along with the accompanying anxiety, remains ingrained in my bones.
Kawamoto keenly sensed the fluctuation in Akagi's emotions.
He glanced at Shoyo's defensive formation.
The triangular defense subtly formed by Fujima, Takano, and Nagano was designed to effectively block their own breakthrough routes.
Continuing to force the attack will reduce its effectiveness, even if it results in a basket.
Furthermore, it would exacerbate Akagi's anxiety.
He would feel that his defense was inadequate, which is why he needed to constantly make up for it with one-on-one attacks.
It's time to change things up.
Shohoku is on offense, Kawamoto controls the ball past half-court.
Fujima immediately went to meet him, while Takano watched intently from the flank.
Kawamoto didn't choose to drive straight at Fujima, but instead dribbled to the right, seemingly intending to break through from that side.
Takano, on the right, felt a Takano down his spine.
Kawamoto dribbled closer, then accelerated and pulled away from Fujima.
Just one step away from Takano, he suddenly stopped and gathered the ball, feigning a shot.
"Don't even think about it!"
Takano instinctively jumped with all his might to block the shot, attempting to disrupt the play.
Kawamoto catches the ball and bends down.
A bounce pass landed precisely in the hands of Takenori Akagi.
The moment Akagi received the ball, without thinking, he turned his back and slammed it against the wall!
"Bang!"
The Hanagata behind him stumbled from the force of the angry shove, losing his defensive position.
Akagi turned around and there was a wide-open basketball hoop in front of him.
His eyes widened, he roared, and his massive body soared into the air.
He raised the ball overhead with both arms and slammed it into the basket!
"Boom--!"
The basketball hoop trembled violently.
14:8.
"Nice shot!"
Kawamoto's voice rang out immediately.
Akagi landed and let out a long roar, as if all the pent-up frustration in his chest was released with this brutal dunk.
When he returned to defense, he took the initiative to walk towards Kawamoto and extended his large hand.
Kawamoto raised his hand.
"Smack!"
The resounding claps echoed throughout the stadium.
In the following rounds, Shoyo's offense continued to primarily revolve around Hanagata.
Hanagata indeed displayed the skills of a top-tier center, using fadeaway jumpers, hook shots, and fakes against Akagi's defense.
While it may not hit the target every time, its accuracy is considerable.
However, on the boards, the resurgent Akagi displayed complete dominance.
Whether it's an offensive or defensive rebound, he can snatch the ball over Hanagata's head.
Hanagata has excellent technique, but his absolute strength and explosive jumping ability are inferior to Akagi's when he enters Angry Gorilla Mode.
Under Kawamoto's orchestration, Shohoku's offense became highly efficient and lethal.
He no longer plays one-on-one, but transforms into a court commander, using precise passes to tear apart Shoyo's zone defense.
A through ball to the inside, Akagi receives the ball and overpowers Hanagata.
After drawing Hasegawa's attention with his breakthrough, he passed the ball to Mitsui on the weak side, who then hit a three-pointer.
After a screen, Sakuragi bounced off the ground, creating an open space, and scored with a layup.
A long pass during a fast break led to an easy dunk by Kaede Rukawa.
Kawamoto used various assists to tell Shoyo that zone defense might limit my scoring, but it couldn't stop me from energizing the whole team.
Shohoku didn't waste a single good offensive opportunity.
Each point scored was like a heavy blow to Shoyo's crumbling defense.
The murmurs from the stands grew louder and louder.
The expressions of the team members from Kainan and Ryonan grew increasingly serious.
The sound waves of Shoyo's green ocean grew weaker and weaker.
7th minute of the first half.
"Beep--!!!"
At Fujima's signal, Shoyo's coach called a second timeout.
On the scoreboard, Shohoku 23:12 Shoyo.
An 11-point difference.
The first half was only a third of the way through.
Fujima wiped his sweat.
Hanagata was panting heavily.
Takano and Nagano looked numb.
Hasegawa was only focused on Mitsui of Shohoku, thinking to himself that Mitsui had only scored 3 points so far.
On the Shohoku side, however, the situation was quite different.
The players high-fived each other and headed towards the bench.
Akagi and Kawamoto walked side by side, exchanging whispers.
Sakuragi yelled and shouted, while Nango continued to mock him from the side.
Mitsui drank water, while Kaede Rukawa remained calm.
On the stands, Shinichi Maki let out a long breath.
"It's over," he said softly.
"What?" Kiyota didn't hear clearly.
" Shoyo's morale has been completely shattered."
Shinichi Maki looked at the lifeless green of the Shoyo bench and said, " Fujima, we've run out of ideas."
Riki Takato, fanned himself twice, and looked at Kawamoto on Shohoku bench.
Maki is right.
What Kawamoto Kazuki demonstrated was not only the skill of a top-tier ace, but also the leadership qualities that could make the entire team better.
This is precisely the best candidate for the next herdsman in Kainan.
No, it was a foundational pillar of a dynasty even more terrifying than Mu.
On the Ryonan side, Moichi Taoka painfully closed his eyes, refusing to look at Kawamoto.
" Uozumi."
"Yes, Coach."
"Go back and practice your footwork under the basket and your hook shot. Hanagata taught you a lesson today: using your brain to play basketball is more important than just using your body."
"Yes!" Uozumi answered loudly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Akagi of Shohoku.
What astonishing energy Akagi once lost and confused, unleashed after receiving support.
He suddenly understood what Sendoh meant when he said that one person can't win a game.