If Kawamoto's jump just now, aimed at conserving energy and releasing the ball quickly, was merely a typical example of excellent jumping ability...
This time, it was as if he had broken free of all the shackles of gravity, like a rocket that had been ignited and roared into the sky.
With his body stretched out in the air and his arms raised high, the basketball seemed to be lifted to a height that mortals could hardly reach.
Maki almost reflexively jumped up with all his might to block the shot. His jumping speed was already at his limit. His arm was stretched straight out, and his fingertips reached upwards with all their might.
However, there is a gap.
A despairing, visible, and seemingly insurmountable height difference!
Maki jumped with all his might to the highest point, but his fingertips could only reach the middle of Kawamoto's raised forearm!
They couldn't even touch the other person's wrist!
Not to mention blocking basketballs!
His previous successful fingertip touch required anticipation, a high jump, and the ability to unleash 120% of his potential.
All the meticulous calculations and lucky conditions were utterly crushed in the face of this unreasonable, absolute height!
At the moment Kawamoto reached the highest point of his jump, he flicked his wrist gently.
The basketball leaves your fingertips, tracing an arc in the air.
It is beautiful, yet carries an absolute, condescending indifference.
Maki looked up in vain, watching the ball fly past at a height he could never reach, his eyes filled with a blank expression.
"Whoosh--!"
Hollow entry into the net.
Three-point hit.
The score has been changed.
The game was even rewritten.
The basketball went through the net and landed on the floor with soft thuds.
The sound was particularly jarring in the suddenly deathly silent stadium.
Coach Riki Takato's paper fan fell to the ground with a thud.
The composure and calmness on his face had vanished without a trace, leaving only a near-dazed shock.
He was just teaching Maki the same thing as before, but now—
This is completely different!
That successful defense just now seems to have been nothing more than a careless attempt by the opponent.
It could even be a decoy, a decoy that gives them the illusion of being limited.
Now, when the other party gets a little more serious and demonstrates their true, absolute skill,
All the tactics, all the predictions, all the confidence—it all became a joke.
Maki stood there, watching Kawamoto's retreating figure, then looked down at his own hands that had just desperately blocked the shot.
My fingertips seemed to still retain a faint trace of the last time I touched the basketball, but that sensation was as ethereal as a bubble that would burst at the slightest touch.
The complete shattering of expectations stemmed from the relentless crushing force of absolute power.
Kainan's newly inflated morale was easily and cruelly punctured by this high-scoring three-pointer.
34:39.
Kainan attacked, but Maki barely had the ball.
The ball was passed quickly between Shin, Muto, and Takasago, patiently looking for an opportunity.
This time, Miyagi learned his lesson and stuck with Miyamasu, giving him no space to receive the ball.
With little time left in the attacking sequence, Muto hurriedly passed the ball to Maki.
Just as the ball was about to fall into Maki's hands, a giant hand suddenly appeared from his blind spot.
Snap!
A clean and decisive steal!
It's Kawamoto Kazuki!
He had moved silently from the weak side without anyone noticing, accurately predicting the passing route.
After receiving the ball, Kawamoto charged forward like an arrow.
Maki reacted extremely quickly, immediately turning around to chase after it, but the difference in their starting speed meant he could only watch helplessly as the red lightning bolt receded further and further away.
Kawamoto rushed to the free-throw line, leaped off the ground, and swung the ball with one arm in a wide arc – "Boom!!!"
A tomahawk dunk!
The basketball hoop groaned in pain.
34:41.
The entire Shohoku bench erupted in cheers.
Sakuragi jumped onto the chair. "That's it! Kawamoto- san! Steal the ball from him! Dunk it on them!"
Kainan attacked, Maki scored 2 points by getting past Kawamoto with a screen and scoring one-on-one.
36:41.
Shohoku is on offense. Kawamoto the ball across half-court, Maki immediately closes down him.
Instead of driving straight to the basket or pulling up for a three-pointer, he dribbled towards the weak side while glancing to the other side.
There, Kaede Rukawa, using Mitsui's off-ball screen, had already shaken off Kiyota by half a body length and was cutting along the baseline.
Kawamoto flicked his wrist, and the basketball landed perfectly in Kaede Rukawa's hands.
Rukawa receives the ball, with only Takasago unable to cover him in time.
Without any hesitation, he took a step, jumped, and with a slight pull-up in mid-air, dodged the block and easily scored with a layup.
36:43!
"Nice shot!"
Mitsui shouted.
Kaede Rukawa glanced at Kawamoto and nodded slightly.
For the first time, a tacit understanding without words emerged between the two.
Next round.
Kainan launched an attack, with Maki attempting to use his individual skills to overpower Miyagi.
But just as he turned to cut in, the red shadow reappeared.
Maki was forced to stop the ball and hastily passed it to Jin on the outside.
However, the passing route had been anticipated, and Kaede Rukawa, like a cheetah that had been lying in wait, suddenly pounced and once again stole the ball from Shohoku's counterattack!
Kaede Rukawa received the ball and advanced at high speed, while Kiyota desperately chased back.
He easily scored a layup.
36:45!
"Liukawa! Liukawa!"
In the stands, Rukawa Mikoto's cheers were so loud they almost lifted the roof off.
The rhythm in Kainan has been disrupted.
Jin's three-pointer missed due to Mitsui's interference.
Akagi got the rebound.
Riki Takato shouted from the sidelines, trying to calm the team down.
But Shohoku's momentum had already been built up.
Especially Kaede Rukawa, who, with Kawamoto's intentional or unintentional activation and assistance, completely entered attack mode.
Maki tried to personally guard Kaede Rukawa, but Kawamoto's off-ball movement and screens began to prove effective.
After setting a screen for Mitsui on the strong side, Kawamoto suddenly cut back and drove to the basket, drawing Maki's attention.
Just then, Kaede Rukawa received a pass from Miyagi on the weak side, and facing Kiyota, who was slightly slower in defense, he pulled up for a mid-range jumper and made it.
36:47!
It was Kainan's turn to attack.
Jin ran into an open space, received the ball, and shot, but it was Kawamoto came over to help defend.
His defensive coverage was astonishingly wide; his long arms completely blocked Jin's shooting path.
Jin was forced to raise the arc, and the basketball bounced off the front edge of the rim, with Akagi protecting the backboard.
Shohoku launched a counterattack, with Kawamoto leading the charge. After drawing the defense, he tossed the ball behind his head without even looking, and Kaede Rukawa, who was following up, leaped into the air, caught the ball in mid-air, and slammed it into the basket.
Alley-oop dunk!
36:49!
The point difference has reached 13 points!
Kainan has requested a suspension.
"Aaaaaaah!!"
The entire audience erupted in cheers!
Shohoku's offensive was like a wildfire, and Kaede Rukawa was the most intense flame!
After the timeout, Kainan attempted to stabilize the situation with a strong attack from Maki.
But Kawamoto's defense was impenetrable.
Despite his best efforts, Maki was unable to break through Kawamoto's defense.
Left with no other option, they could only hope that the rest of the team could turn the tide.
But Kawamoto's help defense was everywhere. He not only defended Maki, but also used his terrifying defensive range and anticipation to constantly harass passing lanes and help defend shots.
He once again intercepted Maki's bounce pass to Takasago.
During the fast break, Kawamoto dribbled behind his back past Miyamasu, who was as solid as a wooden stake, and then, after drawing the attention of Maki and Kiyota, passed the ball to Kaede Rukawa was following up on the wing.
Kaede Rukawa received the ball, and with a wide-open space in front of him, he took a step, and surprisingly shot from beyond the three-point line!
"Swish-"
36:52!
The point difference has reached 16 points!
Kaede Rukawa's hands are feverish!