Shizuoka Prefecture, Jousei High School Basketball Gymnasium.
Kawamoto, wearing Shohoku's number 15 jersey, sat on a makeshift bench, with Kakuta and others sitting next to him.
The players on the field are Takenori Akagi, Kaede Rukawa, Ryota Miyagi, Hisashi Mitsui, and Kogure.
Sakuragi was away receiving special training from Anzai.
Nango isn't very enthusiastic about basketball; he's fully dedicated to his job as a delivery rider.
Kawamoto wasn't in the starting lineup not because he arrived late, but because Akagi and the others were going to have a full-fledged match against Jousei.
Before the game even started, Mikoshiba Jousei, arrogantly declared that Shohoku was lucky to make it to the national tournament this year.
They thought the Shohoku team would be furious, but to their surprise, everyone treated it as if they had just farted.
Anyone can brag. Our Kawamoto take on five men single-handedly; have we been saying that everywhere?
As the competition began, Jousei High School proved to be quite capable.
Mikoshiba's skill level is as tough as his tough talk; his technique for breaking through and attacking the basket is quite good.
Shooting guard Yufune's hands were burning hot.
Ten minutes into the second half of the match.
They are trailing Jousei by 13 points.
As with many previous games, Shohoku's offense, exhausted from physical exertion, was constipated.
Without the threat of a do-or-die game, Hisashi Mitsui's 2-for-8 shooting three-point shooting was simply not worth looking at.
In contrast, Jousei, the shooting guard Yufune, seemed to have unlocked a cheat code.
He made 6 of 7 three-point attempts in the second half, scoring 18 points on his own.
This also became the key to widening the score gap.
The substitutes from Jousei High School were displaying an impressive level of energy.
This year, Shohoku defeated Shoyo, Ryonan, Kainan in succession, making them seem incredibly strong.
Jousei's coach, fearing an embarrassing defeat, didn't hold back and fielded his star players directly against them.
Unexpectedly, Jousei was able to lead Shohoku by 13 points.
Of course, the competition is not over yet.
On the basketball court, a scoring run of ten to zero can be easily created.
Looking at the sweat-drenched Kaede Rukawa, Mikoshiba said, "You're supposed to be Shohoku's best rookie this year, Kaede Rukawa? You're nothing special."
Kaede Rukawa gave him a cold look and ignored him.
The most talented newcomer?
I guess I can barely qualify.
Kawamoto... well, that doesn't count as a person.
As time ticked away, Ayako was about to call a timeout and bring on Kawamoto, but Akagi on the court stopped her with his hand.
Shohoku began to fight back, but with five minutes left, Shohoku were still down by eight points.
Hisashi Mitsui was too exhausted to continue the match and left the field in frustration.
Akagi shook his head helplessly, his gaze sweeping over the bench.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the Kawamoto.
Even though it was a practice match, he didn't want to lose.
Giving Kawamoto only 5 minutes of playing time doesn't count as Shohoku bullying them, right?
With that in mind, Akagi nodded to Kawamoto.
Mitsui, panting, leaned on Kawamoto's shoulder.
" Kawamoto, I'm counting on you from now on."
Kawamoto stood up abruptly.
I haven't played for several days.
My hands are itching!
As his feet touched the court floor, everyone from Jousei High School turned to look at him.
Mikoshiba shouted, "You're Kawamoto Kazuki featured in the Weekly Basketball report before?"
"It looks like Shohoku is really finished, but with only 5 minutes left, isn't it a bit late to send you on?"
Kawamoto was also staring intently at Yufune.
As a fellow three-point shooter, his shooting touch was on fire today, and he believed he wasn't afraid of facing anyone.
Meanwhile, the main players of Shohoku collectively relaxed after hearing that Kawamoto was going to play.
After playing for thirty-five minutes, they were indeed a bit tired; it was up to Kawamoto to finish the game.
Jousei's coach was a thin, old man.
Kawamoto's static talent shocked him, and recalling the previous reports, he immediately became interested.
He also wanted to see what kind of performance this so-called MVP of Kanagawa could deliver in a match that lasted less than five minutes.
The game resumed.
Shohoku's offensive turn.
The ball reached Kawamoto at the top of the three-point arc.
As soon as Kawamoto got the ball, he became much more alert.
Although the popularity of Flash Wind and Hokage brought him joy, basketball was always the only thing that truly excited him.
He saw that the Yufune defending him was loosely positioned facing him.
Without hesitation, Kawamoto jumped quickly.
Standard shooting form.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
Swish! Hollowed out and into the net!
Shohoku 91:96 Jousei.
However, this shot went almost unnoticed by anyone.
He just came on and made a three-pointer; it's nothing special.
Yufune decided to focus on defense for the next ball.
There are 4 minutes and 47 seconds left in the game.
The game continues.
Jousei serves.
Their point guard Ono, steadily passed the ball to Mikoshiba.
According to their tactics, they should focus on time management and maximizing their success rate.
Mikoshiba received the ball a step inside the three-point line on the right side, facing Kawamoto who had switched onto him.
He tried to break through, but Kawamoto's defensive positioning was excellent, leaving him no easy space to do so.
Mikoshiba chose to rely on his physical strength and experience to fight his way in.
However, just as he leaned forward against Kawamoto, preparing to exert his strength, "Snap!"
A crisp, ear-piercing sound!
quick!
That's too fast!
Mikoshiba felt his hand suddenly go empty, and the ball was gone.
He didn't even feel how the other person made their move.
The instant he closed in, Kawamoto accurately judged the rhythm of his dribbling and made a lightning-fast interception, cleanly poking the ball away.
Then, he sprang into action, grabbed the rolling basketball in two steps, and charged toward the undefended frontcourt!
"Back up and defend!!!"
Mikoshiba roared.
But Kawamoto's starting speed is already top-notch.
Compared to Jousei, who had been battling on the field for 35 minutes and whose legs felt like lead, they were on completely different levels.
He was like a lightning bolt tearing through space, intercepting the ball in the backcourt, rushing across the center line, and stepping onto the free-throw line in less than two seconds.
Behind him, Jousei's fastest player tried his best to catch up, but watched in despair as Kawamoto leaped high in front of an empty basket and slammed the ball down with one arm!
"Bang--!"
93:96!
The point difference instantly narrowed to 3 points!
Only 7 seconds had passed.
"What?"
Jousei and his team were all stunned.
The speed and precision of that steal, the explosiveness of that fast break—
Does this guy have springs in his legs?
"Don't panic! It was a mistake! Stay calm!"
Mikoshiba forced herself to calm down, but the uneasy premonition in her heart grew stronger.
Jousei serves the ball from the baseline.
This time, they were more cautious.
After Ono controlled the ball past half-court, he patiently passed it around on the perimeter, running down the clock.
Shohoku had a man-to-man marking assignment.
Kawamoto paired with Mikoshiba.
With 10 seconds left on the shot clock, the ball was passed around a few times and ended up in Mikoshiba's hands again.
He received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side.
Facing Kawamoto's defense, he was more cautious this time and did not make any rash moves.
Instead, he signaled to his teammates to spread out, preparing for a one-on-one attack.
Mikoshiba dribbled between his legs repeatedly, attempting to shift Kawamoto's weight.
But Kawamoto's defensive footwork was extremely solid, like a rock.
With time running out, Mikoshiba chose to force a breakthrough.
A sharp crossover dribble followed by a powerful drive to the right!
His first step was quick, but Kawamoto's lateral movement was even faster.
They instantly blocked his path of attack and used their bodies to provide strong resistance.
Mikoshiba stumbled from the impact, barely managed to catch the ball, and then took a fadeaway jump shot.
"Smack!"
The basketball was swatted away by Kawamoto the moment it left his hands.