Ryonan concentrated all their offensive firepower on Fukuda, allowing this physically strong player to launch a fierce attack.
In this way, Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa, the Twin Stars, can catch their breath on the defensive end and concentrate on Shinichi Maki.
Shinichi Maki was indeed formidable, but facing the relentless attacks from the two, he began to struggle.
Kainan's second-leading scorer, Jin, was relentlessly entangled by Ryoji Ikegami Sticky Candy.
Whether playing against Shohoku or Ryonan, Kainan has a fatal weakness – rebounding.
Kazuma Takasago was no match for Uozumi, while Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, and Fukuda were all around 1.9 meters tall, and Ryonan had a firm grip on both the forecourt and backcourt.
This also makes Jin have to think twice before he takes action.
Hisashi Mitsui felt this most deeply.
" Jin is an excellent shooter," he said, arms crossed. "In terms of three-pointers alone, we're about the same level."
"But for shooters, the difference in mentality between having reliable rebounds and not having them is huge."
"Shooters are like guns, and rebounds are like bullets. When you don't know if you have enough bullets, your hand hesitates to pull the trigger."
"The biggest difference between him and me is that I have Akagi and Sakuragi as my backup, so I can shoot with confidence."
" Kainan... its rise and its fall are both due to the times."
Kogure nodded in deep agreement.
He strongly agreed with Mitsui's last statement. Kainan's glory was due to their ability to attract top players of an era, such as Shinichi Maki. Their predicament, however, lies in the fact that Shinichi Maki seems to be the last top player they have attracted.
Times have changed, Kainan is facing a period of transition.
Last year in Kainan, there were still a few capable third-year students who could help Shinichi Maki share the burden. Even so, they ultimately lost to the more well-rounded Sannoh Industrial High School, and Shinichi Maki was also successfully contained by Kazunari Fukatsu.
This year, the emergence of Shirasawa and the Ryonan Twin Stars simply brought this outcome forward.
Shinichi Maki gritted his teeth and, relying on brute force, squeezed through the gap between Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa.
He drove into the paint, only to be met by Jun Uozumi, a towering figure.
The two collided head-on, neither of them yielding.
However, Shinichi Maki, taking advantage of his momentum, managed to gain half a body length over Uozumi. The referee blew his whistle, calling a defensive foul on Uozumi.
After a mid-air confrontation, Shinichi Maki gritted his teeth and tossed the ball toward the basket, where it bounced off the backboard and went in.
2+1.
After landing, Shinichi Maki showed no joy whatsoever.
At this point, the scoreboard showed that Kainan was already 16 points behind.
There are only 3 minutes left in the game.
Turning the tide is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Moreover, if Kainan truly had that iron-willed tradition of turning the tide against all odds, they wouldn't have been forced into this situation.
The current situation is purely a reflection of the difference in overall strength between the two teams.
It's fair to say that Shinichi Maki didn't lose on his own, but the Kainan Team simply couldn't win.
In the final ten minutes, Ryonan fully revealed their strength.
Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, and Fukuda, these three sharp knives, took turns firing, leaving the Kainan defense line stretched thin.
With the behemoth Uozumi the inside, Takasago couldn't gain any advantage at all.
It's worth noting that Uozumi didn't have such a significant advantage over Takasago last year; in just one year, the two are now on completely different levels.
Shinichi Maki's presence, in fact, also subtly limited the growth of his teammates.
Most players were so focused on cooperating with this Maki the Emperor that they didn't really hone their own skills.
Even if Jin becomes a sharpshooter, in the end, he's just a support for Shinichi Maki.
The defeat in Kainan perfectly illustrates this point.
Once they encounter an opponent of similar caliber to Shinichi Maki, their weaknesses become impossible to hide.
Shirasawa is like this, and so are the Ryonan Twin Stars.
The Kainan fans were all silenced, watching helplessly as an era came to an end.
Kogure pushed up his glasses and sighed, "The era of Kainan is over, Akagi. As those who experienced it firsthand, we really feel a pang of sadness."
Takenori Akagi nodded. " Ryonan has indeed become stronger, much better than during the practice matches. However, Mitsui didn't play in the practice matches."
"Next match, we absolutely have to settle things with them!"
While the two were sighing, Mitsui, Miyagi, and Sakuragi were already having a blast.
Kainan is doomed to lose. What does this mean?
This means that Shohoku will be able to advance to the national tournament in just three minutes!
After a whole season of turmoil, isn't this the day we've been waiting for?
The three rascals were yelling and swaying their arms like windmills; it was a truly unbearable sight.
Takenori Akagi was furious and gave each of them a flick on the forehead.
"Shut up, all of you! Don't forget our goal is to win the championship! We're going to face Ryonan for the title next time, and you're already satisfied?"
"Look at Xiao Bai! So composed, unlike you guys who are so smug!"
As they spoke, they all turned to look at Shirasawa. "Huh, this kid hasn't made a move all this time, has he changed his ways?"
Upon closer inspection,
Sanae and Ayako stood there, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Shirasawa, who was between the two of them, had apparently fallen asleep sometime earlier...
If I weren't so tall, I probably would have slipped under the chair long ago.
Sakuragi and the others were blushing from trying so hard not to laugh. The Gorilla really picked a perfect role model...
Takenori Akagi was furious, his hair practically steaming. He grabbed Shirasawa by the collar, yelling, " Xiao Bai! You bastard! Wake up right now!"
The Shohoku is having a great time, and the game is almost over.
The last three minutes were pretty much a foregone conclusion and passed in the blink of an eye.
Kaede Rukawa scored with a powerful drive to the basket.
The score became 100 to 80.
Ryonan led by 20 points with only 12 seconds left in the game.
Kainan has been given one last chance to attack.
The loss is already a foregone conclusion; they still have to play a third-place match against Takezato, but that match is hardly interesting.
If they could forfeit, probably neither team would want to play.
Therefore, this goal was theoretically the end of Kainan's 17-year reign of glory.
This was the last shot of the Kainan Dynasty.
Although the Kainan players were frustrated after losing to Shohoku, they hadn't given up hope.
After all, there's still a chance to make a comeback and even make it to the national tournament to get revenge on Shohoku.
But now things are different; they have absolutely no chance.
The dynasty's collapse is a fact.
Kainan's golden age ended with them.
The Ryonan bench was already in an uproar.
Hikoichi Aida's voice was almost hoarse from shouting, and he was laughing so hard his eyes were almost closed.
Uozumi is a man of his word; the tough talk he made in the Kainan locker room back then wasn't just empty boasting.
Moichi Taoka finally got his revenge for last year.
He wouldn't go easy on Takato, because Takato hadn't shown any mercy last year either...
These two perfectly embodied the term "mortal enemy."
The Ryonan players on the field were also excited, just waiting for the time to run out so they could celebrate their victory.
To celebrate the glory of reaching the national tournament for the first time in the team's history.
Each of them must become a creator of history!
Shinichi Maki received the inbound pass in the backcourt and, just like when he played against Shohoku, head down and charged forward.
Stand firm at your post until the very end.
Kaede Rukawa, being the competitive type, wanted to go up and defend, but Sendoh stopped him.
Sendoh shook his head. "Don't bother defending. This is different from the game against Shohoku. This shot is the end for Maki and Kainan. Let him draw the final line himself."
Kaede Rukawa nodded knowingly. They were both basketball players, so he could understand that feeling to some extent.
Uozumi relaxed and withdrew from the inside.
Seeing Ryonan's actions, Maki Shinichi Maki smiled with relief.
This can be considered... the final act of respect for him and Kainan.
It's not the kind of respect that you give your all to.
Rather, as the Sendoh said, history has a beginning and an end, and let Maki the Emperor complete this journey for Kainan.
For a full 17 years, dominating for 16, Kainan's glory deserves the respect of every player.
To put it bluntly, although they dominate Kanagawa, they are Kanagawa's flagship team in the national competition.
Moichi Taoka had no objection to this. His feud with Takato was a private matter and had nothing to do with Kainan.
All the Kainan fans in the stands stood up in unison, giving a final round of applause to send Kainan off and to cheer for Shinichi Maki, the " Maki the Emperor ".
Throughout the game, Shinichi Maki almost single-handedly carried the team. Facing the relentless defense of Ryonan Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa, he still managed to score 45 points, grab 7 rebounds, and dish out 12 assists.
It's quite interesting, really. The once invincible Kainan in Kanagawa now relies on Shinichi Maki to play the role of a lone hero.
When Takenori Akagi raised his hand on the sidelines, the entire Shohoku team stood up as well.
As the victor, one should maintain this level of composure.
Saying goodbye to Kainan is also saying goodbye to a former symbol of Kanagawa.
Feeling the moment was right, Shinichi Maki took a deep breath and began dribbling forward.
With five seconds left, he started from midfield.
Even though he played for the full forty minutes, he still charged forward with such ferocity and speed.
Shinichi Maki charged into the penalty area, received the ball, and jumped!
He rarely dunks; most of his shots are layups.
It's not that he can't dunk, but he's surrounded by two or three players in every game. He doesn't have Shirasawa's incredible jumping ability; he relies entirely on strength to carry people in. When he finishes, he often has a defender clinging to him, so dunking is indeed not easy for him.
But this time, Shinichi Maki swung his arm in a wide arc and let out a rare, loud roar—
Slam the ball hard into the basket!
beep!
Almost simultaneously, the referee blew the final whistle.
Does this ball... count?
Shinichi Maki made his final attack during his Kainan career.
This act should have brought an end to the dynastic era in Kainan.
Suddenly, the entire room fell silent.
Because the referee blew the whistle first, and the dunk came afterward.
According to the rules, a goal is valid if the ball leaves the player's hand before the whistle blows.
But dunking is different; you always have the ball in your hands.
So whether this goal counts or not, no one can say for sure.
Even the head referee rushed over to discuss the matter with the linesman.
Shinichi Maki smiled, ignored it all, and walked straight up to Uozumi.
"Congratulations."
His candor surprised Uozumi for a moment.
"Thanks..."
Shinichi Maki nodded slightly, then walked towards Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa.
Sendoh smiled knowingly and raised his hand to give him a high five.
I didn't expect you to make this choice.
Sendoh understood, and he wasn't the only one on the field who understood.
Given Shinichi Maki's experience in matches, it's impossible for him to make such a basic mistake as exceeding the time limit.
Unless he did it on purpose.
That's right, the timing of that dunk was controlled by Shinichi Maki himself.
He has always believed in the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak and the victor reigns supreme.
When he was king, he looked down upon all living beings.
Now that he's the loser, he doesn't want to bow his head.
This spike was meant to bring an end to the Kainan dynasty.
The reason it's overdue isn't because Kainan never accepts pity.
Even if you lose, lose with dignity.
Shinichi Maki didn't respond to Sendoh's words, but simply smiled faintly.