Based on the hit rate, it's probably only around 10%...
That's still an overestimation...
It's not targeting him, it's targeting nobody.
Although the methods used were not honorable, Taoka believed that only the result mattered in a competition, and all calculations were for the purpose of winning.
Coach Anzai chuckled.
He wasn't surprised by Taoka's actions; he'd seen it all before in professional esports.
It's perfectly normal to target an opponent's weaknesses during a game; if you're bad at free throws, you can't blame others for targeting you.
Sakuragi walked to the free-throw line grumbling and cursing, having been muttering to himself for quite some time.
Fukuda's actions struck him as particularly despicable; he truly was a substitute who couldn't be brought to the table...
Fukuda pretended not to hear. Anyway, as long as he did what the coach told him, he could stay on the field, and only by staying on the field could he hear the cheers.
Sakuragi squinted one eye, aiming repeatedly like he was firing a gun, and then his iron fist suddenly twitched.
The basketball slammed onto the backboard with a "thud!"
It bounced back with a thud.
"Idiot! Go easy on me!" Akagi yelled helplessly.
He had anticipated that Sakuragi would miss the free throw, but at least he could have given him a chance to grab the rebound.
Sakuragi receives the ball and prepares for the second free throw.
He slowly adjusted his breathing, trying to make his movements gentler.
He lifted the ball with his right hand and gently tossed it out.
"Everything is going according to plan."
Moichi Taoka smiled with satisfaction.
Shohoku's offensive effort was in vain.
In comparison, sending Sakuragi to the free-throw line was practically free.
Sakuragi learned his lesson for the second free throw, placing his wrist much more gently.
The ball hadn't even reached directly above the rim when it started to fall limply downwards.
Jun Uozumi reached out and caught it perfectly.
"Great job, Sakuragi!" Uozumi grinned from ear to ear.
Ryonan immediately launched a counterattack.
The ball passed around a few times before returning to Kiccho Fukuda's hands.
Kaede Rukawa didn't ask for the ball this time; it's unclear whether he was genuinely following instructions or just taking a quick breather.
But Shohoku would rather watch him attack.
After all, Hisashi Mitsui has some skill in defending against him, but Sakuragi is really struggling against Fukuda.
"You useless piece of trash, you're really good at using dirty tricks! This time I'll beat you to a pulp!"
Sakuragi was blocking the way while cursing.
Previously, I just looked down on Fukuda, but now I really want to pin him to the ground and beat him up.
In the audience, Tatsuhiko Aota clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Number 06's skill level... is really not good enough."
Haruko blinked and asked, "What did Brother Long see?"
Aota immediately perked up, "Of course! His takedown attempt just now was completely off. I have at least a hundred ways to take down Sakuragi."
"The simplest way is to use a clever twist of the waist to swing him over."
"However, this also shows that Sakuragi has a solid lower body and isn't so easy to deal with."
Seeing him talking nonsense with such a serious expression, Haruko burst out laughing.
"I thought you were talking about basketball! Brother Long, you're only talking about fouls. You can't do that in a game."
As she spoke, Haruko made a big X with her fingers, knowing full well that he was talking nonsense, but she still earnestly refuted him.
Aota sighed regretfully.
"I see... So basketball is just not for Sakuragi! I think my chance has come!"
Fukuda didn't take Sakuragi's trash talk seriously at all.
Streetball courts are far worse than this; Sakuragi's version is relatively mild.
His only way of protecting his self-esteem is to beat the other side to a pulp.
He continued his feinting left and right, but this time Sakuragi's eyes widened in surprise.
He saw through Fukuda's feint clearly.
However, excessive concentration can also have drawbacks.
Fukuda gently tapped the ball, and Sakuragi sprang up into the air.
"Idiot! You actually fell for that?!" Takenori Akagi yelled from the sidelines, his neck turning red.
Fukuda glanced at Sakuragi, his eyes full of mockery.
He took a half-step to the side and easily made a jump shot.
Ryonan adds two more points.
Sakuragi was furious, feeling like he'd been tricked again.
Turning around, Shirasawa faced off against Akira Sendoh.
He had passed the ball several times before, but this time he chose to go one-on-one.
He drove in, turned, and made a left-handed layup, scoring smoothly.
Possession returned to Ryonan, Fukuda continued searching for Sakuragi.
He dribbled behind his back repeatedly, then turned halfway around. As soon as Sakuragi shifted his weight, he spun around and dribbled past him from the baseline!
Sakuragi turned and gave chase.
When Fukuda reached the basket, he suddenly stopped, as if he were waiting for Sakuragi, and stood up as if to shoot.
Akagi came to reinforce, also missed his target.
He then ran two steps forward, suddenly turned around, and held up the ball.
Sakuragi lunged forward, leaping into the air.
Fukuda leaned against him and flicked his wrist to toss the ball toward the basket.
The whistle blows, and the ball goes in.
They scored another 2+1 against Sakuragi!
Fukuda drew two fouls from Sakuragi on three separate offensive plays, Coach Taoka to nod in approval from the sidelines.
The results were even better than expected.
Unexpectedly, Sakuragi is completely under Fukuda's thumb.
"Referee! He hit me!"
Sakuragi protested at the top of his lungs.
The referee simply shook his head, offering no further explanation.
Fukuda's foul-drawing move was within the rules; it's just that Sakuragi was too easily fooled...
" Sakuragi! You absolutely cannot foul again!" Akagi Takenori's face Takenori Akagi. "You've already committed two fouls before halftime is over. If you commit another, you're out!"
If Sakuragi gets his third foul, Ryonan will definitely keep a close eye on him and beat him until he's knocked out of the game.
That would be a huge loss for Shohoku, as there's simply no one who can fill Sakuragi's void.
In this championship battle, his rebounding and explosiveness might just decide the outcome.
Sakuragi raised his hand in protest, admitting the foul.
Fukuda stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank the extra shot.
After scoring, he even gestured with his chin towards Sakuragi.
Shirasawa was also helpless in this situation; ultimately, defense had to be done by oneself. Sakuragi wasn't incapable; his mentality was simply off.
Preaching won't work; he has to realize it himself.
Only by truly acknowledging that Fukuda has some skills can we ignite his defensive fighting spirit.
All Shirasawa can do now is try his best not to pass the ball to Sakuragi, so that Ryonan will focus on him and commit fouls again.
But then, the unexpected happened.
Shirasawa passed the ball to Takenori Akagi the paint.
Akagi leaned closer to Uozumi and delivered a quick hook shot.
However, I was too intense when I Uozumi, and I didn't control my strength.
A shot that would normally be a sure thing bounced off the rim and didn't go in.
Hanamichi Sakuragi seized the opportunity, leaped up, and snatched the rebound into his arms!
Sakuragi was a bit hot-headed at this point, and without thinking twice, he got up and was about to dunk! He was determined to get revenge on Fukuda!
But this time Fukuda didn't foul directly because he knew Uozumi wouldn't give him that chance.
Uozumi a ferocious expression, Uozumi suddenly leaped out of the ground and slapped the ball out of Sakuragi's hand!
"Trying to run wild on my turf? You're a hundred years too early!" Uozumi roared.
"That damned monkey boss!" Sakuragi cursed.
He did learn something from Nobunaga Kiyota: it doesn't matter if you get blocked, the key is to get the ball back immediately!
As soon as his foot touched the ground, Sakuragi quickly ducked to look for the ball.
Just then, Sakuragi saw Kaede Rukawa pick up the loose ball and charge towards the frontcourt. Without thinking, he turned around and chased after him.
Hisashi Mitsui stayed close to Kaede Rukawa, his hands never idle, constantly interfering with him.
On the other side, Sendoh and Shirasawa also advanced side by side from the middle lane, quickly returning to defend.
Relying on his superior speed, Ryota Miyagi circled back from the outside and suddenly appeared from the side, blocking Kaede Rukawa's path, trying to draw an offensive foul!
Kaede Rukawa couldn't stop in time, and with Mitsui taunting him, he had no choice but to pass the ball to Sendoh in the middle, avoiding Miyagi's body.
Sendoh receives the ball, stops abruptly outside the three-point line, pulls back, faces Shirasawa, and raises his hand to shoot.
The ball was so fast that even Shirasawa didn't have time to reach out and interfere. Logically speaking, with such a rush, it would have been pure luck if it had gone in.
However, Sendoh's shot wasn't aimed at the basket at all.
It's Fukuda!
Fukuda, who had cut in from the left wing, sprinted a few steps, leaped up, and caught the ball in mid-air, seemingly about to complete a sure- Alley-oop!
"Ah! Sakuragi- senpai!"
Hikoichi Aida in the stands, shouted excitedly.
On the court, Fukuda received a pass from Sendoh and was about to slam the ball into the basket.
Sakuragi arrived just in time and jumped towards Fukuda!
This left Hikoichi with mixed feelings; he hoped Fukuda could make it, but he also longed for his senior Sakuragi to shine.
Seeing Sakuragi rushing towards him, Fukuda suddenly quickened his movements in mid-air, using all his strength to push the ball towards the basket!
Hanamichi Sakuragi jumped too early in his pursuit of the ball, and by the time he reached Fukuda, he was already falling and couldn't touch it at all.
He slapped his hand haphazardly, but it hit Fukuda's arm instead.
It snapped with a remarkably crisp sound.
At the same time, Fukuda slammed the ball into the basket!
The referee's whistle blew mercilessly again, handing Sakuragi another foul.
Moreover, Fukuda scored a 2+1.
Sakuragi lost his balance when he landed and stumbled several steps awkwardly.
The entire Ryonan crowd chanted Fukuda's name in unison, cheering for the shot!
" Fukuda! Fukuda!"
Since entering the game, Fukuda has scored 10 consecutive points, bringing the role of "sixth man" to life.
Most importantly, of those 10 points, including the one we just discussed, a total of 3 were 2+1.
In other words, Hanamichi Sakuragi committed 3 fouls! This has far greater strategic significance than simply scoring 10 points.
If even Sakuragi can't stop Fukuda, then Shohoku really has no way to stop him.
Because whether it's Shirasawa or Kaede Rukawa, as long as one of them leaves to help defend Fukuda, Sendoh and the other " Twin Stars " will definitely make them pay the price - those two brothers' offensive firepower is even more fierce than Fukuda's!
The score became 46-43.
Fukuda's entry into the game successfully narrowed the gap, and he also had a free throw opportunity, which could further reduce the deficit.
The cheers from the crowd made Fukuda lose control of his emotions.
His lips trembled incessantly.
For the past two years, he has been wandering around street courts, longing to hear cheers and to be recognized.
This is one of the reasons why he is so desperate to return to the competition.
What he, with his extremely strong sense of self-esteem, desires most is the praise and affirmation of others!
At this moment, he undoubtedly felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Fukuda looked around the audience, and then, as if paying homage to a classic character, he roared with all his might.
Although his roar lacked the intimidating power of Akagi and the Akagi, it carried a terrifying aura, and coupled with his not-so-handsome face, it sent chills down one's spine.
Coach Moichi Taoka on the sidelines smiled slightly.
" Fukuda has finally let loose... He perfectly showcased himself on this highest stage in Kanagawa. Keep going, Fukuda! Victory is not far away! And then, an even bigger stage awaits you!"