Shohoku's own offense is fast enough, but compared to Toyotama, it's nothing. Toyotama's style of play is all about speed for the sake of speed; even if the opportunity isn't particularly good, they still have to push the pace. As a result, the number of rounds increases dramatically, and the score jumps up rapidly.
Only fifteen minutes into the first half, the score was already 62-40. Toyotama was leading by 22 points!
"This is the run-and-gun tactic," Coach Anzai said slowly, holding his teacup.
The run-and-gun offense is Toyotama High School's signature move and the foundation of their consistent top-eight finishes nationwide. However, it's also considered the root cause of their inability to advance further. This style of play is exhilarating and generates high scores, but because it focuses so much on offense, it sacrifices on defense. High scores are often accompanied by high points conceded and high turnovers, making it a typical example of an offense-driven team with a weak defense.
Once they encounter tough opponents at the national top eight level, their weaknesses will be magnified. Their offense falters, and their defense falls apart. It is precisely because of this that Coach Jinpei had the opportunity to replace Coach Kitano and coach Toyotama. However, he failed. In any case, as long as Tsuyoshi Minami and Minori Kishimoto are still in the team, Jinpei can forget about truly controlling the team.
Even though the team was leading by more than twenty points, Jinpei, sitting on the sidelines, still looked very unhappy, wishing he could call a timeout immediately and personally cut off this fast break momentum...
Today was Coach Anzai's first time attending a game with Shohoku. Just as he had planned, he wanted to fight alongside his players in the national tournament. The old man actually somewhat admired Toyotama's run-and-gun offense. However, admiration aside, he would absolutely never use it himself...
"They are quite fast," Miyagi said confidently, watching the field, "But when we really get going, we're not slower than them."
"Exactly! Their speed is nothing compared to my genius Sakuragi!" Hanamichi Sakuragi clenched his fists, his teeth grinding. "Especially that braided braid, tomorrow I'll show him what real speed is!"
He and Kishimoto have already clashed twice: he tripped Kishimoto once and choked him once. Kishimoto, on the other hand, only pressed his head down once.
Whoever suffers a loss and whoever gains the advantage, isn't that obvious?
However, Sakuragi didn't think so...
On the field, Tsuyoshi Minami made a cut and scored the last goal of the first half for Toyotama.
75 to 46.
With a difference of 29 points, Toyotama is practically guaranteed a spot in the top 32.
As the players from both teams headed towards the locker room, Minori Kishimoto circled around to the Shohoku stands, giving them two thumbs-down gestures, his smugness was palpable.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was furious and almost jumped over the railing to rush down.
"I'm so angry! That braided hair really needs to be disciplined!"
Sakuragi and Miyagi were furious, but Shirasawa remained completely calm.
His teammates were a bit puzzled. Had this kid really changed his ways? He passed all his final exams; had he truly "turned over a new leaf"?
"The angrier you get, the more energetic he becomes," Shirasawa said. "This is a trap set by Toyotama for the next round; that braid is specifically designed for this."
Coach Anzai listened from the side, nodding with a smile.
That's right, Kishimoto's whole fuss was for the next round.
Because in Kishimoto, or rather in Toyotama's eyes, Shohoku was not an easy target at all!
This viewpoint wasn't something they came up with on their own, nor was it something Coach Jinpei said.
The root cause is the previous head coach, Coach Kitano.
Kitano now teaches basketball at an elementary school in Osaka and lives a leisurely life.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about the national competition.
Especially Shohoku, who are in the news every few days.
Others might not take it seriously, but Kitano definitely wouldn't.
Coach Anzai of Shohoku was his old classmate from his youth.
Back then, Anzai's development was much stronger than Kitano's. Kitano was still figuring out run-and-gun tactics, while Mitsuyoshi Anzai had already made it into the national team.
The two were on completely different levels, so there were no conflicts, and their friendship continued.
Before Toyotama came to Hiroshima, Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto specifically went to see Kitano.
They wanted to invite the old man to come to Hiroshima with them, to sit on the sidelines and support them.
This way I feel at ease, and I also want my mentors to see how they are now.
After all, this is their final year of high school.
Kitano also has his own temper.
He knew that Tsuyoshi Minami had led the way in embarrassing Jinpei, but he didn't mention it at all.
If he were to speak, Tsuyoshi Minami would definitely listen.
But he refused to mediate, for a simple reason— Jinpei overturned his run-and-gun theory.
Should he appear on the same stage as Jinpei?
Sorry, that's disgusting.
To be honest, Kitano's feelings for Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto weren't that deep.
After all, I only coached them for a very short time, not even a full season.
But Tsuyoshi Minami and his friends' admiration for Kitano started back in elementary school.
Akagi Elementary School's dream is to dominate the nation, while Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto's childhood dream was to grow up and work under Coach Kitano.
Small in vision, but quite persistent.
Therefore, this master-disciple relationship was somewhat one-sided.
Therefore, from any perspective, Kitano had no reason to agree to their request.
However, the old man didn't let the two children make a wasted trip.
The group stage draw for the national tournament had already been decided, and he knew the two teams would face off in the second round.
He told Tsuyoshi Minami: Shohoku should not be underestimated!
In fact, Shohoku's strength might even surpass yours!
If someone else had said that, Tsuyoshi Minami would probably have lost his temper on the spot.
But when Coach Kitano says it, it carries a different weight.
They will only pay extra attention to it.
That's all Kitano can do. If he were still the coach, he would definitely have specific solutions, but his position is different now, so saying more is useless.
The rest is up to Tsuyoshi Minami and his team.
It's likely that Kitano could never have imagined that Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto would ultimately choose this method.
Their constant provocations have infuriated Shohoku.
This caused Shohoku to get carried away as soon as they entered the game, leading to fouls and mistakes.
Then they can completely seize the initiative.
This "talk-no-jutsu" tactic is one of Minori Kishimoto skills.
Normally, the game starts on the field, but this time, it started on the train.
This can be considered the greatest "recognition" for Shohoku.
The principle is actually quite simple; everyone understands it once it's explained.
But those involved are often blinded by anger, and they forget this crucial point.
Of course, Coach Anzai knew exactly what was going on.
But he hopes the team members can figure it out on their own, which will help them grow faster.
If he still can't figure it out, he'll find a suitable opportunity to explain it to him.
Shirasawa simply revealed the outcome beforehand.
"So that's how it is! No Xiao Bai you weren't worried at all, Toyotama is too cunning!" Hanamichi Sakuragi said angrily.
You say he understands, but he's still gritting his teeth; you say he doesn't understand, but he's shouting that he does.
However, this is only one side of the story that Shohoku saw.
Tsuyoshi Minami and his group have other plans...
The second half of the match between Toyotama and Yuki has begun.
The host team seemed somewhat helpless on the field.
As the second half began, Toyotama maintained its firm grip on the rhythm.
Wave after wave of attacks completely threw Yuki's team into disarray, leaving them like headless flies. Not only were they unable to hold on on the field, but they also lost all their momentum in the stands. Toyotama's fans were waving their clothes and howling, creating quite a ruckus. Yuki's team wanted to shout back, but with their team losing more and more, they simply didn't have the guts. Their only recourse was to leave early for some peace and quiet.
"Those guys are so noisy!" Hisashi Mitsui glanced irritably at the Toyotama stands; the noise was incredibly annoying.
Even Takenori Akagi kept a straight face, his brows never relaxing.
With only ten minutes left in the second half, Toyotama had already extended their lead to over forty points. The outcome was no longer in doubt.
Coach Jinpei waved from the sidelines, signaling that Tsuyoshi Minami and the others could come down and rest.
As it turned out, Tsuyoshi Minami completely ignored him. The player he was supposed to substitute was pushed back by Tsuyoshi Minami. Within the Toyotama team, Tsuyoshi Minami's status was clearly higher than that of Coach Jinpei. Jinpei could only sit on the bench and sulk; there was really nothing he could do. He could only endure it; after all, the team was winning, and winning was an achievement. Besides, just a few more days, just a few more days! Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto would be kicked out of the basketball team! Jinpei, can you really hold back?!
In the next five minutes, Toyotama staged a massacre.
The point difference widened to sixty points in one go!
To be honest, this is quite rare in national tournaments. It's not that the point difference is too large; teams like Sannoh Industrial High School and Kainan have won by more than 100 points in the group stage in the past two years, so it's not unusual. But no team has ever played so aggressively against the host team! In the past, if the host team wasn't strong enough, they would usually just give it a shot, winning by 30 or 40 points and then stopping, taking off their key players, and even letting the host team win back a few points at the end. After all, they had to save face on the host team's turf; it was an unwritten rule.
Just like in a game where the team wins by a large margin, the leading team often waives one last attack as a sign of respect and sportsmanship.
But Toyotama really went too far this time. Beating someone up so badly right at their doorstep, and he was even enjoying it! He really played the villain role perfectly. Toyotama's actions will definitely make other teams look down on him. But maybe they're enjoying it? If they can't be top-tier powerhouses, then being a complete villain will still make them memorable.
The referee finally blew the final whistle.
The team members from Yuki felt like they had been released from prison...
152 to 85.
Toyotama swept through Yuki Technical, winning by a whopping 67 points, making it the game with the biggest point difference today.
After the match, they celebrated unrestrainedly in front of Yuki's teammates. Since the morning's matches were all over, they weren't afraid of the organizing committee kicking them out. Toyotama displayed all his arrogance and haughtiness on the surface.
"This Toyotama team, they all seem to be insane," even the usually arrogant Nobunaga Kiyota couldn't stand it anymore. "They're just a top-eight team, what if they get a better ranking?"
"Just a clown," Shinichi Maki said with disdain. "Last year, they lost to Hakata Shodai Affiliated in the quarterfinals, and I heard that Tsuyoshi Minami was even forced out of the tournament early."