"The goal is singular... to win."
After saying that, he slowly sat back in his chair, unscrewed the lid of his cup, blew on it, and looked completely calm and collected.
Coach Kitano was indeed present, but he wasn't sitting in the stands.
He somehow managed to sneak into the media area, found a corner spot, and pulled his hat down so low that he was practically invisible unless you looked closely.
" Anzai... the run-and-gun tactic, I will never give up on it."
He stared at Shohoku's bench and muttered to himself.
"You'll only know how powerful it is once you experience it firsthand."
Then, his gaze swept over Coach Toyotama next to the Jinpei bench, and he curled his lip slightly.
"Hmph, trash."
Coach Jinpei was, of course, unaware that he was being looked down upon.
He was already used to his sidelined role. Before the game, he simply gave his team a few formulaic words about "effort" and "fighting," and then it was over.
He was not unprepared; although his power had been sidelined, he continued to fulfill his duty of analyzing his opponents.
Shohoku was a pre-determined opponent; he had watched all the available game videos and data beforehand and had his own ideas in mind.
According to his analysis, to beat Shohoku, they must abandon the run-and-gun offense!
Because Shohoku's defense was too strong, apart from Akagi anchoring the paint, the speed of the other players was in no way inferior to Toyotama's.
To win, you have to start with defense, cut off the connection between Shirasawa and his teammates, and then use Toyotama's strengths in pick-and-roll and mid-range shooting to decide the outcome.
Especially his shooting; that's where Mitsuaki Iwata can leverage his strengths when Toyotama faces a traditional center like Akagi!
Unfortunately, he could only keep these thoughts to himself.
Tsuyoshi Minami wouldn't listen at all.
Back in the locker room, Tsuyoshi Minami had already declared, "We're going to run and fire to the bitter end, run Shohoku to death, and crush Shohoku!"
In Tsuyoshi Minami's mind, the only truth to winning is to score more points than the opponent, and to be faster than the opponent means you can seize more offensive opportunities.
" Shohoku--!!"
"Come on--!!"
With the referee's long whistle
The starting players from both sides stepped onto the field, staring at each other, sparks flying between their gazes.
" Shohoku's noobs, enjoy your last forty minutes in Hiroshima, hehe!"
Minori Kishimoto tightened her braid at the back of her head, glanced sideways at Shohoku, and grinned.
Whether provoking the opponent works or not is another matter, but that's just how he plays.
Whoever plays against him is guaranteed to be nagged by him from the start to the end.
" Shirasawa, I've reviewed your recordings," Tsuyoshi Minami strolled over to Shirasawa, a smile on his face. "As an ace, you played alright."
There was something else mixed in with that smile.
Whether I played well or not is none of your business.
Shirasawa smiled, his tone calm. He could, of course, hear the warning in the words of this " Ace Killer."
Actually, it's easier for Shirasawa to deal with Bai Lie if he's targeting him directly, as he's confident he can handle the challenge. But it's a different story with his teammates.
He certainly didn't want anyone to repeat Fujima's mistake.
The referee blew the whistle, and the basketball was tossed into the air.
Takenori Akagi shouted and leaped with all his might!
On the other side, Mitsuaki Iwata didn't jump at all; he turned around and charged towards the frontcourt!
Akagi's attention was entirely on the ball, and he didn't notice for a moment.
He flicked the ball to the back, only to find that Mitsuaki Iwata, who was supposed to jump for the ball with him, was nowhere to be seen.
broken!
Akagi quickly turned around.
Mitsuaki Iwata has completely shut down Sakuragi, leaving Minori Kishimoto completely out of the game!
At the same time, Tsuyoshi Minami entangled Shirasawa, while Kyohei clung to Mitsui.
In the blink of an eye, Kishimoto was the Kishimoto Toyotama player left who could move freely on the court.
Kishimoto leaped up to catch the ball Akagi flicked at him, then sprinted forward!
Toyotama's opening move was indeed surprising.
Knowing he couldn't win the jump ball against Akagi, he decided to try a different approach.
The effect... really caught Shohoku completely off guard.
Kishimoto sprinted towards the basket.
He hadn't noticed that a red figure was approaching from behind at an even more terrifying speed!
Kyohei can temporarily hold off Mitsui, and Mitsuaki Iwata can barely stop Sakuragi.
but,
Tsuyoshi Minami can't stop Shirasawa!
Just as Kishimoto received the ball, Shirasawa suddenly exerted his strength to push past Tsuyoshi Minami and chased after him like an arrow!
By power forward standards, Kishimoto is quite fast.
Unfortunately, he encountered the even more unreasonable Shirasawa.
Just as he jumped to prepare for a layup, Shirasawa had already arrived on horseback!
Kishimoto felt a chill run down his spine, and he simply couldn't believe that anyone could catch up to him this far.
But the sense of crisis transmitted through my body was very real.
He had no choice but to hastily speed up his attack!
pound!
The ball had barely left his hands when Shirasawa, who had leaped into the air behind him, slammed both hands firmly onto the backboard!
A clean, spotless block, achieved purely through incredible athleticism!
Kishimoto turned around, his face filled with disbelief. Not only had Shirasawa caught up with him, but he had also delivered a crushing blow!
It's still done with both hands!
The entire arena erupted in cheers from the Shohoku supporters!
"Great shot!! A huge block! Did you see that? This is our Shohoku!"
"Trying to launch a quick attack on Shirasawa? Dream on, Toyotama!"
" Shirasawa! Shirasawa! Teach them a lesson!"
Shirasawa landed steadily with the ball.
The first shot of the national competition was a good start.
" Anzai, this is where your confidence comes from," Coach Kitano said from the sidelines, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Indeed, very good."
"I'll only let you have this one goal; next time I'll definitely cripple you!"
Kishimoto was a little embarrassed, so he said something harsh and slunk back to the backstage area.
Shirasawa dribbled the ball slowly and steadily, initiating Shohoku's first positional attack.
Takenori Akagi faced off against Mitsuaki Iwata in the penalty area.
Minori Kishimoto clung to Hanamichi Sakuragi like Sticky Candy.
The two of them were constantly fidgeting with their hands and talking non-stop.
Kyohei stared at Miyagi, Tsuyoshi Minami pressed close to Mitsui.
The player guarding Shirasawa was Toyotama's point guard, Daijiro Itakura.
Just as expected, Tsuyoshi Minami did not directly confront Shirasawa.
Daijiro Itakura was actually the third most powerful man in Toyotama.
As for his appearance... it's a bit abstract, but you can barely make out a human shape.
He is also the only player in Toyotama's starting lineup who does not belong to the " Kitano faction".
Because Itakura was only a second-year student, the coach had already changed to Jinpei when he joined the team.
Itakura may be a bit ugly, but his strength should not be underestimated.
A calm and Toyotama mind is the true engine of Toyotama's run-and-gun system, exerting a huge influence on both offense and defense.
If we were to rank them by strength, Itakura would probably be Toyotama's second-in-command, Kishimoto would have to take a backseat.
It can only be said that Itakura is a smooth person who was happy to use assists to make Kishimoto the second-highest scorer in Osaka Prefecture, while he himself kept a low profile. This allowed him, who was not part of Kitano's faction, to gain a foothold in the team.
His individual defensive ability is second only to Minami Tsuyoshi Minami in Toyotama.
"Come on, rookie," Itakura said, spreading his arms to defend while trash-talking, "That block was pretty cool, try making one on me if you dare."
He was certainly not naive enough to think he could lock Shirasawa down.
Those monsters, the "Five-Star High School Students," are no joke.
Yesterday's first round of matches proved that every five-star high school student who took the court scored no less than 25 points, and their teams all won.
Their strength is there for all to see.
Itakura knew he couldn't defend against it, which is why he kept provoking him, hoping to disrupt Shirasawa's rhythm.
Itakura kept babbling on and on, but he knew exactly what was going on. Whether he was annoyed by the nagging or just getting angry and wanting to fight, as long as Shirasawa's emotions fluctuated, all his verbal sparring would have been worthwhile.
To be honest, Shirasawa was really getting annoyed. It was just a game of ball, but this guy in front of him was talking more than the old lady selling drinks on the sidelines. At least Tsuyoshi Minami got his hands on the ball, but this guy just talked.
He accelerated and swerved, passing Itakura by the side. The speed difference was obvious; Itakura couldn't keep up at all. But Itakura was amused; he felt this rookie was starting to get impatient.
"Hey, you're pretty agile, newbie!" Itakura turned and chased after him, still talking non-stop.
Toyotama's defense, especially their overall teamwork, was a complete hole. After Shirasawa passed Itakura, the road ahead was practically flat. The backup defenders were so slow they were practically walking, almost nonexistent.
Even Mitsuaki Iwata, who was crouching under the basket at the end, was no threat despite his 1.9-meter height. Shirasawa rushed to the basket and stood up, Iwata jumped but couldn't even touch the ball.
With a slight flick of his wrist, Shirasawa sent the ball obediently rolling into the net.
Shohoku took the lead.
"Great shot! Xiao Bai scores our first point in the national tournament!" On the bench, everyone excitedly pumped their fists.
These two points have a different meaning for Shohoku.
The shift from offense to defense can happen in an instant.
As soon as the ball crossed the net, Mitsuaki Iwata caught it and stepped back to the baseline. At the same time, the entire Toyotama team surged towards the frontcourt like a floodgate had been opened.
Whoosh!
Iwata forcefully flung the ball forward.
Just as Shohoku was about to get back on defense after scoring, the player darted past them. Everyone knows Toyotama has a fast pace, but on the court, no one can stay on that nerve-wracking all the time.
Tsuyoshi Minami leaped up at the center line to receive the ball, and almost before landing, he flicked his wrist, passing the ball to Kishimoto, who was making a quick Kishimoto.
This time, it wasn't Shirasawa following Kishimoto, but Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"You cocky brat! I'll show you what a genius defense is all about!" Sakuragi yelled as he accelerated, and he was indeed a fraction faster than Kishimoto.
However, when it comes to experience, Sakuragi is far behind.
Kishimoto rushed across the free-throw line and took his first step with the ball. He deliberately slowed down his pace, waiting for Sakuragi to close in.
Sakuragi arrived just in time and pressed his entire body against him.
Kishimoto then took his second step, and at the same time, his left arm swung seemingly naturally, his elbow landing squarely on Sakuragi's stomach.
The movement was so fluid, like a normal arm swing, that no one could find fault with it.
With that one blow, Sakuragi groaned, the pain almost making him vomit his breakfast.
Kishimoto stood up smoothly and easily put the ball in the net.
2 to 2.
Toyotama's attack lasted no more than five seconds from start to finish, perfectly demonstrating the essence of run-and-gun offense.
"How about that, Red-haired Monkey? Can you stop me?" Kishimoto said mockingly after scoring. Seeing Sakuragi clutching his stomach, he could barely hide the smug smile on his face.
"You fucking... you're playing dirty tricks!" Sakuragi glared at Kishimoto through gritted teeth, his anger rising to the top of his head from a mix of old and new grudges.
"What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Do you want to take a break, little one?" Kishimoto laughed even harder.