He struggled and agonized there. If it were the quarterfinals, or even the round of 16, he would have chosen "justice" without hesitation... But this was only the round of 32. Toyotama couldn't afford to lose, and he... couldn't afford to lose even more.
Coach Kitano, standing in the stands, scoffed dismissively. He saw right through Jinpei's little scheme. If he were still in charge, this kind of play would never have happened, and even if it did, he would teach the players a lesson they wouldn't forget!
I led the unknown Toyotama step by step to the top eight in the nation, and after only two years in your hands, you've turned Toyotama into this mess. Jinpei, you are truly... incompetent!
"This is the first time I've ever watched a game like this..." Hikoichi Aida. "I thought Toyotama would hold back after Shirasawa retaliated... But now it feels like they could start fighting at any moment? Is this even basketball?"
The "duel" Toyotama and Shohoku over the past few minutes made him question his life choices. In his mind, the head-to-head clashes like the one between Shirasawa and Shinichi Maki were probably the limit of basketball competition. But this match... he was speechless.
If you're going to fight, just fight. Why bring a ball along?
" Hikoichi," Moichi Taoka seized the opportunity to lecture the entire team, "The basketball court is a microcosm of life. Everything that happens on the court has its reason for being. You might encounter any opponent in a game, and if you don't want to lose, the only way is to beat them all!"
Toyotama is indeed as rumored—their playing style is dirty and despicable. But there are plenty of teams like that in the world. Even if we don't face them this year, what about next year? Maybe next year, Ryonan standing opposite Toyotama.
When you encounter a team like this, if you still insist on being polite and following the rules, there's only one path left: go home. This game served as a lesson for the entire Ryonan. Nobody knows what will happen next, but whoever backs down first is the loser!
Back on the field.
Takenori Akagi stepped up to the free-throw line. People always say Sakuragi's shooting is bad, but mid-range and long-range shooting is indeed Akagi's weakness. However, that's compared to his other skills; compared to Sakuragi... he's still much stronger.
Akagi made one of two free throws, not scoring both, but the scoreboard still showed 51-40. With four minutes left in the first half, Shohoku held an 11-point lead.
"Get back on defense!" Akagi roared, his voice simmering with anger. He was playing with rage, and if Toyotama dared to use any more dirty tricks on him, he would retaliate on the spot. Not just him, the entire Shohoku team shared this attitude.
Itakura dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Kishimoto at the high Kishimoto. Kishimoto caught the ball, stared at Sakuragi in front of him, and smirked, "Still trying to block me? Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Go ahead and try," Sakuragi said defiantly, "Let's see who's finished first." Even with three fouls on his record, the genius didn't know the meaning of "retreat."
Kishimoto charged forward relentlessly, but Sakuragi was glued to him like they were welded together. Their elbows were locked in a silent struggle, clashing loudly. Sakuragi held back, concealing his movements as much as possible, but his resistance was no less intense. This kid had secretly learned another trick in actual combat.
On the other side, Kyohei, using Itakura's screen, cut in from the middle. Kishimoto, seeing his drive fail, flicked his wrist and passed the ball behind his back. The play went smoothly, and Kyohei, receiving the ball, took a step and was about to jump for a layup.
However, just as he jumped up, a shadow fell over his head.
With a crisp sound, the ball was swatted away and slammed directly onto the backboard. Shirasawa was airborne, almost riding on Kyohei's back. Bang! Kyohei was thrown off balance and landed face down, crashing into the basketball hoop.
Thud! He fell sideways onto the floor and remained motionless for a long time.
That hat-trick sent chills down even to Itakura's Itakura on the sidelines... Thank goodness it wasn't him who rushed in just now...
The whistle blew sharply. The referee's gesture was clear: Shohoku's number 9, defensive foul!
Shirasawa smiled and raised his hand to indicate that he accepted the punishment. His smile clearly told Toyotama: Yes, I went after people, so what?
"Damn it!!" Kishimoto pulled Kyohei up, turned his head and glared at Shirasawa with eyes that seemed to want to devour them, as if they were the ones who had been wronged.
"What's the rush?" Shirasawa still had that smiling face, but his eyes were chillingly cold. "Line up, you're next."
"Is Shirasawa... a bit too hot-tempered?" Nobunaga Kiyota in the stands, a little worried. To be honest, as someone from Kanagawa, he naturally hoped that Shohoku could win. If Shirasawa got fouled out because of his temper, their 11-point lead might not be enough.
" Kiyota," Shinichi Maki said, arms crossed, his tone serious, "This isn't just a matter of being angry. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same."
He paused, then continued, "As the leader, you can't just stand by and watch your brothers get bullied. To deal with these dirty squads, you have to be tougher and more ruthless than them."
"Don't be soft-hearted, they don't deserve it."
Shinichi Maki emphasized the last few words. He had always had some reservations about the Shoyo team. Last year, Fujima was tricked out of the game by Tsuyoshi Minami Ryo, and the scene was horrific. But did anyone from Shoyo actually step up and challenge Tsuyoshi Minami? No one. They chose to continue playing a game they couldn't win anyway.
In Shinichi Maki's eyes, this was cowardice. The boss was tricked, and the brothers didn't even utter a sound? Especially with Shoyo, Fujima was already out, they were bound to lose the game, what were they still worried about!
Fujima is truly remarkable; not only did he not blame them afterward, but he also continued to take good care of them. If this had happened to Shinichi Maki, he would have definitely turned around and left, deciding it was better not to stay with that team.
Looking at the Shohoku before him, their fierce determination and unity were exactly what he wanted to see. Especially Shirasawa's strong responses, which made Shinichi Maki cheer inwardly. He wished he could jump down with Shirasawa and show Toyotama and his gang what the temper of Kanagawa was like!
Kyohei walked to the free-throw line, constantly stretching his shoulders and back; it seemed he had really taken a hard fall. Sakuragi and the others watched from below, feeling incredibly satisfied.
"Coach, Xiao Bai..." Kogure looked at Coach Anzai with some unease, afraid that Shirasawa might lose control of his emotions.
Before he could finish speaking, Coach Anzai interrupted. This was the first time he had spoken during the match. He adjusted his glasses, smiled faintly, and uttered only two words: "It's alright."
He believed that Shirasawa had a sense of justice. Right now, Shohoku needed that kind of ruthlessness.
Kyohei's first free throw hit the front of the rim and missed. He shook his wrist hard, and his second free throw went in, albeit clumsily. Toyotama's entire team quickly retreated on defense.
Minori Kishimoto was furious. He rushed to Tsuyoshi Minami's side and growled in a low voice, " Tsuyoshi Minami! What's wrong with you today? Why are you acting so arrogant with that Shirasawa? This isn't like you!"
Tsuyoshi Minami was indeed unusually quiet today. Despite the intense atmosphere on the court, he remained calm and composed. Take last year's match against Shoyo for example; Fujima wasn't as "aggressive" as Shirasawa, but Tsuyoshi Minami acted much faster.
"You think Shirasawa is as easy to deal with as Fujima?" Tsuyoshi Minami glanced at him, his tone flat.
In his eyes, Shirasawa and Fujima were two different kinds of people. Shirasawa's physique and reflexes were ridiculously strong, and if he acted rashly, he might end up losing more than he gained. To deal with him, he had to find the right opportunity and strike decisively.
Moreover, Tsuyoshi Minami was confident; they were only down by 10 points, and there was still plenty of time. Toyotama could afford to wait. If he didn't make a move, all was well; but once he did... he would make sure Feng Yu was completely eliminated.
Kishimoto couldn't contain himself any longer.
While Tsuyoshi Minami remained silent, Shirasawa proceeded to deal with people one by one, not even sparing Kyohei, not to mention the trash talk thrown in his face. He couldn't wait any longer; this round was the one to teach that kid a lesson.
" Itakura," he whispered to the point guard during a break in the defensive play, "Find a way... to get him inside."
With his conspicuously large head, Itakura once again faced off against Shirasawa was dribbling across half-court. Unlike at the start of the game, he didn't dare utter a single word now. Ever since he witnessed Kishimoto being knocked away, he had felt an inexplicable sense of oppression surrounding Shirasawa, making his throat tighten.
To put it bluntly, he chickened out. He finally understood that this guy was truly ruthless.
However, Kishimoto had given him the task, he had to put on a show. Anyway, he couldn't stop him anyway. Before, Shirasawa kept shooting from mid-to-long range to slow down the pace, but now that the score difference had widened, he naturally switched back to his breakthrough mode. Itakura thought that he would just defend normally and let him pass, thus completing his task without incurring any trouble. It was a win-win situation.
Shirasawa ignored his little schemes, his center of gravity suddenly shifted, and with two thuds, he swept past Itakura like a gust of wind.
Itakura only had time to curse in his heart: Damn, that was fast!
With a wide-open view ahead, Shirasawa accelerated, took two steps into the restricted area, and bent his knees to jump and attack the basket.
At this critical juncture, Kishimoto made a move!
He suddenly darted out from the right, calculating the exact moment Shirasawa leaped into the air, and precisely positioned himself in Bai Ze's path. His calculations were meticulous: as long as Shirasawa's leg collided with him, Bai Ze would immediately lose his balance in mid-air and fall, causing him considerable trouble. Afterwards, he could casually say, "I just wanted to draw an offensive foul," get a foul, and be done with it.
Everything happened so fast. Kishimoto was prepared and positioned himself perfectly. But by the time Akagi saw it clearly, Shirasawa was already about to crash into him!
Akagi's heart skipped a beat. If Shirasawa had fallen hard, even if his body was made of iron, it would have taken him a long time to recover!
"Watch out!" he shouted.
Almost simultaneously, Shirasawa in mid-air suddenly spread his legs apart, his entire body seemingly rising another segment in the air, abruptly changing his trajectory.
With a muffled thud, Shirasawa's groin slammed directly into Kishimoto's face! The force of the impact sent Kishimoto staggering backward, while Shirasawa swung his arm and slammed the ball hard into the basket!
Clang!
The basket groaned. Shirasawa practically rode on Kishimoto's head as he slammed the ball into the hoop!
The entire arena erupted. This wasn't just a regular dunk; it was a dunk over Kishimoto Minori! A dunk where he literally rode on Minori Kishimoto's head!
After the ball went in, Shirasawa used the momentum to swing forward, and Kishimoto, whose legs were already weak, was pulled by this and fell backward. Shirasawa then sat down and landed solidly on top of him.