" Sakuragi, stop camping inside, move up to the high post, and like Miyagi, set a pick-and-roll and cut inside!"
"Except for Xiao Bai, everyone else who receives the ball must either shoot immediately or pass it right away; no stopping the ball is allowed!"
Anzai paused, then scanned everyone. "For the next five minutes, run like crazy, keep the pace at full speed!"
Everyone understood immediately. Mitsui was the first to slap his thigh. "To put it bluntly, if you won't let Akagi play inside, then we'll just go with the flow and not use him anymore! You're fast, but we'll be even faster! Let those two Kawata taste what it's like to be chased and beaten by smaller players!"
Big Kawata is very agile against centers and power forwards, but he's helpless against guards. His height and weight are a given. Miyagi can easily drive past him to the three-point line and score. As for Little Kawata., Sakuragi's agility is far superior. Sakuragi can beat him like Big Kawata beats Akagi. He can play him however he wants at the high post!
Anzai nodded. "That's right. Our small lineup relies on speed and shooting. All five players are offensive threats, and there's no fixed strategy of who plays against whom."
Everyone was thrilled by the offensive tactics. It was all about bombarding the defense! The smaller lineup sped up the game, and they could just shoot whenever there was an open shot. It was even more intense than Aiwa Academy's system, since we had Shirasawa as our core engine! In this mode, the players ran with energy, the playmakers were comfortable, and when things went smoothly, they could cover half the court. It also served as a workout for Little Kawata.
If all goes well, they can score a lot of points within five minutes, after all, the opponent is Sannoh's defense, and everyone wants to take on this challenge! But then again, the drawback of this lineup is obvious—defense! Even with Akagi before, they couldn't stop the Kawata brothers, and now that they only have Sakuragi in the paint, won't those two big, muscular guys just smash through Shohoku's interior defense?
Coach Anzai emphasized the word "defense": "Defense is of paramount importance; it's the lifeblood of this tactic! For the next five minutes, the entire team will be man-to-man, starting from the frontcourt to shut down Sannoh's offense, using speed and aggressiveness to compensate for the height difference!"
There's only one requirement: completely shut down Sannoh's offensive routes. Although the goal is to completely dismantle their inside offense, it's not that easy. After all, Sannoh's reaction speed and individual abilities are formidable.
Even if the first two raids succeed, the Sannoh will quickly realize what's happening. Each of them is ridiculously strong and extremely difficult to deal with.
Coach Anzai took a deep breath and finally spoke, " Sakuragi, we're counting on you in the paint." Everyone thought Anzai had some big move up his sleeve, but it turned out just as expected— Sakuragi was the only one left in the paint. However, no one was disappointed, because in everyone's hearts, Sakuragi could pull through.
Anzai was waiting for Sakuragi to be able to hold off Mikio Kawata; only then would the small-ball lineup make sense. Aggressive overall defense was one aspect, but the most important thing was having an inside defensive anchor, and Sakuragi was the perfect candidate. He could guard positions one through five, and at least the Little Kawata wouldn't be able to stop him. As for the Big Kawata? Well, no one could completely shut him down, so he'd accept losing points if it came to that.
However, the defense couldn't rely solely on Sakuragi; Shirasawa also had to step up. Shirasawa could defend from one to five, and his defensive intensity was even higher than Sakuragi's, but Shirasawa had an even more important task—keeping an eye on Eiji Sawakita. This was a strict order, and there was no room for ambiguity. Anzai officially arranged for Shirasawa and Sawakita, these two prodigies, to face off head-to-head.
After the arrangements were made, everyone understood the core strategy: Shirasawa and Sakuragi were the absolute core of both offense and defense, while the others were responsible for support. As for Kogure, his task was even clearer—go all out! He himself knew that, compared to the others, his position was a gamble; a single mistake could ruin the entire game.
Kogure didn't waste any words or make excuses. He took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. His eyes were like those of a completely different person. He was determined to put all the energy he had in the last five minutes of the first half into the game and be the craziest person on the field.
Akagi put his hand on Kogure's shoulder. " Kogure, the team is in your hands from now on." Kogure didn't reply, only nodded firmly. Akagi was stunned for a moment, then understood—this wasn't the usual Kogure, this was the real him!
"Alright, get ready to go!" Akagi gathered everyone together and stepped back to the sidelines to watch. " Shohoku!" "We are the strongest!!"
The whistle blew, the timeout ended, Shohoku players had barely stepped onto the court when the entire arena erupted— Akagi had actually been substituted? Had he given up?
Nobunaga Kiyota jumped up and shouted, "No way? Shohoku's gone mad? They're leading, and they actually substituted Akagi?" Sannoh was also stunned, and the Kawata brothers were dumbfounded—did they think our inside game wasn't strong enough? They even dared to substitute Akagi?
Sannoh was a bit confused. They thought Shohoku was going to strengthen their inside game, but instead they removed their key player.
Only Moichi Taoka stared intently at Shohoku's lineup—this was definitely Anzai's trump card. No one else would do this; he had seen too many coaches stubbornly cling to their key players, only to make things worse. He decided to keep a close eye on this game to see what Shohoku was up to.
Whistle—The referee blows the whistle, and the ball is inbounded to Sakuragi from the baseline. There are 4 minutes and 51 seconds left in the first half, with a 5-point difference between the two teams. Shohoku's small-ball lineup launches its first offensive attack.
Sakuragi passed the ball to Shirasawa, and the entire Shohoku team rushed across half-court. Mitsui and Kogure ran around outside the three-point line looking for open shots, Satoshi Ichinokura stuck to Mitsui tightly.
Although Eiji Sawakita had his eye on Kiminobu Kogure, the difference in their strength was significant. To be honest, Kogure had basically no chance from this point onward. But Kogure was unwilling to give up, and he staked everything on these last five minutes.
From the moment he served, Kogure unleashed his full energy, running all over the court without even stopping to catch his breath. If there was no chance with the nearby balls, he would run to the farther ones, even if he couldn't receive the ball himself, he had to wear down that kid Sawakita's stamina.
Kazunari Fukatsu's eyes were glued to Shirasawa, never letting up. At this moment, an interesting matchup appeared on the field: Ryota Miyagi versus Masashi Kawata.
Hanamichi Sakuragi didn't go inside; instead, he drifted to the high post. Mikio Kawata reluctantly followed.
Sakuragi's mid-range shot was as accurate as he had shown before against Hakata Shodai Affiliated. Mikio wouldn't dare leave him an open shot.
Now Miyagi and Masashi Kawata were in an awkward position. One was a short guy at 168cm, and the other was a tall guy at 202cm. The difference in height was significant.
Masashi Kawata was dumbfounded; this was the first time in his life he'd been assigned to guard a small guard. Hikoichi Aida exclaimed, his eyes wide, " Masashi Kawata guarding Miyagi?!"
Just then, Shohoku began to move as a team. Ryota Miyagi suddenly accelerated, darted out, and set a screen for Kogure without the ball.
Satoshi Ichinokura was blocked. Just as Satoshi Ichinokura and Masashi Kawata were hesitating about whether to switch positions, Miyagi had already broken through.
With a quick turn, he surged past Masashi Kawata from the baseline. Think about it, usually Kawata is the one who outpaces others, but today, he experienced firsthand the helplessness of not being able to catch up.
Miyagi had a perfect opportunity to cut in, and the ball naturally flew into his hands. This is the skill of Shirasawa, the big engine; no matter who gets open, the ball can be delivered accurately.
Miyagi received the ball, got up, and made a layup with ease. His offense couldn't be more effortless.
A simple off-ball screen created such a wide-open shot; Sannoh's defense was utterly disorganized this time. Their prized Kawata brothers were completely ineffective.
Masashi Kawata is definitely the scapegoat this time. Goro Domoto frowned and instantly understood Shohoku's strategy.
The idea was to exploit the Kawata brothers' weakness with speed. And I must say, that tactic really worked.
Especially considering that Shohoku has Ryota Miyagi, a super fast player. However, Sannoh should be able to overcome this if they adjust their defense slightly.
Is there any real point in Shohoku doing this?
Offense and defense transition, Mikio Kawata inbounds the ball from the baseline. Shohoku surprisingly plays full-court defense!
Moreover, Shirasawa went straight to Eiji Sawakita! Hikoichi Aida continued to be surprised. After Shohoku finished their attack, no one retreated to the backcourt. Everyone was sticking to one man and marking the other.
Sawakita was secretly delighted. "You've finally arrived, Shirasawa." His eyes gleamed with excitement. He had been waiting for almost half the match, Goro Domoto hadn't let him go up against Shirasawa, even though Kazunari Fukatsu crushed by Shirasawa.
There was nothing he could do but patiently wait for Domoto's arrangement. He knew they were bound to clash; it was just a matter of time. Who would have thought that Shirasawa would actually come to him on his own initiative?
Shirasawa said calmly, "Take your eyes off yourself, they're disgusting." He wasn't exaggerating; Sawakita's gaze was blatantly filled with desire.
He desperately wanted to find a strong opponent to fight, but the way Shirasawa said it made it sound so different. Sawakita didn't care; he even hoped Shirasawa would spew more trash talk, as that would make the fight more exciting.
Whoosh! Sawakita swayed left and right, quickly running to the other side to catch the ball. But Shirasawa wasn't about to give him that chance.
They stuck to him tightly, rendering his runs ineffective. Everyone's attention was focused on the two of them.
Unexpectedly, their first encounter was a tug-of-war off the ball. Fukatsu shouted as he ran, "Pass it quickly!"
A ball must be served from the baseline within 5 seconds, otherwise it's a violation and possession is lost. Time is running out, and Mikio is still clutching the ball, looking for an opportunity.
It's not entirely Mikio; Shohoku's full-court press came too suddenly. Kazunari Fukatsu was being followed by Hisashi Mitsui, and despite his shouts, he couldn't catch the ball when given to him.
The best receiving point on the field right now is Masashi Kawata. But standing in front of Masashi Kawata is Kiminobu Kogure.
Big Kawata blocked Kogure with one hand, while reaching out the other for the ball. The pressure Mikio was beyond the comprehension of outsiders.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was still blocking the baseline, interfering and spewing insults at the same time. His big mouth never stopped, chattering away, making Mikio's brain buzz.
Masashi Kawata yelled, "Give it to me!!" Mikio jumped, about to pass the ball, when a scene he would never forget suddenly appeared before his eyes.
In that instant, Hanamichi Sakuragi seemed... seemed to have multiplied into many???
Just as Mikio Kawata was about to pass the ball, Hanamichi Sakuragi pulled out his trump card, the " Hmph Hmph Defense."
His physical abilities were practically off the charts; he jumped higher than anyone else, waving his arms like an electric fan, instantly creating dozens of clones in Mikio's eyes.
It was like an impenetrable wall, completely blocking Mikio's view. The boy was both surprised and helpless, a mix of emotions.
Whistle! The referee's whistle blew, immediately ruling that Sannoh had committed a five-second violation on the baseline inbounds pass, ending the newly started offensive possession.
Masashi Kawata instantly bristled, yelling, "What are you doing, you idiot!"
As she spoke, she punched Mikio in the back, scaring the silly boy so much that he didn't dare to breathe.
Mikio was so frightened that she nodded her head like a rattle-drum, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, brother!"
From the moment this small-ball lineup came on, Sannoh had no luck, especially the Kawata brothers, who each suffered a setback.
On the sidelines, Takenori Akagi whispered to Coach Anzai, "Coach! It's working!"