Akagi knew exactly what Sakuragi was thinking, but he pretended not to. Coach Anzai Anzai's eyes were sharper than a referee's hawk-eye, so he couldn't miss Sakuragi's impending leap.
Furthermore, the Shohoku team is now united as one. Akagi can confidently say that the current Shohoku team is the toughest to beat in the national tournament.
As soon as he reached the bench, Sakuragi collapsed to the ground with a "thud." Anzai quickly squatted down and touched him, as if he were touching his own newly sprouted seedlings, but he couldn't hide his relief.
"It's probably a lower back strain. We'll have the team doctor take a closer look when he gets here."
Sakuragi immediately bristled upon hearing this and tried to get up, bracing himself against the floor.
"Why wait for the doctor, Dad? My back hurt earlier, but it's much better now, really!"
"No way!" Anzai's face darkened, his tone as if he were stopping Sakuragi from sneaking out to fight.
"No one is allowed to play without a doctor's confirmation!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone on the bench tensed up. There were only two minutes left in the game, and that was crucial time for a decisive battle.
If Sakuragi can't play, how will Shohoku carry the Kawata brothers of Sannoh? With Akagi's physique, can he withstand the repeated attacks from Sawakita and Masashi Kawata? Besides, in this game, Sakuragi's role is second only to Shirasawa.
"Dad!" Sakuragi shouted until his voice cracked.
"Did we fight our way here? We made it to the national finals! How can I just sit on the sidelines and be a spectator!"
Anzai was still shaking his head like a rattle-drum.
"No, I have to be responsible for your career, Sakuragi. You have a long road ahead of you."
"Besides, we're here!" Akagi took half a step forward, his voice as steady as a rock.
" Sakuragi, we can definitely win the championship!"
But Akagi also had his doubts. Back when they played against Kainan, he had shouted that he would play even if his leg was broken, but now he thought, if it really was broken, would there be Shohoku like they are today?
Besides, Sakuragi is only a first-year student. Even if they lose this time, there are still two years left, and with Shirasawa still there, they can definitely make it to the finals again. But as for himself... Takenori Akagi didn't dare to confidently say that he could definitely win next time.
Perhaps, this regret isn't such a bad thing?
"No way!" Sakuragi roared, then the tension in his waist loosened, causing his cheek to twitch violently as if he'd been slapped hard across the face.
At that moment, the team doctor finally rushed over with tiny, quick steps, faster than Sakuragi grabbing a rebound.
He immediately grabbed Sakuragi's waist and started touching him, his fingertips almost piercing through Sakuragi's bones, and he came to a conclusion in half a minute.
"It's a muscle strain, not serious, but he absolutely cannot play in the next game."
The doctor only follows the rules; winning or losing the competition is irrelevant to him. The athlete's health is the most important thing.
Shirasawa, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment, his tone as steady as a still bell.
"If I use painkillers or a spray for hard injuries, will I be able to endure these last two minutes?"
He knew all too well that Sakuragi's injury hadn't progressed as in the original story, and the doctor's assessment was conservative. Letting Sakuragi play now would be a real loss.
The doctor was speechless when asked the question. He was also in a dilemma; if something really went wrong, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
At this point, Anzai spoke up, revealing that he valued the players' future most.
" Xiao Bai, I think..."
"Coach, I understand what you mean," Shirasawa replied, his tone carrying an unquestionable air.
"But who can predict the future? Maybe basketball will be gone next year? The future is too far away, so let's seize the day!"
Everyone was stunned when these words were spoken, then nodded in agreement; no one knew what the future held.
"Dad, was your most glorious moment the day you represented the national team?" Sakuragi suddenly looked up, staring into Anzai's eyes, his gaze as bright as a light bulb.
Anzai paused for a moment, then smiled; he understood what Sakuragi meant.
Sakuragi pushed himself up from the floor, his back still aching, but he straightened his back more than the basketball hoop of Shohoku.
"And me," Sakuragi's voice was slightly breathless, but his confidence was enough to shake the bench.
"My most glorious moment is right now! Right now! I'm going to team up with my teammates to beat Sannoh and win the national championship!"
These words ignited the passion of everyone on the bench, even Akagi clenched his fists.
At that moment, the team doctor suddenly slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up.
"Okay! I'll take care of it for you. As long as you don't twist your back again in the next two minutes, you'll be fine!"
As soon as he said that, everyone's face lit up with smiles, and even Anzai couldn't help but nod.
While Shohoku was in a frenzy, Sannoh was completely oblivious. All they could think about was how to pull the score back. With only two minutes left, they had to fight for every single point.
"Take Shirasawa away from me, and I can receive the ball and score!" Eiji Sawakita gritted his teeth. He admitted that he had lost, but he didn't believe that Sannoh would lose.
"The long night is coming? No, I refuse to believe it!"
The team doctor sprayed medicine on Sakuragi's waist and wrapped it with a bandage, which was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. But when Sakuragi shook his waist, the pain did lessen considerably.
Sakuragi moved around a bit, not as nimble as usual, but still able to jump and bounce.
"This is already the limit. Normally, I really wouldn't recommend you play." The team doctor scratched his head and then laughed, "But I was young once, I understand how you feel!"
The doctor slapped Sakuragi on the back with such force that Sakuragi staggered.
"Charge! Let's win the championship for your brothers!"
He added that this drive was no less than when he was young.
Sakuragi clenched his fists and roared at the top of his lungs, " Shohoku--!!"
"We're going to win the national championship!!"
As soon as the whistle blew for a timeout, both teams rushed onto the court. Sakuragi, clinging to the sideline, gave an exaggerated thumbs-up to the stands and shook his head to reassure Yoko.
Yoko clutched the hem of her clothes, tears streaming down her face, and even Nozomi Takamiya, who was standing next to her, came over.
"I knew that tough kid could take it!" Nozomi Takamiya chuckled, scratching his stomach. "I almost rushed down to tear off the bandages just now."
Yohei let out a breath, his eyes fixed on the timer. "Two minutes left, just waiting for this moment."
Haruko clutched the hair ribbon in front of her chest until her knuckles turned white.
Goro Domoto is indeed a cunning old fox. He immediately set up a full-court press, trying to intercept Shohoku's inbound pass.
However, Shohoku's weakness was also obvious: Miyagi's small stature made him look like a dwarf among the Sannoh group.
Sawakita gritted his teeth and circled around a couple of times before finally managing to break free from Shirasawa's tight defense and receive the ball just in time for the throw-in.
Without pausing for even a second, he accelerated and charged towards the basket, and Miyagi couldn't stop him at all.
Sakuragi and Akagi were already blocking the basket, but Sawakita twisted in mid-air, forcefully shoving the two aside with his shoulder and slamming the ball into the hoop.
The score jumped to 90-87 in an instant, and Sannoh pulled the score back one step further.
During the offensive and defensive transition, Shohoku still passed the ball to Shirasawa, whose teammates all ran away to create space. Sannoh didn't dare to double-team too aggressively, at most leaving Mikio Kawata to block under the basket.
Sawakita and Shirasawa went toe-to-toe, exchanging blows for several rounds. With one minute left, Shohoku led 96-93, a three-point advantage, and had possession of the ball.
As expected, Sannoh fell into the trap, and Fukatsu and Masashi Kawata abandoned their men and rushed towards Shirasawa.
But Shirasawa reacted quickly and passed the ball to Miyagi, who was in an open position.
Miyagi broke through and passed to Sakuragi again. Sakuragi gritted his teeth and jumped to dunk, but at that moment, Sawakita suddenly rushed out from the side and slapped the dunk away. The ball bounced off the rim.
Shirasawa had already rushed over, stepping on Mikio Kawata's back, and with a thud, knocked the chubby boy to the ground on his buttocks.
The substitutes erupted, chanting in unison, "Great shot!!"
Coach Anzai also sprang up from his chair, standing ramrod straight and staring intently at the field, witnessing this final, life-or-death minute.
With a five-point deficit, Sannoh launched a full-scale attack. Sawakita faced off against Shirasawa one-on-one, using a screen to drive to the basket and quickly score a layup.
But Shirasawa once again bypassed the screen and caught up, slapping the basketball with half his palm, sending it crashing onto the backboard with a thud.
Masashi Kawata outmaneuvered the weakened Sakuragi and deftly put the ball in, leaving 38 seconds on the clock, with the score down by three points.
Sakuragi clenched his fist and slammed it on the floor. The pain in his waist slowed his movements by half a beat; otherwise, he definitely could have stopped the ball.
Shirasawa walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, we're in the lead."
In the next attack, Shirasawa needs to slow down the clock, score steadily, and widen the gap to five or six points, leaving Sannoh with a dozen seconds or so, which will basically secure the win.
When Shohoku inbounded the ball from their backcourt, no one in the audience remained seated; they all stood on tiptoe to look at the court.
Time ticked by, and finally, with only a few dozen seconds left, there were only two or three rounds remaining.
" Shohoku! Shohoku!"
The cheers shook the stadium. Shirasawa steadily dribbled the ball past half-court, shielding it from the ball as he faced Eiji Sawakita.
Sawakita took a few deep breaths. Only Shirasawa was in front of him, and all he could hear was the sound of basketballs hitting the floor.
At 23 seconds, Shirasawa launched an attack, performing a forward crossover and a powerful swing maneuver from the right.
Sawakita gave him plenty of physical contact, refusing to give an inch. After a series of exchanges, Shirasawa was forced to stop by the zone defense at the free-throw line.
He carried Sawakita on his back, dribbled with his left hand to find space, and on the third dribble, he opened up an opening, turned and took a fadeaway jump shot from the free-throw line.
Sawakita jumped with all his might to block the shot, but the ball still flew past him and headed straight for the basket.
With a swish, the basketball swished through the net, leaving 18 seconds on the clock, the score 94-89.
Shirasawa made the decisive shot, a shot worth a fortune.
With a beep, Goro Domoto immediately called a timeout, and both teams returned to their benches.
The next round will be Sannoh's theoretical last attack. If they score, they still have a chance; if they fail, they'll be disarmed.
With 18 seconds left, Shirasawa is determined to drag the game out until the end, Sannoh with no choice but to foul.
But if they actually send Shirasawa to the free-throw line, it's basically giving away points. Even if Akagi and Sakuragi from Shohoku are terrible at free throws, they're still more reliable than Sannoh's random shots.
The feeling of handing the victory or defeat to someone else is more frustrating than eating an expired bento box. Goro Domoto hurriedly set up a baseline ball strategy with a clear objective: to let Eiji Sawakita the ball and finish the game.
At this critical juncture, Masashi Kawata was completely excluded, Uozumi in the stands, slapped his thigh and exclaimed, " Shohoku is just one step away from the championship!"
Sendoh chuckled and chimed in, "This is a tough step. I think Sannoh will definitely score the next basket, and then Shohoku will be under immense pressure. The championship trophy will be sitting on the sidelines. I'd be nervous too."
Kaede Rukawa stared at Shirasawa on the sidelines, his tone calm but confident. "No, with that guy here, the outcome of this match is already decided."
Shohoku is also setting up their defense. Shirasawa will be blocked, so they need to prepare for two things. First, they need to break Sannoh's off-ball screen and prevent Sawakita from receiving the ball easily. Second, if Sawakita does receive the ball, the others need to put enough pressure on him and make sure he can't get a comfortable shot.
The referee blew the whistle, and both sides returned to the court. The crucial 18-second shot began. Sannoh inbounded the ball from the baseline, and at this moment, their tactical discipline became apparent. Even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of them, they remained calm and composed, and their movement was orderly and methodical.