Takenori Akagi and Changwon's center were crouching in the center circle. The moment they glared at each other, the size difference was obvious—Masahara looked like an iron tower, and Akagi was like the iron tower's brother! Beep—the moment the referee tossed the ball up, Takenori Akagi roared, jumped up, and slapped the ball to Shirasawa in the backcourt.
Shirasawa slowly crossed half-court with the ball in his arms, and the entire stadium was practically screaming its lungs out, with cheers rising in waves. He didn't rush to charge; he just pushed the ball step by step, forcing the opposing defender to break out in a cold sweat. He looked like he was going to drive the defender to the brink of collapse.
Suddenly! Shirasawa flicked the ball with one hand, and the basketball flew straight to the basket like a cruise missile. Hanamichi Sakuragi had already darted around the baseline, and with the ball in time, he grabbed it with both hands in mid-air and slammed it into the basket.
This inside-outside combination became Shohoku's signature style of play for the next season. 2-0! The Changwon players were completely stunned—a flying dunk?
It's not that their team lacks jumpers, but Sakuragi's height is like he's trying to touch the ceiling—they just can't learn that! And his passing, it's so precise, like he has a GPS navigator; isn't that just pure bullying?
Amidst the deafening shouts from the crowd, Miyagi casually grabbed a Changwon Team and deliberately drew a foul. Kiminobu Kogure quickly substituted Sakuragi.
Why did Sakuragi leave the field?
Is Shohoku deliberately throwing the game? Doing this in an international tournament?
I heard Sakuragi seems to be injured; maybe he's saving his energy for later?
Injured? He almost flew into the sky, how could he be injured? You can't hurt him even if you try!
Shohoku's actions completely baffled the viewers. News doesn't travel that fast these days; nobody knew Sakuragi had been injured in the national finals. It had been almost two weeks since Sakuragi injury, and the hospital said he should be fully recovered by now.
Yesterday, in a five-on-five game, Sakuragi played the entire game and was in incredibly good form; his iron-like physique is no joke. But Coach Anzai was steady, and even in this game that was a sure win, he still rested Sakuragi —the next two games will rely on him to carry the team in the paint, so he was kept as conserved as possible. Letting him play those few seconds at the beginning of the game was just to give the fans an explanation.
After the national tournament, Sakuragi's popularity skyrocketed, ranking second in Shohoku, only behind Shirasawa. Of course, Sakuragi wasn't happy about it; his face was as long as Changbai Mountain. If Ayako hadn't been watching him, he would have pulled Coach Anzai's jaw off.
Ayako, hands on her hips, slapped Sakuragi on the head with a folding fan. "Sit still! Otherwise, you won't be playing in the next game either!"
"Ayako, they can't do without me! You want to lose the first game?" Sakuragi pouted, his mysterious confidence resurfacing.
"Heh," Ayako said with a forced smile, "You're getting cocky, aren't you? Take a look at the field first."
As soon as Ayako finished speaking, Sakuragi reluctantly looked up at the ball. The ball flew from the backcourt, and Ryota Miyagi chased after it. Whew! He charged forward, took two steps from the free-throw line, and scored a layup! The score was 10-0! The crowd erupted!
Holy crap! That was incredible! That counterattack only took two seconds? At this rate, this game is going to be a total stomp!
Changwon had absolutely no chance to attack!
Absolutely! Look at their captain, Park Shuo-qi; Shirasawa is defending against him like he's invisible!
The audience was right; Park Shuo-qi has been practically invisible since the start of the game. Of Shohoku's 10 points, aside from the opening basket, the remaining 8 came from fast breaks. It wasn't that Changwon didn't defend; they simply didn't have any opportunities. Shirasawa completely shut down Park Shuo-qi, essentially preventing him from scoring. Aside from committing two turnovers, Park Shuo-qi was utterly useless. Being guarded by Shirasawa felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—too easy.
Finally, Changwon organized an effective attack. The center received the ball inside and turned to make a layup, but as soon as he turned, he was nearly tumbled by Takenori Akagi's powerful block. Smack! Akagi swatted the ball away! The center was completely stunned, staring at Akagi in disbelief. "Is... this person even human?"
Miyagi had just poked the ball down the court and casually tossed it up the court, and Shohoku's fast break immediately began.
Although Shirasawa and Park Shuo-qi ran together, Park Shuo-qi was indeed a bit lacking in physique and jumping ability, but his running speed was not slow, and he kept up with the pace and did not fall behind by much.
Upon reaching the three-point line, Shirasawa caught the basketball, Park Shuo-qi gritted his teeth and began to battle Shirasawa relentlessly.
Park Shuo-qi was furious. In their Kimchi Country, his fame was almost on par with Shirasawa's; he was a national idol, with female fans calling his name wherever he went.
Based on his unique ball skills alone, he once thought he could try his luck in the Lighthouse Country. Moreover, there were many voices within the system saying that he was a future star and needed to be honed to a higher level. So it's no exaggeration to say that he was the center of attention.
But once he got to the court, this number 9 completely humiliated him. He felt like he wasn't even as good as a decent dribbler. Losing was bad enough, but this was utterly disgraceful! What kind of defense was this?!
Shirasawa had no idea that Park Shuo-qi was cursing in his heart. He just played as usual, calmly caught the ball outside the three-point line, and started the game as soon as he stepped into the three-point line.
Park Shuo-qi gritted his teeth, tensed his pectoral muscles, and went all out against Shirasawa. Bang! Park Shuo-qi couldn't hold on after just one step, but he was strong and followed up with two more steps.
Bang! Shirasawa leaped into the air, sending Park Shuo-qi flying backward. Whistle! The referee blew his whistle immediately. Park Shuo-qi had committed a blocking foul. Shirasawa seized the opportunity, raised the ball, and dunked it into the basket.
The contrast between the two teams' star players was striking: one was sprawled on the ground, while the other soared like an eagle. This scene clearly demonstrated the difference in strength between the two teams.
Amazing! Shirasawa is unstoppable even on the international stage!!
Shirasawa! Shirasawa!
Amidst cheers from the crowd, Shirasawa stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank the free throw, making the score 13-0. Shohoku continued to dominate Changwon.
The Kimchi Country parliamentarians watching from the sidelines turned green with envy. They had been playing incredibly aggressively in this Four Nations Invitational, having great confidence in Changwon and Park Shuo-qi, whom they considered a once-in-a-decade basketball prodigy. Of course, they weren't foolish enough to think they could compete with the Lighthouse Country or the Chariot Country, but Shohoku... they should be able to, right?
Even disregarding the outcome of the match, at least Park Shuo-qi could have shown his skills, grown, and gained more attention. It would have also made it easier for him to go abroad to improve his abilities. But what happened now? He was completely crushed! That number 9 was deliberately targeting Park Shuo-qi, guarding him single-handedly. Would it kill him to let him score two points...?
Back on the court, Shirasawa shrugged at Park Shuo-qi, his eyes practically overflowing with contempt. Changwon's head coach immediately called a timeout, and the players quickly came down to catch their breath. If they continued playing like this, they really wouldn't score a single point. He wouldn't even need to go back to China; he would be unemployed after this game.
The Lighthouse Country and the Chariot Country are also playing their first matches today, and they happen to be scheduled after this one. At this moment, both teams are watching from the players' tunnel, their target naturally being Shirasawa.
This guy is definitely something else!
Alex smirked, his whole being radiating excitement. Ever since he saw Shirasawa's competition and physical test data, he had been incredibly curious about this man. After all, if those data were true, Shirasawa would be a player who had surpassed his level, and such a person would attract attention anywhere.
I feel that in terms of physical fitness alone, he's no worse than you.
Robinson stroked his stubble and said that he and Alex both excelled in physical attributes. One was an inside player and the other an outside player; they jumped high and moved fast, with explosive athleticism. Their matches were not only impressive in terms of statistics, but also more entertaining to watch.
Yeah, I really look forward to running into him!
The game continued, Changwon still couldn't find a way to break the deadlock. Even organizing an effective attack became very difficult. Shohoku, on the other hand, won without lifting a finger and firmly controlled the rhythm. Shirasawa strolled around leisurely, and his passes made the offense flow as smoothly as mercury.
After 15 minutes of the first half, the score was 58-16, with Shohoku leading by a full 42 points!! The game had become a one-sided massacre.
This won't work! Shirasawa and the others definitely won't be playing in the second half, right?
Yeah, at this rate, they could easily lead by 50 points at halftime. How are they going to play in the second half? They need to save some face, right?
I knew it would be like this. If you're only going to watch 20 minutes of the game, this ticket is such a waste!
I really hope Changwon can pull themselves together! This is the first time I've ever wanted to cheer for my opponent!
The audience was getting restless. Although Changwon's offense was completely stalled, Shohoku's starters weren't planning to expend much energy. If things continued like this, the second half would definitely be garbage time. Everyone knew the level of Shohoku's substitutes; they were like children playing house. Who wanted to pay to watch a game like that?
Sure enough, as soon as the halftime whistle blew, the numbers on the scoreboard were dazzlingly bright— Shohoku was leading by a full 51 points. During the final attack, Shirasawa even jumped up and delivered a solid block to Park Shuo-qi, slamming him and the ball against the rim—a truly devastating blow. When Park Shuo-qi came off the court, his face was as long as a donkey's, his expression more unpleasant than if he were attending a funeral.
At the start of the second half, Shohoku's starters had barely played one offensive and defensive possession when Coach Anzai substituted them all out. The game instantly became garbage time. But Shohoku wasn't foolish enough to wait for Changwon to make a desperate comeback. With a deficit of over 50 points, it would be even more embarrassing for Changwon to fail if they put their starters in and couldn't catch up. So they also pulled Park Shuo-qi and his teammates, replacing them with a mixed bench. The two teams' reserves played a 20-minute stalemate.
When the final buzzer sounded, Shohoku secured their first victory in the Four Nations Tournament with a 39-point lead. Yasuharu Yasuda's bench players were indeed not strong, but Changwon's bench players weren't much stronger either. Both sides were giving their best, Coach Anzai, in a friendly manner, told both sides not to play too badly, just play moderately badly.
Shohoku didn't celebrate wildly. The players clapped each other and that was it, showing a bit of the demeanor of strong players. At this point, Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui, and Kiminobu Kogure all knew that they only had two games left before leaving Shohoku, and their identity as " Shohoku Team " could still be maintained for two more games.
To put it bluntly, the lifespan of this strongest Shohoku is coming to an end. Without Akagi and Mitsui, can Shohoku still be this strong? Everyone is filled with doubt and anticipation.
After the game, the players from Shohoku and Changwon didn't leave; they stood on the sidelines as spectators, waiting to watch the upcoming match between the Chariot Country and the Lighthouse Country. Kiminobu Kogure stared at the court, his eyes filled with anticipation. He muttered to himself, "These two teams are among the best in the world. It's really great to see them up close. I never even dared to dream of standing on the same level as them... or even competing against them!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi scoffed, interrupting with a disdainful look, "Tch, just a bunch of monkeys with different skin colors. Compared to Shohoku, led by my genius Sakuragi..." He paused mid-sentence, frowning, "But there is one person I have to pay attention to."
His teammates' attention was instantly drawn to him; after all, not many people could catch the eye of the genius Sakuragi. He pointed at the court and shouted, "That's right, it's that player from the Lighthouse Country wearing number 18! He's the only person I've ever seen who's more like Gorilla than a gorilla! He's practically the King of Gorillas!"
Konobu Kimugure: ... Takenori Akagi couldn't help but nod his head. He wanted to shout out this orangutan's nickname, which coincided with Sakuragi's complaints unexpectedly.