Nakamura, Defense Isn't Just About Blocking Shots! Disrupting the Offense's Rhythm Is the Key

"Damn it!" Shinichi Maki's expression changed drastically. He shook off Shindo and rushed towards Aoki —he had to protect Jin!

Seeing Shinichi Maki double-teaming him, Aoki had no choice but to give up on trying to take on Soichiro Jin alone and pass the ball back to Shindo, who was completely unmarked.

"How dare you underestimate me!" Shindo caught the ball and jumped, making a mid-range shot, making the score 11-15!

Aoki returned to defense and passed the Kainan bench, he suddenly turned to Takato and smiled, "Just one more shot!"

Takato understood his meaning perfectly well, and cursed inwardly, "Damn it! Jin is the team's second-leading scorer. If he falls, we have no hope for the national tournament." "Should we replace him or not?" Takato was caught in a dilemma.

The game continued, Aoki kept looking for opportunities to match up against Soichiro Jin. Although Soichiro Jin wasn't afraid of his attacks, Takato couldn't sit still any longer and had no choice but to substitute Soichiro Jin. Now Kainan only had Shinichi Maki scoring option.

When Shinichi Maki Takezato on offense, in addition to Aoki guarding him, Hojo and Shindo also came over to double-team him, interfering with his passing from the side. On the offensive end, Aoki took every opportunity to drive into the paint, and Hojo and Imamura also scored from time to time with pick-and-rolls. Kainan was struggling to carry the team alone with Takezato Shinichi Maki, and the score gradually widened to 39-49 at the end of the first half, with Takezato leading by 10 points!

In the final moments of the first half, Takato was vigorously waving his paper fan, pondering his moves for the second half, when he suddenly realized— Takezato's real goal was to injure Kainan's key player? Takato slowly closed his paper fan. "I see!" Just then, the referee's halftime whistle blew.

Nakamura stared at the scoreboard, nearly dropping his jaw in astonishment. " Yo Aoki scored 30 points in the first half? He was facing Kainan!" He swallowed hard and added, "And all 30 points came from inside attacks... Can he hold on in the second half?"

Yayoi Aida spoke up, "Actually, what we should be concerned about is that Kainan was actually afraid of Aoki's attack and substituted their main players."

Nakamura nodded. " Kainan is definitely worried about their key players getting injured, which would delay their participation in the national competition."

Yayoi Aida frowned. "If that's the case, then it's terrible!"

In the Kainan locker room, Kiyota yelled at the top of his lungs, "Coach! Let me play in the second half!"

Takato shook his head again. "No, Kiyota, it's an insignificant match, I can't let you get injured!"

Kiyota stared wide-eyed. "Coach, a 17-year undefeated streak is considered insignificant?"

Takato's voice turned somber: "Sixteen years of undefeated streak has put too much pressure on us. Perhaps..." "Perhaps losing one game wouldn't be a problem?" Kiyota's tone was bitter.

Takato swept his gaze across the entire team; everyone lowered their heads and remained silent. "It's time," Takato thought to himself.

Shinichi Maki then spoke up, " Kainan's strength doesn't solely rely on skill, but also on their 'victorious' spirit! Coach, even if we can't compete in the national tournament, we can't lose our championship mentality!"

After Shinichi Maki finished speaking, Takato's lips curled up slightly. "Is that what you all think?"

"Yes, Coach!"

"Alright, let's reclaim our champion's honor in the second half!"

"That's fantastic!" Kiyota jumped up and shouted at the top of his lungs, " Kainan —victory is certain!!"

Seeing that everyone's fighting spirit had returned, Takato finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close, we almost fell into Takezato's trap again. Who would have thought that Takezato was actually after me this time?"

In the locker room at Takezato Highlands, Coach Akai grinned from ear to ear. "Not bad! We're actually leading Kainan by 10 points! Haha!"

The first-year players of the Takezato Team, Yoshida and Matsumoto, almost jumped up in excitement—they actually managed to dominate Kainan, something they would never have dared to imagine before!

But at this moment, Yo Aoki spoke up with a tense face, "Coach, I dare say that Kainan will definitely launch a counterattack at the start of the second half and can even take the lead!"

Coach Akai scoffed, " Aoki, stop worrying. Aren't they afraid of getting injured and missing the game?"

Yo Aoki ripped off his braces and threw them aside. "The so-called fear of injury is just a seed I planted in their coach's mind, making them hesitant. How can you play basketball without getting injured?"

Shirota scratched his head. "Maybe Kainan will play the same way in the second half as they did in the first half?"

Yo Aoki shook his head. "That's the mighty Kainan! Never underestimate the will to turn the tide!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

But in the second half, all the tricks will be exposed!

Someone asked in a low voice, "What should we do then?"

Yo Aoki raised his voice. "The last resort—a fight to the death with Kainan!"

Shirota's face scrunched up like a bun. "A fight to the death? But we..."

Mizuki grabbed him, stood up, and shouted, "Listen to me, everyone!"

"This summer, we tied with Shoyo, beat Hinode West, and lost to Ryonan and Shohoku. We've had our wins and losses, but we've kept improving!"

Although we didn't get a ticket to the national tournament, we still have the chance to challenge the champion of Kanagawa!

"Our motto at Takezato is 'Mind and Skill as One,' and now is the time to prove those four words!"

Mizuki turned to Yo Aoki and said, " Aoki, we definitely won't hold you back in the second half!"

Yo Aoki grinned. "I never thought you guys would hold us back!"

Coach Akai gave the final decision. "Alright! Sanada, you're in the second half, go and wear down Soichiro Jin!"

"Stay right behind him, don't let him get an open shot!"

"Yes!"

" Shindo, get ready too, be prepared to step on and try to catch up!"

"Yes, Coach!"

Mizuki gathered everyone together again. "Let's show Kainan Takezato's determination! We won't give up until the very last second!"

" Takezato!" Victory is assured!!!

And so, with both teams determined to win, the second half of the match is about to begin!

The stadium announcer had just finished broadcasting. "The second half of the match between Kainan University Affiliated High School and Takezato High School is about to begin!"

The Kainan Team was the first to emerge from the tunnel!

"Go Kainan! Advance to the national competition with a perfect record!" "Defeat Takezato!!"

Takezato Team also entered the field!

" Takezato! Takezato!" " Aoki! Aoki!"

Yo Aoki glanced towards Kainan and, sure enough, Soichiro Jin and Kiyota had returned to the starting lineup!

As expected of the Wise General and Riki Takato!

Coach Akai began, "We've thoroughly analyzed Kainan's tactics and conducted targeted training. We'll use the same defensive formation Aoki used back then!"

"Let's get on the field!" "Give it our all, fight to the very end!"

Hikoichi Aida rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Why do I feel like Takezato in the second half?"

Koshino leaned closer and laughed, "Maybe you're seeing things?"

"No, that's not true!"

Uozumi suddenly spoke up, " Takezato's momentum has changed; they now have an indomitable spirit!"

Both teams' players are in position, ready for the jump ball!

The referee tossed the ball high into the air! The second half of the game has officially begun!

Takasago and Imamura jumped up at the same time, slapping the ball with both hands, evenly matched!

The basketball was pushed away by their combined strength and landed right at Kiyota's feet!

Kainan Team kicks off the first attack of the second half!

Takezato players quickly took their positions!

Yayoi Aida widened. " Takezato's defensive formation has changed!"

Nakamura scratched his head. "I don't think they changed it. It's still Yo Aoki and Maki Shinichi Maki, isn't it?"

Yayoi Aida shook her head. "Look closely, they've switched from man-to-man defense to a 1-3-1 zone defense!"

"1-3-1 zone defense?"

Yayoi Aida counted on her fingers. " Takezato's inside line is number 6, Imamura, that's '1'; around the three-point line at 45 degrees are number 7, Sanada, and number 8, Hojo; near the inbound line is number 4, Mizuki, that's '3'!"

Nakamura slapped his thigh. "Oh! I get it! So Yo Aoki and Maki Shinichi Maki's positions are the other '1'!"

Yayoi Aida nodded. "That's right! This zone defense can effectively stop frontal drives, and it also has three-pointers from the left and right 45-degree angles!"

Nakamura exclaimed in admiration, "That's right! Even if Shinichi Maki breaks through Yo Aoki head-on, there are still three defenders behind him to help defend! Pass the ball to Jin..."

"But Jin is too tall, even if someone is watching him, it's impossible to stop him, right?"

Yayoi Aida explained, " Nakamura, successful defense isn't just about blocking shots! Disrupting the offensive rhythm is the key!"

Yo Aoki leaned forward slightly, his arms outstretched, his eyes fixed on the basketball in Shinichi Maki's hands!

Shinichi Maki glanced at the situation on the field and suddenly accelerated, rushing towards Yo Aoki's left!

" Maki's using that trick again!"

Yo Aoki pushed off the ground with his right foot, twisted his waist, and moved to the left and back, instantly blocking Shinichi Maki's breakthrough route!

But Shinichi Maki's attack wasn't over yet!

He immediately pivoted on his left foot, pulled the basketball back, and turned to rush to Yo Aoki's right!

Yo Aoki pushed off the ground with his left foot, slid to the right, and blocked Shinichi Maki's path of attack. But if Shinichi Maki tried to charge in, he would definitely commit a foul by colliding with him.

Miyagi shouted, his eyes wide, "We've got it!"

Shinichi Maki could only pass the ball to Kiyota, but Hojo's attention was already fixed on him. Hojo crouched down, blocking the outside and forcing Kiyota to move towards the inside.

Hojo raised his chin and shouted, "Don't think you'll get away with this so easily!"

Kiyota stopped in his tracks, cursing inwardly: How come this guy's defense is suddenly so fierce! If he dares to cut inside, he'll definitely be double-teamed by Mizuki and Hojo, and he won't have a chance. He can only pass the ball to Muto.

As soon as Muto received the ball, Mizuki closed in on him. Mizuki stuck to Muto tightly, using her body to create space and constantly interfering with his movements. Muto was completely shut down and exclaimed in surprise, "When did Mizuki's defense become so tough!"

Someone on the sidelines immediately shouted, "The physical contact is too intense!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "Exactly! They're like they're courting death!"

Muto looked up and shouted, " Muto!" Soichiro Jin's voice came from the baseline. Seeing that his teammates were being tightly guarded, Jin prepared to go to the outside to look for an opportunity. Muto immediately made a long diagonal pass and threw the ball over.

Soichiro Jin caught the ball and was about to shoot, but Daji closely followed, and the others also came up to disrupt his rhythm with their feet. With only 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Jin could only rely on his height advantage to shoot, but the shot was particularly awkward.

Imamura turned around under the basket, shielding Takasago behind him and securing a good position. Takasago tried to squeeze past him, but Imamura lowered his center of gravity and used his body to block him with his arms outstretched. As expected, Soichiro Jin missed his shot.