Such a powerful weapon is really acting very strangely today.
Kogure looked around the locker room but didn't see Mitsui.
"Hey? Have you guys seen Mitsui?"
His question made the other teammates realize that Mitsui was not there.
Only Miyagi vaguely replied, "That guy... doesn't seem to have gone back to the locker room."
"I remember he muttered something like 'Go buy some water' before he came in."
Hanamichi Sakuragi leaned closer, his face pouting. "You heard me again!"
Miyagi chuckled, "I just cleaned my ears yesterday..."
Kanagawa Prefecture Gymnasium, lobby.
After halftime, Mitsui did not return to the locker room.
Just as Ryota Miyagi had heard, he went to buy water.
As for why only Miyagi heard it... it's because Mitsui barely had the strength to speak.
He mumbled something vaguely and then staggered into the hall.
Actually, there is drinking water provided for the players in the locker room.
Mitsui just didn't want his teammates to see him in this disheveled state.
Mitsui was sitting on the stairs in the lobby, his arms shaking like a leaf, when he finally managed to pull out a bottle of sports drink.
She looked completely drained.
With a click, the pull tab on the can started to struggle against him.
I tried twice but couldn't open it. The third time, I used too much force and the jar slipped from my hand and rolled all the way to the door.
"Hiss... Huff..." Mitsui struggled to catch his breath, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Am I fucking useless now?" he muttered through gritted teeth, his tone full of resentment.
Three years ago, he was the undisputed MVP of junior high school; that final match still lingers in my mind.
He couldn't remember exactly how many points he scored, but he knew that he carried the team in that game entirely on his own, just like Shirasawa in the first half of today's game.
With seconds left in the game, he launched a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The ball went in, and the teammates all rushed over to cheer.
There are so many similarities, but I am no longer the Hisashi Mitsui I used to be.
This is what frustrates him the most.
Then there's today's opponent, Shoyo, and the Kainan guys in the stands—three years ago, they were all begging him to join their team.
Now, things are even worse. He only scored 9 points in the first half against Shoyo, it's practically like he was invisible.
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and everything has changed.
Mitsui clenched his fist and slammed it hard against his knee.
Those damn knees of his have ruined him!
Damn it!
Everyone's fighting tooth and nail, but I'm completely useless!
He was cursing himself when he suddenly heard voices coming from outside the stairwell.
Bang!
The can opened with a crisp click.
"That number 14 from Shohoku is your senior? Or your long-time goal? Are you kidding me?" The voice sounded quite contemptuous, and Mitsui unconsciously frowned.
"It really is him! Don't let his current appearance fool you, he was incredibly strong in junior high! I didn't even get a chance to play back then."
"And I heard he gave up basketball in high school and only recently started playing again."
The man had a cheerful voice and implied that he knew Mitsui from his Takeishi Middle School.
Mitsui tried hard to remember, but couldn't recall whose voice it was.
"Really? That's a pity. I saw him getting completely shut down by Shoyo Hasegawa. I doubt he'll be able to turn things around."
Mitsui gets an itch to even think about Hasegawa.
That bastard, he was staring at him like a mad dog today...
They relentlessly harass you even when you're not in possession of the ball, as if you have some deep-seated grudge against them.
"Oh, that's normal! I remember that guy; their school was considered a strong team among junior high schools back then."
"It seems to be a match before the finals. They were our opponents from Takeishi Middle School, Hasegawa was matched up against Mitsui- senpai!"
"I remember it very clearly when I was sitting on the bench— Mitsui completely dominated him, so much so that their coach had to take him off the court."
"The most outrageous thing was that Mitsui- senpai even said something like, 'A nobody with mediocre talent like you can't stop me at all.'"
"Tsk tsk... This is truly killing someone by breaking their spirit!"
Mitsui was completely stunned.
I have absolutely no recollection of this. Did I really have this kind of relationship with Hasegawa?
And she actually said something so childish and cringeworthy?!
That person clearly imitated his tone of voice, and did a pretty good job of it...
No wonder Hasegawa targeted him so relentlessly.
"Oh, I see. Mitsui deserves it. What's the use of high talent? I bet he can't beat you now."
The other person didn't mince words, laughing and saying, "Of course, I'll beat Mitsui- senpai to a pulp."
Mitsui's temper flared up instantly.
Even a junior who couldn't get playing time back then dares to be this arrogant?
He propped himself up on his knees and rushed to the door.
I pushed open the stairwell door, but the person was long gone; all I caught was a glimpse of light brown hair and that hearty laugh...
"Who could it be...?" Mitsui racked his brains.
The second half is about to begin, and players from both sides are gradually returning to their benches.
Mitsui didn't even go back to the locker room; he came straight to the stadium.
" Mitsui, where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you everywhere." Kogure was the first to run over and ask.
Mitsui had recovered quite a bit of his strength by now, and his face didn't look as tired, but he still looked sullen.
"I went to buy water. Didn't I tell you? Why are you worrying about nothing?"
Coach Anzai smiled slightly, "No more leaving the team without permission next time."
Mitsui immediately bowed his head and admitted his mistake...
Takenori Akagi waved his hand dismissively, "Alright! Maintain this form in the second half and secure the victory!"
"Yes!!"
On the other side, Kenji Fujima also gathered his teammates around him.
He didn't say much to motivate people, just a simple sentence.
" Shoyo!"
" Shoyo!!"
A team name encompasses everything.
The referee tossed the ball into the air, and Akagi and Hanagata jumped for the ball a second time!
Oh!
The two shouted at the same time and leaped into the air.
Akagi's physique was no joke; he used all his brute strength to overpower Hanagata and secure the first offensive possession for Shohoku in the second half.
Shirasawa dribbled the ball leisurely in the frontcourt, his eyes fixed on Fujima in front of him. Shoyo's defensive formation this time was quite unusual, called a two-on-three combination.
Fujima Shirasawa Hasegawa marking Mitsui on the perimeter. With Shohoku's two strongest scorers both marked, the remaining three Shoyo players all huddled near the paint, forming a zone defense.
This tactic is only effective against Shoyo, since their zone defense covers a large area, and players without their height and wingspan simply can't cover it. Moreover, this strategy is quite effective against Shohoku.
The reason is simple: of the other three players on the Shohoku team, Akagi and Sakuragi basically lack mid-range and long-range shooting ability, and although Miyagi can shoot, his short stature is a major disadvantage, and the zone defense area is enough to deal with him.
However, Shoyo's main purpose in setting up this formation was to block Shirasawa! As long as he breaks through Fujima, the three inside can retreat at any time to create trouble for him.
As for Mitsui, Hasegawa swore he would never give him the slightest chance.
" Fujima certainly has an idea, using this zone defense to limit Shohoku." Moichi Taoka looked at the court and nodded.
Then he gave Hikoichi detailed analysis, Hikoichi buried his head in his books and took notes, not missing a single word.
"Coach, let's not even talk about whether they can contain Shirasawa with this zone defense," Hikoichi suddenly looked up, his notebook filled with messy running lines, which, though chaotic, were quite organized, "I'm more concerned about Mitsui. He only scored 8 points in the first half, and he clearly still has energy to spare. Can Hasegawa alone really contain him?"
Hikoichi spoke. "If Shirasawa breaks through and can still pass the ball even when facing a double team, that's a huge threat. If Mitsui gets open, the ball will be there instantly. Mitsui is a shooter who averages nearly 30 points per game, and most of those points are fed to him by Shirasawa."
The two have excellent chemistry, which in turn demonstrates Mitsui's outstanding ability to break free off the ball.
Moichi Taoka naturally considered this as well. However, he felt that Shoyo's arrangement made sense. If it were him, he might also send Ikegami counter Mitsui. After all, Shirasawa not only had to overcome Fujima, but also the subsequent joint defense. In comparison, the person who was to defend against Mitsui was the key.
Fujima's decision to make this arrangement clearly demonstrates his absolute confidence in Hasegawa's defense. And judging from the first half, it did seem to work quite well.
Moichi Taoka sighed regretfully, " Mitsui was once a very good player... but that's all in the past."
In his mind, the group stage matches that Shohoku had played before were not very useful for reference.
Step, step.
Shirasawa moved, using a crossover to shake off Fujima and rush to the vicinity of the three-point line. Nagano, in the high post, immediately came to the rescue.
Meanwhile, Hanagata and Takano, who were at the bottom line, were keeping Akagi and Sakuragi in check while also keeping an eye on the movements of Shirasawa and Miyagi.
Shirasawa didn't care about anything else; he had to score the first point. Facing Nagano, he scooped the ball with his hand, then accelerated and changed direction without slowing down at all.
By the time Nagano realized what was happening, the person had already been completely wiped out.
Shirasawa drove into the paint, and Hanagata got up to block him. Takano kept a close eye on Sakuragi and Akagi on both sides, preventing Shirasawa from passing the ball.
Fujima caught up with Miyagi. Hasegawa stayed right next to Mitsui.
From this perspective, Shirasawa's passing routes are basically blocked.
But he never intended to spread it.
Facing the pincer attack from Hanagata and Nagano, Shirasawa jumped up and spun around 360 degrees in mid-air, right next to Hanagata.
Like a spinning top, it was in front of him one moment and behind him the next. With a flick of his wrist, the basketball swished off the backboard and went into the net.
"Holy crap! This even works?!"
"That was a beautiful shot! It was like a pretzel in mid-air!"
"I think Shirasawa could spin two more times from that height! There's no need for that at all!"
In the stands, Shohoku's supporters immediately erupted in cheers.
What's amazing about Shirasawa is that, whether it's passing, dunking, or a regular layup, he always manages to pull off some eye-catching moves. The reason he's so amazing is because most people simply can't do that.
Take this 360-degree spin layup, for example. Even without defense, few people could pull it off, let alone with a two-meter-high Hanagata blocking the way. The greater the difficulty, the more exciting it is to watch.
59:44.
Shirasawa got Shohoku off to a good start in the second half, extending their lead a little further.
The shift from offense to defense.
Fujima controlled the ball steadily and orchestrated Shoyo's first attack.
On the flank, Mitsui faced off against Hasegawa.
"I remember now," Mitsui said calmly, "We fought back in middle school, didn't we? No wonder you've been watching me so closely today."
Hasegawa's face showed a hint of disdain. "I thought you had a bad memory, Mr. MVP."
The word "MVP" sounds particularly jarring at this moment.
Mitsui's brows furrowed immediately. "Let me tell you, you couldn't beat me in middle school, and you still can't now!"
Hasegawa scoffed. "If I remember correctly, you've only got 9 points so far, Mitsui? Where does your confidence come from? In the next match, I'll make sure your score stays at 9 points."
Mitsui gritted his teeth. "You think you can stop me?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Hasegawa's mind went blank, instantly flashing back to the scene of that middle school match. Back then, Mitsui had said something similar to him. For that one sentence, Hasegawa had practiced relentlessly for three whole years! He was holding back his energy, waiting for the day he could slap Mitsui in the face and make this genius understand that hard work deserves respect, and that hard work can surpass talent!
The ball was passed to Hasegawa.
He leaned against Mitsui with his back to him, using his height and weight to push his way in a few steps. Mitsui hadn't recovered much of his strength to begin with, and he was finding it quite difficult to withstand the pressure.
Turn around, jump, and strike!
Swish--
Hasegawa single-handedly defeated Mitsui, securing a solid victory.