Even so, he still held Sakuragi in high esteem. This respect wasn't for his basketball skills, but for Sakuragi's spirit.
It's ridiculous that a basketball beginner dares to claim he can defeat Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa.
But Hanamichi Sakuragi possessed a mysterious self-confidence.
No matter how others see him or laugh at him, nothing can break his confidence or stop him from moving forward.
After the practice match, Sakuragi's stats were worlds apart from Sendoh's and the Sendoh, but Sakuragi was still full of confidence.
He worked diligently in the direction he believed in, repeatedly proving his doubters wrong with his actions.
From a complete beginner to a powerful rebounder, and then to the Rebound King of Kanagawa.
Sakuragi is growing at an astonishing pace, and the boasts he used to make are getting closer and closer to reality.
To this day, he still calls himself " King Kong's Little Brother," and then with a single stroke, he cuts Maki the Emperor down from his horse!
He yelled at the ceiling, and the cheers from the stands erupted like a bomb going off.
At this point, who can still say that Sakuragi is blindly confident? Who would dare to underestimate him?
Hikoichi Aida stared at the arena, feeling that what he lacked was precisely this kind of reckless, unbridled spirit.
Confidence itself is not shameful; what is shameful is all talk and no action. If someone is willing to risk everything for that confidence, then they deserve to be respected.
For Hikoichi Aida, what impressed him most about Sakuragi was his "reckless" spirit.
"I really didn't expect this," Uozumi said honestly, arms crossed, "That kid Sakuragi actually managed to carry the Shohoku frontcourt."
He was one of the people who had been thoroughly humiliated by Sakuragi, but he readily admitted it.
Coach Taoka, standing to the side, frowned. Sakuragi's sudden and dazzling performance made him feel uneasy.
If this becomes the norm, and not the norm, then the days ahead for Ryonan will probably not be so comfortable.
It seems I'll have to put the name Hanamichi Sakuragi on the tactical board and think about it carefully when I get back.
On the sidelines, Coach Riki Takato had long since put his fan aside and stood directly on the sideline.
"Hold your nerve! Didn't you eat?!" he yelled. "Whoever's legs are weak, get down and rest! Pick up the pace!"
Two rounds later, Kainan not only failed to catch up, but also fell further behind, confirming Takato's bad premonition.
No matter how much I planned, I never expected that this Red-haired Monkey would be the one to create the problem!
With just over a minute left in the first half, he had to change his tactics; he absolutely couldn't let Shohoku widen the gap again!
Shinichi Maki felt his eyebrows twitching.
He didn't find it particularly shameful to get blocked by Sakuragi. The real shame was that Kainan was actually trailing at halftime!
"This ball must be scored!" Shinichi Maki's voice was resolute.
His teammates immediately understood what to do when they saw his condition.
Boss Mu is really desperate! He's doing everything he can to create an opportunity for him!
Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball across half-court and faced Shirasawa. Without any fancy moves, he simply pushed his way in, overpowering the defender!
The dull thud of muscles colliding caused both men to take a half-step back.
Tadashi Muto and Nobunaga Kiyota immediately moved up, forming a double shield, like closing a door, firmly blocking Shirasawa outside.
Shinichi Maki changed direction and accelerated, forcibly squeezing through the gap between Miyagi and Kogure.
Sakuragi, standing firmly with his legs spread under the basket, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Bring it on!!"
Shinichi Maki's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he charged straight at Sakuragi towards the basket!
At this moment, Sakuragi's attention was highly focused. He stared intently at Shinichi Maki, who was rushing towards him, while his peripheral vision scanned his surroundings like a radar.
That's right, if the Gorilla were here, he would definitely warn us to watch out for anyone who might be missing!
" Four-Eyes! Watch the baseline!" Sakuragi suddenly caught sight of Kiyota silently cutting in from the flank and shouted urgently.
Upon hearing Kogure sound, Kogure chased after it with all his might.
"I will never let you pass!" Kogure thought fiercely.
At the same time, Sakuragi and Shinichi Maki were both launched into the air.
Shirasawa also chased back at full speed from behind, and it looked like he was about to form a pincer attack with Sakuragi.
If he were only facing Sakuragi, Shinichi Maki was well-prepared and confident he could put the ball in the net.
But if Bai Ze were to Shirasawa up behind them, the risk would be too great.
If this shot gets blocked again, Shohoku's momentum will be completely out of control.
He can't take that risk.
Just then, Kiyota's figure flashed in his peripheral vision, and Shinichi Maki caught the ball in mid-air, flicked his left hand, and passed the ball to the wing.
With Shirasawa's involvement, Sakuragi's previous judgment turned out to be a lucky accident.
The ball was about to fly into Kiyota's hands.
Kogure is still at least two big steps away from him.
"Stop him! You must stop him!" This was the only thought in Kogure's mind.
Sakuragi lived up to expectations, holding the center position with all his might, which made Kogure both gratified and anxious.
I haven't been able to help much so far; on the contrary, my defensive vulnerabilities have allowed Kainan to repeatedly find opportunities.
Yes, my abilities are limited.
But when it comes to risking my life, I will never back down!
Kogure pushed off with all his might with his left foot!
He flew out almost parallel to the ground!
Use the length of your entire body to make up for the distance of those two steps.
Just before Kiyota's fingers touched the ball, Kogure's fingers touched the basketball first!
Snap!
With his last ounce of strength, he flicked the ball upwards with a powerful jerk.
He believed that the sky above the basketball hoop belonged to Shohoku!
Kogure landed horizontally on the floor, sliding forward a short distance due to inertia.
The ball flew into the air, while Shirasawa, Sakuragi, and Shinichi Maki were falling.
Nobunaga Kiyota had already bent his knees, preparing to jump again.
Sakuragi and Shirasawa landed almost simultaneously. As soon as their feet touched the ground, their knees bent sharply, quickly lowering their center of gravity to gather momentum.
Thump! The moment the two landed, Shirasawa didn't even look back, turned around and sprinted towards the front!
He was convinced that the backboard belonged to Sakuragi!
Sakuragi didn't stop after landing; he used the power of his toes to jump up again like a spring, and with his height and long arms, he managed to reach the ball over Kiyota.
Both players touched the ball with their fingers at the same time, and the basketball was once again bounced high into the air.
Upon seeing this, Shinichi Maki immediately made a judgment and turned to chase after Shirasawa.
Indeed, in Shinichi Maki's opinion, Kiyota had no chance of getting the rebound from Sakuragi.
But Kiyota was no slouch either; he landed almost simultaneously with Sakuragi, and then jumped again at the same time.
The two players' jumping speeds were almost identical; if Sakuragi hadn't had a height and wingspan advantage, the outcome of that shot would have been uncertain.
But there's no such thing as absolute fairness in competitive sports. Sakuragi ultimately grabbed the rebound firmly and, without a second thought, swung it up and threw it towards the frontcourt!
Shirasawa and Shinichi Maki, two figures one after the other, rushed towards Shohoku's half of the court like arrows released from a bow.
Riki Takato was jumping up and down anxiously on the sidelines. " Maki! Stop him!!"
Shirasawa leaped into the air to receive the long pass, and Shinichi Maki also took advantage of this gap to close the gap considerably.
The two immediately engaged in a high-speed chase.
Shirasawa charged into the three-point line, collected the ball, and began to take a step.
Shinichi Maki knew the impact of Shirasawa's acceleration, and he couldn't let him dunk comfortably!
He steeled himself, lowered his center of gravity, and reached out to disrupt Shirasawa's rhythm as much as possible, not giving him any space to get up easily.
With one step, the two clashed physically, but Shirasawa's momentum remained undiminished.
Just as Shirasawa was about to leap into the air and attack the basket...
In a moment of panic, Shinichi Maki grabbed Shirasawa's arm!
We absolutely cannot let him score, even if it's a foul!
beep--!
The whistle was piercing, and the referee's gestures were clear.
But Shirasawa's momentum was not something that could be stopped so easily. Shinichi Maki also became fierce, his five fingers like hooks, gripping Shirasawa's right arm tightly and refusing to let go!
Shirasawa's body was pulled to the side, but he managed to grab the ball with his left hand and used the momentum to pull himself up!
Although he wasn't able to jump very high because he was being pulled, that distance was more than enough for him!
With a slight flick of his left wrist, the basketball obediently swished off the backboard and went into the net.
Two points are valid, but a penalty will be added!
Good heavens, even with all that effort, Maki Shinichi Maki couldn't pull it down!
Shirasawa's unreasonable and overwhelming force was now fully exposed to everyone.
Well, not only did they commit a foul, but they also lost points. They really lost big time.
As soon as the ball went in, Shirasawa was delighted and bent his arm to show off his not-so-exaggerated biceps!
That hard-fought 2+1 play felt even more satisfying than a dunk.
The entire venue erupted in cheers, nearly lifting the roof off.
It seems even the Maki the Emperor's defenses can't stop the new king from charging forward to the beat of the drums.
On the other side of the field, Shirasawa was enjoying the thunderous cheers.
Miyagi and Mitsui roared and rushed over to celebrate with him, almost ending up in a hug.
Shohoku's momentum has truly taken off.
Coach Riki Takato, standing on the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there were only about thirty seconds left in the first half, so no matter how strong this anger was, it wouldn't spread to the second half.
Near the baseline in the backcourt, Kiminobu Kogure stood up, rubbing his arm.
My right forearm was covered in red marks, clearly from the fall.
But instead of showing any pain, his face radiated joy.
The ball was finally stopped, contributing to the team's efforts.
Now, at least I can face Akagi with my head held Akagi.
"Well done, King Kong's Little Brother!" Kogure smiled and extended his hand, his tone full of satisfaction.
Hanamichi Sakuragi grinned and raised his hand to slap him.
"You're not bad either, Four-Eyes! This genius has firmly held his own without the Gorilla!"
No sooner had they finished speaking than a voice that was all too familiar rang out from behind them.
"You held on? You're still a long way off!"
Gorilla! It's Akagi!
Sakuragi and Kogure turned around simultaneously and, sure enough, saw Takenori Akagi standing there unharmed.
He stood firmly on the baseline, a smile on his face; there was absolutely no sign of a problem with his ankle.
It turned out that Akagi had heard about what happened from the mustachioed shopkeeper and realized that it was Sakuragi had stepped up to fill the void in the paint.
He never doubted Sakuragi's talent.
Just as Shinichi Maki meticulously polished Nobunaga Kiyota, Sakuragi has always been the unpolished gem he has always recognized in his heart.
But this time, the brilliance that this rough gem displayed still exceeded his expectations.
He single-handedly battled Kainan's inside players, covering for and blocking Shinichi Maki, and even dubbed himself " King Kong's Little Brother "?
This guy...
The huge weight that had been pressing on Akagi's heart was lifted off his feet.
He's so worried he's made a mistake; how could he forget that none of his teammates are easy to deal with!
He is certainly the pillar of the team, but his teammates are also his strongest support.