The Shohoku players nearby also heard the conversation between Coach Anzai and Takeshi Jinguji, but most of them were confused and had no idea what Takeshi and Coach Anzai were talking about.
However, there were some who understood. Mitsui Shou stood up, came to Wu Dao's side, patted Wu Dao on the shoulder, and said, "Winning or losing doesn't matter. Just give it your all in the second half. How far we can go depends on you!"
"When you need a rest, just pass the ball to me. I will be your strongest shield!"
Mitsui Shou was able to understand the meaning of Jinguji Budo and understand Budo's thoughts. In fact, before traveling to the United States to train, Mitsui Shou was as arrogant as Budo and was full of confidence in his own strength. However, after a trip to the United States, Mitsui Shou already knew how vast the world was.
In other words, the proud young man who thought "I am the best in the world" has been convinced by the facts. Mitsui Shou knew that his original playing style would not go far, and he also knew that his talent could not support his original playing style. Therefore, Mitsui Shou changed his playing style early and developed new techniques.
But Wudao was different. Ever since Mitsui Shou met Wudao, Wudao had never really encountered any insurmountable opponents. Even Ryonan High School's Shigong Tianye was unable to truly suppress Wudao's attack.
The upper limit of his talent is still invisible at this stage.
Coach Anxi hopes that Wudao will change, and it is obvious that he has already set a talent ceiling for Wudao in his mind.
After all, in this era, there are very few yellow players who stand out in the sport of basketball. The strongest yellow players of this generation are all gathered in the country across the sea, but even they are not the strongest players in the world.
How far can a yellow player go? Coach Anzai actually doesn't think highly of Budo, but facing such a young and ambitious Jinguji Budo, will he stop him? Does the current Coach Anzai still dare to stop him? !
The halftime break lasted nearly 20 minutes. After the Xiangbei starters rested for 10 minutes, Coach Anxi began to arrange the tactics for the second half. However, Xiangbei's tactics were also very simple. On the offensive end, they would attack around Budo and adjust their positions and movements according to Budo's needs.
On the defensive end, Coach Anxi plans to use the standard 41 zone defense, where 1 is Budo to face Ryonan's Shinomiya Tano alone, and the rest of the players strengthen the defense in the interior to consolidate the strength in the interior. Ryonan High School does not have an outstanding three-point shooter, which is also the reason why Coach Anxi chose the 41 zone defense.
Sendoh and Shinomiya Tano may indeed have certain three-point shooting abilities, but their three-point shooting abilities are definitely not enough to support Ryonan's offensive firepower in the second half. It is possible to steal a shot occasionally, but there are only two and a half people in the entire Kanagawa High School basketball world who can use three-pointers as a regular offensive means.
Mitsui Hisashi, Jinguji Budou, and half of Fujima.
While Xiangbei High School was planning the second half of the game, Ryonan was also planning the second half of the game. Unlike Xiangbei coach Anzai's bet on Jinguji Budou, Ryonan, who likes to play singles, planned to play team basketball in the second half.
"Break through and pass the ball! Sendoh, Uekusa, and Ikegami, the three of you should find your most comfortable shooting position on the offensive end!"
"After Tian Ye breaks through, if you have a chance, go for it yourself. If you don't have a good chance, pass the ball to your teammates in open positions. Jinguji Budou can't stop you alone. Xiangbei will definitely use a double-team strategy to limit your offense!"
"Anyone who receives the ball in an open position must shoot decisively! We are not afraid that you will not make the shot, but that you will not dare to shoot."
"Yuzumi, there are no players to help you under the basket, you have to rely on yourself for everything!"
"I believe that you will never lose to that guy Akagi Takenori in the fight for rebounds!"
Coach Tiangang held a tactical board in his hand and arranged tactical plays for the players. He also predicted the defensive tactics arranged by Coach Anzai. It must be said that in terms of coaching the overall situation, Coach Tiangang was not much worse than Coach Anzai.
"Shohoku's offense in the second half should still revolve around Mitsui Hisashi and Jinguji Budou. These two have long shooting ranges. When defending, we must pay attention to their three-point shots. As long as they are not three-pointers, there is no need to think about blocking mid-range and long-range shots. Just provide enough interference and don't let others break through and lose their position!"
"Mitsui's running volume is very high, and his physical condition cannot support him playing the entire court with that style of play."
"After all, the most troublesome point for Shohoku's attack is Jinguji Budo."
"I plan to let Uekusa and Ikegami fill in. Tano, when you are defending, put more energy into defending shots. If you are breaking through, don't put too much effort into it."
As Coach Tagora spoke, he glanced at the Shohoku players on the other side of the field.
"Yes!" The Ryonan players responded in unison after receiving the instructions, and then at the signal of Coach Takeo, they stayed on the bench to rest and recover their strength.
The halftime break passed quickly, and as time was completely up, the referee returned to the field.
With a sharp whistle, the second half of the game officially began.
The players of both teams did not change, and the coaches did not make any substitutions. They were still the same players from the first half.
At this stage, the depth of Xiangbei's bench is not much different from that of Ryonan's. However, Ryonan has already strengthened its bench, but Xiangbei...
In the middle of the court, Akagi Takenori and Uozumi Jun stood on the center line, and the players of both teams were scattered around, waiting for the kick-off. Akagi and Uozumi looked at each other in silence, and both of them were full of fighting spirit.
"The protagonists of this game are actually us! Akagi." Yuzumi Jun lowered his center of gravity slightly and suddenly spoke.
"snort!"
"Did you get lost while playing basketball? How come we are the protagonists of this game?"
Akagi said this, turning his head to look at Jinguji Budo who was standing not far to the side and Shinomiya Tano who was facing him, and said.
"You will understand that it is the two of us who are in control of the game!"
As soon as Yuzumi finished speaking, before Akagi Takenori could reply, the referee had already come to the sides of the two men and blew the whistle to start the game.
Yuzumi and Akagi immediately fell silent, concentrated and held their breath, waiting for the ball to kick off.
Seeing that both teams were ready, the referee blew a whistle and threw the ball into the air.
“Roar, roar, roar!
!”
“Ahhh!
”
Two completely different roars rang out from the court. Yuzumi and Akagi roared and leaped up, slapping the basketball that flew into the air. Two big hands, one in front and one behind, slapped the basketball at almost the same time.
"Hmph!" Akagi Takenori groaned, and the strength of his arm suddenly increased. He actually overpowered Yuzu and hit the ball out.
Although the direction of the basketball's flight was greatly offset, Miyagi Ryouta was much faster than Uekusa Tomoyuki, and he caught the basketball in his arms before his opponent.
"Quick break!" Miyagi picked up the ball and shouted loudly. When he shouted, Jinguji Takeshi was actually already running to the frontcourt. At this moment, in just a few seconds, Takeshi was already close to the three-point line.
The basketball quickly passed from Miyagi Ryouta's hand and flew directly over Wudao. Shigong Tianye followed closely behind Wudao, and when Wudao jumped to catch the ball, he quickly bypassed Wudao and came in front of Wudao to take a defensive stance.
Wudao received the ball about one meter inside the three-point line. The basketball had just entered his hand and he shot directly without stopping at all.
"What?! Did you take action?"
"None of his teammates have gone yet?! Why is he in such a hurry?"
Jinguji Budou's sudden move caught Shigong Tianye off guard. The ball had just been kicked, and even if Budou wanted to play, he shouldn't be so anxious. It was really unwise to make such a move!
"Swish!" The next second, a crisp sound of the net swishing reached everyone's ears.
"It's normal that it went in. Jinguji Budo's shooting level is very good, so there's nothing wrong with it."
"But his shot selection is really bad and too reckless."
"I've had this feeling before. This guy's shot is beautiful, but..."
Coach Tiangang's face showed surprise at first, but then he regained his composure.
"Good shot, Budo, but it will be more stable once Akagi arrives." Mitsui encouraged, then turned around and returned to defense.
"The chance to shoot doesn't come often. I need to seize every opportunity under the defense of Shigong Tianye. When Akagi comes up, Shigong Tianye will be fully prepared."
Wu Dao didn't say this out loud. He nodded silently at Mitsui Shou and started to return to the court to defend.
In the second half, Ryonan High School's offense was not in a hurry at all. The players began to move into the frontcourt one by one. Shinomiya Tano took the ball, pressed at the back of the team, and began to advance slowly.
A few seconds later, Shimonoya dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and approached the three-point line. Wu Dao still stood half a step inside the three-point line, focusing on defending Shimonoya's breakthrough with the ball.
After Shinomiya Tano entered the frontcourt, the Ryonan players began to look for their most comfortable positions on the court. Uozumi was close to the three-second zone, ready to rush in and grab rebounds at any time. Sendoh was in the middle distance on the side of the free throw line, and Mitsui Shou was standing in front of him. Uekusa Tomoyuki slipped to the bottom, and Ikegami Ryoji also lingered near the three-second zone, waiting for the opportunity.
When Shigong Tianye saw his teammates finish their positions, he quickly dropped the ball and broke through. His breakthrough direction was the direction that Shigong Tianye was most comfortable with, the right side.
"Bang!" There was no surprise. Wudao, who had been defending Shigong Tianye for half the court, was already familiar with the opponent's offensive method. The moment Shigong Tianye dropped the ball, Wudao had already slid to catch up. The two bodies collided violently. Wudao could not withstand the opponent's strength and unconsciously took a step back.
At the same time, Shimono Yamada still maintained his excellent dribbling posture, and with a simple between-the-crotch dribble, he quickly changed direction.
Although Wudao couldn't withstand the opponent's strength, Wudao's defensive awareness was quite good. Wudao had already judged the opponent's disguised form from the opponent's subtle body movements. While sticking his body to him again, his fingers also poked at the basketball.
Just as Wudao tried to steal the ball, Shigong Tianye flipped his wrist while dribbling the ball and threw it to the side. The basketball flew across half of the court and landed accurately in the hands of Sendo on the outside.
When Sendoh got the ball, Mitsui Hisashi who was defending him was also surprised. Then a look of surprise appeared on his face and he went straight up to him.
Sendoh is undoubtedly one of Ryonan's most promising new star players, and his personal abilities are also exceptionally outstanding. There is no doubt that Sendoh is also a national-level ace player.
But these are meaningless to Mitsui Shou.
Because he, Mitsui Shou, is also a national-level ace, his strength is definitely not weaker than anyone else.
As soon as Sendoh got the ball, Mitsui Shou quickly stuck to him, leaving no space for the opponent to land the ball. Moreover, Mitsui Shou's defensive angle was also very tricky. He blocked the strong and attacked the weak, and his entire defensive position was biased towards Sendoh's right side.
Sendoh raised the ball above his head with both hands and shook it a few times, but still couldn't find a comfortable landing position.
However, at this moment, a figure entered Sendoh's peripheral vision. Sendoh didn't care about the discomfort of the ball, and directly threw the ball with his back, then quickly broke through, and Mitsui Shou was just about to chase and defend, and his body directly hit the solid body of Shigong Tianye.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, Mitsui Shou was stopped in his tracks. Surprised, Mitsui Shou turned his head and saw that the person who set the screen was actually Shinomiya Tano.
"This guy?! Why is he here?!" However, before Mitsui could come back to his senses, Shinomiya Tano went straight down after the pick-and-roll, while Sendoh ran to the other side along the arc. The two people attacked from two directions. Takeshi chose to defend Sendoh at the first time, and Mitsui chased after Shinomiya Tano after a brief hesitation.
Budou knew clearly that he must not leave Sendoh open, and Mitsui Shou also knew that Shinomiya Tano must not let him enter the inside.
However, although both of them knew how difficult their opponent was, they still had no way to stop him effectively.
Sendoh used Shinomiya Tano's perfect pick-and-roll to create a big gap. Takeshi came forward to make up for the defense, but his position could not stop Sendoh from passing the ball.
The basketball flew into the inside, and Shimoya Tsuneno, who cut in, easily caught the ball with just a raise of his hand, then moved close to the basket and jumped directly.
Although Mitsui Shou made timely defensive coverage, his jumping ability was far inferior to that of Shinomiya Tano. At this moment, Akagi in the inside was also blocked by Yuzumi and was unable to cover the position in the first time.
The two watched Shimotsunayoshi score a layup without making any effective defense.
In the second half, the two teams' completely different offensive styles at the beginning set the offensive tone for the two teams.
Xiangbei kept the same style of play, relying on Jinguji Budo's outstanding personal ability to frequently score from outside shots. On the other hand, Ryonan High School played team basketball, with Shinomiya Tano breaking through and passing the ball to mobilize all the players.
Budou's personal attacks occasionally missed, and on Ryonan's side, Ikegami, Uekusa and even Sendoh's attacks could not always hit the target.
With the frequent appearance of rebounds, the focus of the confrontation on the field has shifted to the competition for rebounds in the interior.
It was not until now that Akagi Takenori truly understood what Uozumi Jun meant, and his attention, which had been slightly scattered, began to quickly focus.
He originally thought that he would just be an ordinary blue-collar worker in this game, but unexpectedly, the key to winning the game turned out to be in the inside!
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