"We have to execute the coach's defensive plan."
"We have to increase the strength of Jinguji Budo, otherwise, he will beat us all by himself."
"As for this first-year student... he's still too young."
During the offensive phase of Sanno Industrial, Kazunari Fukatsu, who had the ball, did not move very fast. While advancing towards the frontcourt with the ball, he was thinking about how to deal with Shohoku High School in his mind.
As expected, Xiangbei's first attack was betting on Jinguji Budou, which was actually within the expectations of Sannoh.
Although Rukawa's individual breakthrough just now was very threatening, to Fukatsu, Rukawa's threat was far less than Jinguji Budo's. He thought he had seen through Xiangbei High School's plan, and in the next defense, he would execute according to the tactics set by Coach Domoto.
On the offensive end, Sanwang has also found a direction!
As he approached the three-point line with the ball, Rukawa Kaede on the defensive side defended early. Although Kazunari Fukatsu's three-pointer did not go in, since the opponent chose to shoot a three-pointer, he must have the ability to shoot a three-pointer.
In Rukawa's opinion, failing to score in an open position is a low-probability event.
For this reason, when Kazunari Fukatsu approached the three-point line, Rukawa, who was originally standing at the top of the arc, quickly moved forward.
The players of Sannoh have a good understanding of each other. In order to prevent the opponent from picking and rolling and give Fukawa a chance to shoot, Rukawa sticks very closely to the defense. Even if the pick and roll players of Sannoh come up, Rukawa can get through the gap and continue chasing.
“The defense is stronger.”
Rukawa's close defense reduced Kazunari Fukatsu's dribbling space. Compared with Shohoku High School's Ryouta Miyagi's defense, Rukawa's defense was more threatening and more effective.
Kazunari Fukatsu simply turned sideways, pressed against Rukawa's body and tried to maintain his dribbling space, while at the same time looking at Sawakita Eiji who was running towards the baseline.
Seeing the signal from his teammates, Zebei Rongji quickly turned back while running without the ball, put half a body distance between him and Wudao, and quickly approached Fukatsu.
Rukawa also saw the presence of Zebei Rongzhi out of the corner of his eye, and quickly pressed down the mountain with his body. He didn't want to give the opponent any gap for a pick-and-roll.
However, Zebei Rongji did not come here to screen for Fukatsu Kazunari. Zebei bypassed Rukawa Kaede and quickly approached Fukatsu from the outside. At the moment when the two men intersected, Fukatsu Kazunari handed the ball to Zebei Rongji. At the same time, Fukatsu Kazunari, who had completed the pass, blocked Jinguji Budou, so that Zebei still had a gap after receiving the ball.
After receiving the basketball from the pass, Zebei Rongji accelerated.
Jinguji Budo was delayed by Fukatsu Kazunari, and immediately reminded Rukawa Kaede: "Rukawa, switch defense!"
As soon as Wudao finished speaking, Zebei Rongji, who was accelerating with the ball, had already distanced himself from Rukawa. When Rukawa started to chase, Zebei Rongji suddenly paused, and Rukawa did not dare to relax when he saw this. He made an emergency stop and stretched out his hand to cover Zebei Rongji.
But while Rukawa was holding on, Zebei Rongji had already accelerated again, instantly passed Rukawa, and with two steps, he went straight to the free throw line.
Stop and jump shot.
Zebei Rongji's offensive skills are also quite comprehensive. After successfully passing Rukawa Kaede, he immediately shot the ball, leaving no chance for Akagi Takenori and Sakuragi Hanamichi in the interior to make up for the defense.
Beautiful cooperation, combined with Sawakita Eiji's excellent individual skills, allowed Sanno Industrial to eliminate the gap between the two teams.
"Youxi~~"
After scoring the goal, Zebei clenched his right fist and shouted excitedly. When he returned to defense, he ignored Rukawa Kaede and looked at Jinguji Budo, slightly raised his chin, and looked provocative.
"Feel sorry."
Rukawa murmured something and quickly came to the inside, ready to receive the serve.
After Akagi Takenori sent the ball from the baseline, he patted Rukawa on the back and quickly ran towards the front court.
In fact, Jinguji Budou didn't hear Rukawa Kaede's apology at all. It was normal to not be able to defend in a game. The game had just started, and one or two goals were not crucial.
What he didn't know was that at this time, Rukawa Kaede felt guilty for Jinguji Budo being provoked by Sawakita Eiji.
If he hadn't failed to defend himself, the opponent would never have had the chance to provoke Jinguji Budo.
Rukawa received the ball in the backcourt, looked at the Sannoh players who had already returned to defense, adjusted his mentality, and quickly moved forward with the ball.
The players of Xiangbei High School seemed to have great trust in Rukawa who had the ball. When Rukawa was advancing, all the Xiangbei players did not go to support him, but entered the Sannoh half early and completed their positions.
By the time Rukawa dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, Wudao and the others had already arrived three or four seconds earlier.
As Rukawa Kaede arrived, Mitsui Hisashi, who was in the bottom corner, made a move and quickly penetrated into the inside from the bottom corner, pulling Matsumoto Minoru's defense line from one end of the court to the other.
When Mitsui was moving, Matsumoto Minoru, who was following closely behind him, had some space between him and Mitsui because of Akagi's delay in positioning inside.
“Bang!”
Rukawa Kaede sensed the opportunity on Mitsui Hisashi's side, turned his head to look at Jinguji Budo at the right corner, and the basketball in his hand slammed into the feet of Fukatsu Kazunari and passed it to the left.
When Rukawa looked at Budou Jinguji, Kazunari Fukatsu thought that the opponent was going to pass the ball to Budou Jinguji, so he adjusted his position slightly, allowing Rukawa to pass the ball smoothly.
"It was a little low."
The basketball flew over, Mitsui slowed down, bent down, and caught the ball in his hands. However, at the moment he slowed down, Matsumoto Minoru behind him had already caught up with him, making Mitsui lose the opportunity to shoot as soon as he caught the ball.
Muttering something, Mitsui Shou arrived at the left corner, dribbled the ball between his legs, turned around and faced the basket, looking up at it.
The chasing Matsumoto Minoru did not dare to relax and immediately raised his hands to block Mitsui Hisashi's sight.
Before the game, Sannoh did a lot of work and they knew Mitsui very well. Mitsui's three-point shot was a point that Sannoh paid special attention to.
However, at the moment when Matsumoto raised his center of gravity, Mitsui Hisashi, who was dribbling in the air, changed his direction in such a small area in the bottom corner, and the basketball hit the floor under Matsumoto Minoru's crotch. Mitsui Hisashi ran out of the baseline and returned to the court. Then he took the ball in his hands and actually completed the pass.
"!
!
”
Until Mitsui completed the breakthrough, Matsumoto Minoru still couldn't react. He turned around and saw Mitsui shooting a mid-range shot at a zero-degree angle.
"Wow! You're really daring, Xiaosan!"
Jinguji Takeshi on the outside was also enlightened when he saw this scene and praised with a smile.
Since he entered Shohoku High School, Mitsui Shou has rarely demonstrated his ability in strong singles. Even if he breaks through, he simply accelerates or breaks through with the pick-and-roll of his teammates.
The style of play is very stable.
Generally speaking, martial arts is the one who does the work of attacking and singles. Unexpectedly, facing Sanwang Industrial, Mitsui Shou no longer just acts as a three-point shooter, but uses all his weapons.
“Swish!”
A zero-degree angle mid-range shot, with a slight sound, the basketball went into the net.
"Ohhhh, what is that? Wasn't that guy out of bounds?"
"It counts as a score? Does this ball count as a score?"
"Idiot, that was a pass between the player and the ball. When he got the ball back, both of his feet were in bounds. It didn't count as out of bounds. It was a good shot!"
“Ahhh!
Mitsui! Mitsui! "
Mitsui's goal instantly made the stands lively. Some viewers did not understand Mitsui's operation, so some who knew helped to explain it.
But the situation was much simpler for De Nan and others in the stands. When they saw Mitsui score, they waved the "Man of Fire" flag vigorously and screamed loudly.
"Well done, Xiaosan!" When returning to defense, Wudao walked to Mitsui Shou with a smile and fist-bumped with Mitsui to celebrate.
"Of course!"
"I'm Mitsui Shou!"
Mitsui Hisashi looked as if it was a matter of course, and that look was far more arrogant than Sakuragi and Rukawa.
"Hahaha! Then you should play more and get more points."
Wudou smiled and patted Mitsui's arm, as if he had seen Mitsui in junior high school.
In fact, after growing up in Budo and joining Shohoku, Mitsui Shou, in a sense, gave up the ball, gave up the role of main attacker, and switched from a ball-holding role to an off-ball role.
But Mitsui Hisashi is not a pure shooter at all. His breakthrough ability is also very strong. It’s just that for the sake of the team’s integrity and balance, he actively does not play with the ball.
If Mitsui Shou didn't give up the ball, even if Takeshi's individual singles ability was stronger and more stable than his, he would still have the same amount of ball possession, and at least 40% would be taken from Takeshi.
Under the circumstances of Mitsui Shou giving way, the offensive style of Xiangbei High School was created. Whenever attacking, the basketball had to pass through Budo's hands. If Budo didn't play, it would be someone else's turn.
With this style of play, Xiangbei's strength is still very strong, but the offense has become traceable, and the participation of other players is very low.
However, in today's game, Xiangbei High School has begun to change!
This transformation was brought about by Mitsui Hisashi and also by Rukawa Kaede.
Different from Miyagi Ryouta who is content to be a behind-the-scenes hero, Rukawa Kaede is really showing his talent. Even if he plays as a point guard, he wants to play in his own style. He is absolutely unwilling to simply bring the ball into the frontcourt and then pass the ball into Budo's hands.
On the court, Rukawa is a selfish and ambitious person.
Rukawa Kaede, who plays point guard, also brought a chemical reaction to Shohoku High School.
Jinguji Budo was happy to see the changes in his teammates.
Mitsui Hisashi is already in the third grade. If he doesn't make a name for himself, it will be too late.
Rukawa and his classmates are only first-year students, and their martial arts are one grade higher than theirs. One day, Xiangbei will have to rely on these first-year students. If they don't seek change, how can they support Xiangbei High School? !
As the offense and defense alternated, Sanno Industrial had already approached the Shohoku half.
Even though Mitsui's goal just now surprised them, the players of Sannoh would not look at Mitsui differently just because of one or two goals.
Who doesn’t eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year
After entering the Shohoku half, the Sanno players passed the ball and moved around calmly, without being affected at all.
After several passes, the basketball was delivered to Masashi Kawata in the inside. With his back to the basket, Masashi Kawata was about two meters away from the basket. Under Akagi's defense, he made a series of shoulder passes and then a fade away jump shot.
With smooth movements, he easily dodges Akagi and scores a shot.
Although he is a big center, Masashi Kawata has agile footwork and accurate mid-range shots.
His moves were skillful and smooth. No one else could do it, at least in Kanagawa Prefecture, and no other center could perform it to the same quality as him.
Whether it's Uozumi, Akagi, or even the accurate mid-range shot, their footwork is actually not as flexible as Kawata Masashi.
If we really want to compare Masashi Kawata with others in terms of footwork flexibility, we can compare him with outside players like Takeshi Jinguji.
However, the footwork flexibility of a center can be comparable to that of an outside player, which shows how terrifying Masashi Kawata is under the basket.
"Don't worry about it, Akagi. Just be more defensive next time and stick a little closer."
Seeing Masashi Kawata score the ball in front of him, Takenori Akagi looked somewhat unhappy.
Mitsui Shou said something comforting with a smile, then turned around and his expression became a little serious.
The problem, after all, is still on the inside line... .
"Sakuragi, pay attention to assisting in defense."
Wudao mentioned Sakuragi Hanamichi, and without saying anything more to Akagi, he turned around and ran towards the front court.
His mentality is much better than Mitsui's. Although he also knows that Xiangbei's inside line may become the biggest variable in this game, Wudao is confident in his own offensive power. As long as the rebounds are not lost, it doesn't matter if his inside line is destroyed by the opponent.
Between offense and defense, the players of Xiangbei High School once again entered the Sannoh half.
After Rukawa approached the top of the arc, he turned his eyes and looked at Jinguji Budou. His small action immediately alerted Fukatsu and Zebei. Even Kawata Masashi in the interior pulled out a little at this moment, giving Akagi the best position to grab rebounds under the basket. The two were less than half a meter apart.
Mitsui repeated his old trick, running along the baseline and crossing the basket.
However, this time Matsumoto Minoru was careful and deliberately avoided the basket when running. Although he did not defend Mitsui Shou closely, he blocked the passing route between Rukawa Kaede and Mitsui Shou when running.
Seeing that Sanwang was watching him closely, Budo slowly retreated away from the three-point line, intending to catch the ball. But at this moment, Rukawa, who had been dribbling half sideways, changed his rhythm, and after changing hands under his crotch, he immediately made a high-frequency, low-center-of-gravity continuous change of direction in front of his body.
"Want to do it yourself?"
"No, he should be planning to use breakthrough to find a gap to pass the ball!"
Kazunari Fukatsu's eyes were originally on Rukawa's feet, but after he figured out the key point, he moved his gaze to the basketball in Rukawa's hand.
To defend against a breakthrough, watch the footsteps; to defend against a pass, watch the ball.
Kazunari Fukatsu has extensive defensive experience.
However, at this moment, Rukawa Kaede, who was in continuous disguise, accelerated his advance and just stepped into the three-point line, followed by a pull-up shot.
The sudden pull-up jump shot left Kazunari Fukatsu at a loss for what to do. He just raised his head in astonishment and looked at Rukawa's handsome face.
“Vote…Vote?!”
“No pass!”
"There's still so much time left on the shot clock, and a point guard takes the shot without even passing the ball?!"
"The ace who wants the ball over there doesn't exist?!"
Astonishment, nothing but astonishment.
Kazunari Fukatsu couldn't understand why Rukawa Kaede, a point guard, played like this. Wouldn't a player like this be kept on the bench by the coach? !
“Swish!
!”
Behind Kazunari Fukatsu, there was the sound of a basketball going into the net.
Hearing the sound, Kazunari Fukatsu turned his head in surprise and saw the basketball falling from the net and hitting the floor.
"this... .."
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