Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 218 Are You Here to Compete for Second Place?

In this game, Xiangbei will go all out and fight for honor.

As for friendship first and competition second?
So hypocritical!
Coach Anzai nodded with satisfaction, his eyes fell on Murasakibara.

Whether Shohoku can win, Murasaki is the key factor.

Of course, Murasakibara alone cannot do it. Without the support of his teammates, he is doomed to be unable to carry on alone.

After all, this is a basketball game, not a table tennis game. Even if it is table tennis, it is divided into singles and doubles.

As the referee blew the whistle, players from both sides began to enter the court one after another, preparing for the upcoming game.

In the audience stands, the fans' cheers rose one after another, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.

Compared with Shohoku, the eyes of Hakata players are full of confidence and expectation.

Among them, Nobisuke Suzuki looked particularly relaxed, as if the fruits of victory were within reach.

In his mind, he even imagined himself standing on the podium, holding the Winter Games MVP trophy, receiving applause and praise from all sides.

Compared with Suzuki Nobisuke, the younger Murasaki appears to be more stable and introverted.

Although he is the strongest contender for the title of the nation's top high school student, Suzuki Nobisuke does not agree.

Without the blessing of top honors, Murasakibara is not worthy of such a title.

Suzuki Nobita firmly believes that as long as he wins the MVP of the Winter Tournament, he will be crowned king and have the opportunity to replace Murasakibara as the number one high school student in the country.

In order to win the game more easily, Suzuki Nobita looked down at Mugure and deliberately said loudly: "Mugure, thank you for clearing the strong enemy for us!"

"So you're here to compete for second place?"

Faced with the provocation of his opponent, Murasakibara directly blurted out this classic trash talk.

Mu Mu's voice seemed calm, but it revealed an unquestionable confidence.

He believes that Xiangbei can overcome all difficulties and eventually stand on the highest podium.

"asshole!"

The classic trash talk is naturally powerful. Not only did Suzuki Nobita fail to affect Murasakibara, but he also got angry himself.

He didn't want to be the runner-up, let alone the second-best high school student in the country.

People don't usually remember the second place unless that person claims to be a Goat!

For this game, Coach Anxi naturally sent out the main lineup.

The difference is that this time, Murasakibara will play as the point guard and will once again face Hakata's outside core - Kenjiro Itakura!

If Xiangbei wants to defeat Hakata, Kenjiro Itakura is a very important factor. As long as his performance on the offensive end is restricted, Hakata's team basketball will inevitably be greatly hindered.

"It seems that Itakura Kenjiro and Itakura Daijiro are indeed relatives!"

The reason was simple. Murasakibara discovered Daijiro Itakura in the front row of the audience, and he was cheering for Kenjiro Itakura loudly.

In the Autumn National Sports Tournament, Murasakibara had the upper hand in the match against Kenjiro Itakura.

Of course, at that time, Murasakibara's defense was average, and he had not yet mastered the Death Coil. Even though he had the upper hand, he did not completely restrict Itakura Kenjiro's performance.

I'm afraid it will be different this time!

Bodo's starting lineup:

Center: Suzuki Nobita, 199 cm, 93 kg, second year
Ohmae: Fujio Mori, 190cm, 83kg, third year student.

Komae: Shizuo Kudo, 185cm, 78kg, third grade.

Shooting guard: Nobi Okura, 179 cm, 72 kg, third grade.

Point guard: Kenjiro Itakura, 181 cm, 75 kg, third year.

During the jump ball phase, Nobi Suzuki helped to suppress Akagi and was the first to pass the ball to Kenjiro Itakura.

In the first moment, Kenjiro Itakura quickly dribbled the ball across half court, obviously speeding up the pace.

Take advantage of his illness and kill him!
Since the Xiangbei players are in a physical crisis, Hakata will naturally not miss such an opportunity and plans to speed up the offensive rhythm to drag down Xiangbei.

It was not until Kenjiro Itakura came outside the three-point line that Murasakibara came over.

Looking at Murasakibara in front of him, Kenjiro Itakura's expression was more solemn than ever.

Because the guy in front of him defeated Kashima Kaede Frost head-on yesterday.

"This guy's progress is too fast!"

Kenjiro Itakura thought to himself that he was full of envy and jealousy at Murasakibara's speed of progress.

At the same time, be vigilant!
However, he was still prepared to test the strength of Murasakibara's defense.

Kenjiro Itakura broke through with the ball, but he didn't find any chance due to the tight defense of Murasakibara.

During this time, the two had a confrontation.

Murasakibara hardly moved at all, but Itakura Kenjiro, who was always known for his strength, almost took a step back.

slap~
While Kenjiro Itakura was not yet stable, Murasakibara instantly completed the steal.

"Not good, return to defense!"

As a benchmark team in team basketball, Bodo's defense is extremely fast.

Almost in an instant, Bodo changed his state and retreated quickly.

However, they were unable to stop Murasakibara from scoring on fast breaks.

In a flash, Mu Mu appeared at the three-point line at the top of the arc.

Instead of continuing to move forward, he made a three-pointer.

If you want to beat Bodo, you have to shoot more three-pointers.

shuh~
The basketball hits the net!

Xiangbei took the lead and scored three points first.

After returning to defense, Mu Mu said to his teammates: "Don't follow me when I'm on a fast break!"

In order to save his teammates' energy, Murasakibara had to resort to this last resort.

However, with his speed and explosiveness, there are few people in the country who can catch up with him.

To put it another way, even if he caught up with him, the other party wouldn't be able to stop him.

Offense and defense transition!

Hakata served the ball quickly and Itakura Kenjiro dribbled the ball across half court like a gust of wind.

This time, he stopped trying and immediately called on his teammates to set up a pick-and-roll.

Suzuki Nobisuke immediately understood his intention and quickly stepped forward to screen for him.

With the help of his teammates, Kenjiro Itakura took the opportunity to break through.

However, Murasakibara was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

After bypassing Suzuki Nobisuke, Murasaki quickly caught up with him and used a death coil.

His close defense made Kenjiro Itakura feel very uncomfortable, and even his ball control was distorted.

Kenjiro Itakura had to catch the ball with both hands.

At this moment, he finally understood why Kashima Kaede was suppressed by Murasaki.

This guy is simply not a human being!

Kenjiro Itakura frowned, he knew he had to make a change, otherwise a dead ball would most likely be waiting for him.

In an instant, Kenjiro Itakura decided to pass the ball to Nobisuke Suzuki who was cutting into the basket.

slap~
Unfortunately, Murasakibara easily saw through his intention and quickly completed the steal.

After grabbing the basketball, Mugure once again made a fast break. This time, the Xiangbei players followed Mugure's instructions and did not follow the fast break, but rested on the spot.

They knew of Murasakibara's fast break ability and believed that he could handle the attack on his own.

When rushing to the three-point line, Murasakibara made another three-pointer.

shuh~
The basketball drew a graceful arc and accurately penetrated the net, creating a touch of snow-white net flowers.

Hua Hua Hua~
The stadium suddenly erupted with a burst of enthusiastic cheers, cheering for Murasakibara's beautiful three-pointer.

“Today’s touch looks good!”

After making two consecutive three-pointers, Murasakibara felt that his touch was as smooth as Dove.

Looking at Mu Mu's back, Itakura Kenjiro was puzzled: "Why did this guy's defense improve so quickly?"

Soon, Bodo launched another attack.

As a point guard known for his stability, Kenjiro Itakura does not seem to be affected.

Without waiting for Murasakibara to step forward, Itakura Kenjiro immediately passed the ball and then ran across the court with Murasakibara.

His intention was very clear, which was to consume as much of Murasakibara's physical strength as possible.

What he didn't know was that Murasakibara's physical strength was not affected by yesterday's match.

Shortly after yesterday's game, Murasakibara's physical attributes achieved a breakthrough, allowing his physical fitness to recover to its peak.

However, the condition of the other main players of Xiangbei is still worrying, and they were obviously affected by the previous game.

Soon, the Bodo players showed their amazing tacit understanding and teamwork.

The cooperation between them seemed to have been rehearsed countless times. They always seemed to be able to predict the defensive movements of Xiangbei. Every pass was accurate and in place, constantly putting pressure on the Xiangbei team.

Soon, Bodo players easily tore through the Xiangbei team's defense through continuous pick-and-rolls and quick ball transfers.

Taking advantage of the opportunity created by his teammates, Shizuo Kudo quickly got rid of Yamamoto and left him behind.

Nobi Okura passed the ball quickly. Although his organizational ability was not as good as Itakura Kenjiro, it was still at a satisfactory level.

Before Yamamoto Kuma pounced on him, Shizuo Kudo jumped decisively and shot.

shuh~
The basketball drew a graceful arc and passed through the net accurately, making a crisp sound.

This is team basketball at its best.

During the attack of the Xiangbei team, the Xiangbei players slowly stepped into the front court to minimize physical energy loss.

If you didn't look at their faces, you would think they were a group of elderly people.

Murasakibara dribbled the ball across half court and stood one step outside the three-point line, waiting.

During this process, the Xiangbei players did not run. They stood in their most confident shooting area and took away the opposing players.

Murasakibara dribbled the ball slowly on the spot. Kenjiro Itakura did not dare to be careless at all. He stared at Murasakibara, not daring to slack off even for a moment.

When there were ten seconds left in the attack time, Murasakibara finally moved.

As if without any warning, Murasakibara's body started moving rapidly as if pushed by a spring.

Kenjiro Itakura reacted immediately and tried to stop Murasakibara's attack.

However, he was still a step slow and could not keep up with Murasakibara's speed.

Using his amazing explosive power, Murasakibara easily broke through Kenjiro Itakura's defense with a simple change of direction.

After completing the breakthrough, Murasakibara rushed straight to the basket.

Suzuki Nobita, who was standing near the waist, immediately abandoned Akagi and rushed to the basket to protect the basket.

Seeing Suzuki Nobisuke's actions, Murasaki was not surprised but happy. He took the initiative to greet him without waiting for the other party to gain a firm foothold.

Beep~
The referee blows the whistle!

In mid-air, Murasakibara tried hard to maintain his balance, and then threw the basketball in his hand.

Bang~Shua~
The basketball hit the backboard and bounced back, and Murasakibara scored two points again.

"No. 4 of the blue team committed a blocking foul, and No. 11 of the red team gets an extra free throw!"

Suzuki Nobisuke had no objection to the referee's decision.

At the free throw line, Murasakibara dribbled the ball twice before throwing the basketball in his hand.

shuh~
Murasakibara easily made the free throw and completed 2+1.

In just one minute, he scored 9 points!
When Murasakibara was shooting free throws, his teammates were so confident in his free throws that they had no intention of fighting for rebounds.

So they chose to retreat early.

Hakata's attack started again, Kenjiro Itakura quickly received the pass from his teammate and prepared to launch a new round of offensive.

Murasakibara did not give him the chance to organize the team's offense. Under his entanglement, Itakura Kenjiro had to call for a pick-and-roll again.

With the help of Suzuki Nobisuke's cover, Itakura Kenjiro temporarily got rid of Murasakibara.

Without waiting for Murasakibara to get close, Itakura Kenjiro passed the ball first and then ran around with Murasakibara.

After some passing, Shizuo Kudo left Yamamoto behind.

His teammate passed the ball at the right time, and Shizuo Kudo caught the ball and shot.

bang~
The basketball hit the rim and bounced off, heading toward the paint area.

"drink!"

Suzuki Nobita successfully suppressed Akagi and grabbed the rebound first.

Akagi tried to block with his body, but Suzuki Nobita moved sideways and calmly made a hook shot.

shuh~
Watching the basketball go through the net, Akagi shrugged helplessly, unable to do anything.

"Akagi, Mitsui, if you have the chance, you'd better send that guy off the field!"

After returning to his own half, Murasakibara gave serious instructions to his two friends.

The guy he was referring to was naturally Suzuki Nobisuke.

Even though Bodo is known for its team basketball, once the team cooperation is restricted, it will give the ball to the ace player to play singles like an ordinary team, using the ace player's personal ability to help the team out of trouble.

As one of the best four centers in the country, Nobisuke Suzuki not only possesses comprehensive inside skills, but also always stands up at critical moments.

If Nobi Suzuki was not sent off, Akagi would not be freed and would be at a disadvantage in rebounding, which would be very disadvantageous to Shohoku.

Kogure hopes that Akagi and Mitsui will find opportunities to increase the number of fouls committed by Nobita Suzuki in the next game.

Even if he cannot be sent off, he must be made to be cautious.

The game on the field is still going on, and the confrontation between the two sides is in full swing.

The Shohoku team's scoring mainly depends on the personal abilities of Murasakibara and Mitsui, both of whom are particularly active on the court.

Murasakibara was in excellent form and seemed to be at ease in every attack. Scoring was as easy as taking candy from a sack for him.

Although Mitsui was also trying hard, he was obviously affected by the previous game and his efficiency was relatively low.

On the other side, Bodo showed the essence of their team basketball.

They are like a precision machine. The cooperation between them is extremely smooth. They can always play wonderful team cooperation at critical moments and catch Xiangbei off guard.

For a moment, both sides showed extremely high competitive level.

Although Murasakibara's performance was extremely outstanding, Boda's playing style still gave them a certain advantage on the field.

As time went on, Xiangbei team's score advantage began to gradually narrow.

Five minutes into the game, the Bodo team successfully reversed the score with a brilliant counterattack.

This change made the players of the Xiangbei team feel the pressure. They began to realize that if they could not adjust their status in time, victory might slip away from them.

(End of this chapter)