Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 246: Change direction without slowing down, dunk without hanging the rim!
Soon, another three days passed!
June 6th, Saturday!

Today, the first round of the joint finals is about to start.

According to the group situation, they are Buri VS Shohoku, Ryonan VS Shoyo!

Before the first game started, all four teams arrived.

Although the match between Shoyo and Ryonan was scheduled for the afternoon, they still did not forget to come and watch the game. After all, they also had to play against the other two teams.

As the game time approached, long queues formed at the entrance and more and more spectators began to flock into the stadium.

People came from all directions just to see this exciting game.

Soon, the stadium was packed and even the aisles were crowded with people, just to witness this exciting game with their own eyes.

Since Kanagawa completed the Grand Slam last year (referring to the national championship, the Autumn National Games and the Winter Championship championship), the basketball fever in Kanagawa Prefecture has been growing, gradually approaching the popularity of football and baseball.

Of course, only in Kanagawa Prefecture!

In this era, basketball is ultimately a niche sport.

In this way, we can foresee the heat of the joint finals.

In a way, the joint finals have become a major event in this city!
Not long after, the players of both teams walked out of the player tunnel in high spirits.

Their appearance immediately ignited the atmosphere on the scene, and fans cheered for their respective teams, echoing in every corner of the stadium.

The sound was so loud that it seemed to blow the ceiling off.

Last year, Shohoku and Takeshi represented Kanagawa in the national competition.

Among them, Buri won the summer championship, while Shohoku was the winter championship.

This also boosted the popularity of the two teams and gained a large number of supporters.

However, compared with Shohoku, the voices supporting Takeri are still somewhat inferior.

The reason is simple. The core Watanabe brothers of Buri have graduated and left school, while the three giants of Xiangbei are still in school.

In addition, it is also related to Murasakibara!
As the top high school student in the country, Murasakibara has a large number of fans, especially a group of crazy female fans known as "Muraasaki no Mikoto".

Despite this, Buri fans were not discouraged and continued to cheer for their team.

Before the game started, players from Shoyo and Ryonan met unexpectedly and looked at each other.

In order to increase the topic, the organizing committee arranged their seats very close to each other.

Among them, Fujima was sitting next to Uozumi, and Sendoh was sitting on the other side.

"Fujima, which side do you prefer?"

"Xiangbei!"

Fujima's words were brief and to the point, and his words were full of confidence in Shohoku.

"It seems that the heroes have the same idea!"

Uozumi nodded in agreement, acknowledging Fujima's words.

In fact, most people think so.

Although the Buri team added three outstanding freshmen this year, especially Gao Guang, who performed particularly well.

Unfortunately, they still cannot fill the vacancies left by the Watanabe brothers and Matsumoto Masaru.

Compared with Xiangbei, there is an obvious gap on paper.

The gap between the two sides is probably even bigger than the gap between Shohoku and Sanno Industrial in the plot year.

While Yuzumi was speaking, Hanagata, who was sitting next to Fujima, stared at Yuzumi closely.

Ever since coach Kitano decided on the starting lineup, Hanagata has set a goal for himself, which is to become one of the top three centers in Kanagawa.

Of the top three centers in the previous class, Watanabe Masao and Yano Shinichi graduated and left school, leaving only Ikeda Kazuhiro.

That leaves two seats left.

Among them, Akagi must occupy a seat.

Compared with other centers in Kanagawa, Akagi is top-notch in terms of performance, honors and statistics, and he also won the Winter Championship for Shohoku!

As a result, two of the three center positions are gone, leaving only the last position.

Among them, the strongest competitor is Yuzumi!
If Hanagata wants to become one of Kanagawa's three major centers, he must defeat Uozumi. Although the team's record is important, personal performance is more critical.

In order to defeat Uozumi, Hanagata has been training hard during this period and thinks he has made considerable progress.

In addition to Uozumi, Nagao Guang from Buri is also a major competitor.

Yuzumi naturally felt Hanagata's warlike gaze, but he just glanced at Hanagata and didn't say anything.

Because he often trained with Akagi and occasionally received guidance from the brothers Murasaki and Watanabe, Uozumi avoided many detours and his progress was obviously far beyond that in the original work.

In Murasakibara's words, Yuzumi is almost reaching the level of 'awakened fish'!

It is also at this time that the game on the field officially begins!
Coach Anzai once again waved his hand and sent out a lineup of four tall players + Mitsui.

Buri Team

Center: Gao Guang, 194 cm, 87 kg, first grade.

Power forward: Imamura, 184cm, 77kg, sophomore.

Small forward: Tetsuya Totsuka, 179cm, 74kg, freshman
Shooting guard: Nohara Koichiro, 175 cm, 70 kg, third grade
Point guard: Ebina Yoshi, 175 cm, 60 kg, first grade.

At the referee's signal, Akagi and Nagao stood in the center circle, ready to execute the jump ball.

"Akagi, you are destined to be my stepping stone!"

Ming Gaoguang stared at Akagi with an aggressive gaze, his voice full of provocation and confidence.

Like Hanagata, Ming Gaoguang also wants to prove himself. The best way is to step on the corpses of strong people to get to the top, and Akagi is the one who meets the requirements best.

Akagi is not only the core of the Xiangbei team's inside line, but also one of Kanagawa's most watched centers.

Ming Gaoguang hopes to challenge Akagi in this game and prove that he is the strongest center.

Therefore, this game is also called the center battle.

Beep~
As the referee threw the ball high up, Akagi and Nagao Mitsuru jumped up almost at the same time, fighting for the ball.

Relying on his height and wingspan advantage, Akagi touched the ball first and hit it towards his own position.

Soon, Murasakibara dribbled the ball across half court.

Looking at Murasakibara dribbling the basketball casually in front of him, Ebina Yoshi didn't dare to act rashly.

A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Facing Murasakibara, who was already the top high school student in the country in his first year of high school, it would be a lie for Ebinaka to say that he felt no pressure.

That pressure is greater than a mountain, called Alexander for short!
The most speechless thing was that before the game, the coach patted him on the shoulder affectionately and said, "Ebina Jia, I am confident in your ability. I will leave this game to you. I believe you can complete the task I assign to you!"

As for what tasks Coach Buri had assigned him, Ebina Ka didn't dare to say it out loud, for he was afraid of being beaten!
At this time, Murasakibara noticed that Ebina Yoshi was a little distracted, so he naturally did not miss this opportunity.

At the first moment, Murasakibara showed amazing explosive power.

Before Ebina Ka could react, Murasakibara had already completed the breakthrough.

"So fast!"

Murasaki's speed was far beyond Ebina Yoshi's imagination. Even when he turned around and chased back, the distance between the two sides not only did not narrow, but widened instead.

Ebina Ka is thin and his key speed is not particularly outstanding, but his strength lies in organization.

This is a traditional point guard, a super poor man's version of Stockton.

Ming Gaoguang immediately realized the threat posed by Murasakibara. He decisively made up for his defense and pounced on Murasakibara fiercely.

However, Murasakibara was not intimidated and instead threw the ball into the basket.

Under the basket, Akagi was already prepared. He jumped high, relayed the ball in the air, and the gorilla dunked successfully.
Along with the sound of the basket blasting, there was a burst of warm cheers from the audience.

"Well done!"

Akagi gave Murasakibara a thumbs up.

This is undoubtedly a classic Murasakibara connection!
In junior high school, the cooperation between the two was called the Akagi Linkage.

Before the end of the first year county competition, it was called the Akagure Link or the Mumu Link.

After the county competition ended, it became the Murasakibara connection.

The name alone can reveal the change in status between the two.

Offense and defense transition!

Soon, Ebinajia dribbled the ball steadily across half court.

As a traditional point guard, he has excellent organizational skills and is the perfect choice for Buri's point guard position.

At the same time, Ebina Ka made very few mistakes and his defense was above average.

With Ebinajia, players in all positions of Buri can participate in the offense with confidence and boldness.

Unfortunately, he met Murasakibara!
I just entered high school and met the big devil in the second game of my life!
It’s like the character in the game encounters the final BOSS before leaving the novice village.

Just when Ebina Ka was about to organize the team's attack, suddenly, Murasakibara pounced on him.

At the first moment, Ebina Jia subconsciously wanted to move sideways to protect the ball.

The two of them touched each other instantly, and Ebina Ka felt a strong force coming at him, and he was involuntarily pushed aside by Murasakibara.

His body is too thin!

slap~
Murasakibara stepped forward and easily completed the steal.

The referee did not blow the whistle because Murasakibara's movements were very clean and neat.

"not good!"

The moment Murasakibara completed the steal, Imamura realized the seriousness of the situation.

Without hesitation, he immediately rushed back to defend as quickly as possible, trying to stop Murasakibara's attack.

After grabbing the ball, Murasakibara crossed the court like a flash of lightning and launched a fast break with the ball.

Outside the three-point line, Imamura stepped forward and tried to slow down Murasakibara's pace so that his teammates would have time to return to defense.

However, Murasakibara showed his explosive physical fitness. His footwork was flexible and varied, and he could change direction without slowing down even when moving at high speed, making Imamura feel overwhelmed.

Before Imamura could stop him, Murasakibara easily broke through him.

At this moment, the audience held their breath and watched Murasakibara's actions nervously.

They had a vague feeling that Murasakibara was about to start his performance.

After completing the breakthrough, Murasakibara rushed towards the basket at an extremely fast speed.

His speed had reached its limit. One step into the free throw line, Murasakibara jumped high, made an incredible 360° spin in the air, and then slammed the ball into the basket with tremendous force.

Bang~
At the moment of completing the 360° turn dunk, Murasakibara let go of the ground. The whole action was done in one go, full of power and beauty.

The stadium instantly erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, crazy about Murasakibara's wonderful performance.

They suspected they were watching an NBA game.

Don’t slow down when changing direction, and don’t hang the rim when dunking!
This 360° slam dunk not only won points for Xiangbei, but also greatly boosted the morale of the entire team.

It was Buri's turn to attack. As soon as Ebina Yoshitsugu crossed the half court, he wisely passed the ball to Nohara Yukiichiro.

In this game, Coach Buri arranged for two point guards to play, mainly just in case, but he didn't expect that they would be used so soon.

It was obvious that coach Buri was just making empty promises for Ebina Ka before the game.

Unfortunately, in the face of absolute strength, Ebina Yoshi was helpless.

The next moment, Ebina Ka took Murasakibara away.

As a traditional point guard, Ebina Ka has the ability to shoot from mid-range and long range.

"Captain, this way!"

Ming Gaoguang fell into the low position and turned his back to ask Nohara Koichiro for the ball.

After the Watanabe brothers graduated, Koichiro Nohara became the captain of Buri.

Nohara Koichiro passed the ball steadily.

Ming Gaoguang caught the ball with both hands and started to back-attack Akagi.

In SD, Ming Gaoguang's experience, characteristics, and playing style are similar to Akagi, just like Nan Lie and Mitsui.

Like Akagi, Ming Gaoguang has a strong physique, solid skills, and is also a rare center with a strong sense of organization.

On the field, the two men's bodies stood out.

Bang~bang~
Ming Gaoguang tried it and found that he couldn't hit Akagi at all.

In desperation, Ming Gaoguang began to sway left and right, trying to confuse Akagi with fake moves.

Unfortunately, Akagi was not fooled by Ming Gaoguang's fake moves and remained unmoved.

In desperation, Ming Gaoguang, who was eager to succeed, turned around and prepared to attack the basket.

Akagi saw through Ming Gaoguang's intention and quickly moved sideways to block Ming Gaoguang's attack route.

In this situation, Ming Gaoguang had to bite the bullet, lean forward, and carry Akagi to force a breakthrough.

At this time, Akagi's heart moved slightly and he deliberately slowed down.

After shaking off Akagi, Ming Gaoguang's pressure suddenly decreased and he strode to the basket, ready to finish with a two-handed dunk.

Just as Ming Gaoguang was about to jump, Akagi took a sudden step forward.

Just when Ming Gaoguang was about to jump, Akagi's figure suddenly appeared in his sight.

Ming Gaoguang did not give up. He pushed the ground hard, his body flew into the air, and he held the basketball in his hand high, trying to complete a dunk through Akagi.

Akagi was not intimidated. He chose to fight head-on. He stretched out his arm and slapped the basketball hard with his big palm.

slap~
A crisp sound echoed in the court, and the basketball lost control in the air, eventually flying out of the sideline and falling outside the court.

This scene amazed many viewers.

Ming Gaoguang showed an expression of surprise and disappointment. He shook his head helplessly, adjusted his mentality and prepared for the next attack.

Buri served the ball quickly, and after some passing, Ming Gaoguang received the pass from his teammate again.

But it was of no use. Facing Akagi's defense, Ming Gaoguang was unable to break through.

When there was little time left in the shot, he had to force a jump dunk.

"Innocent!"

Akagi smiled disdainfully and blocked another volleyball shot.

This time, the basketball flew towards the front court.

The moment Akagi completed the block, Murasakibara, who was standing near the three-point line, quickly rushed to the frontcourt.

The expressions of the Buri players suddenly changed, and they all returned to defense as quickly as possible.

But it was of no use, because Murasakibara was too fast, like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, rushing towards the basket at full speed.

Under the helpless gaze of the Buri players, Murasakibara glided and slammed the ball, scoring two points again.

(End of this chapter)