Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 377 Opening Dunk from the Free Throw Line

No matter how you look at it, there's definitely something fishy about the match schedule for this county-level competition.

Shohoku's matchup is Miura Dai, and two years ago, Miura Dai and Shohoku formed an inseparable bond.

Ryonan's matchup is Hainan Affiliated High School. As is well known, the coaches of the two teams have been rivals since high school.

Takeshi's opponent is Tsukubu, and Kazumi Kawasaki is the former coach of Tsukubu, who also took two key players with him.

There are too many coincidences; it would be a lie to say there's nothing fishy going on.

Just like the NBA's number one draft pick, can you honestly say there's no foul play involved?

At this moment, the match between Buri and Tsukubu is taking place on the field.

This is also the last match of the day, and the winner of this match will secure the final qualifying spot.

However, no one was optimistic about Tsuhisa Takeshi's chances.

Tsukubu's strength was never as good as Takezato's, and now that the coach and two key players have left, they can barely maintain the level of the top eight in the prefecture.

Most importantly, Tsukubu doesn't even have a single player over 1.8 meters tall.

That's right, not a single one...

The Tsukubu player roster was shown in the anime.

Among them, Nango is 192 cm tall, Tomokazu Godai is 180 cm tall, and Daisuke Nishio is also 180 cm tall.

As for the other Tsukubu players, none of them are under 1.8 meters tall.

With Tomokazu Godai leaving for Takezato and Nango being poached by Ryonan, Tsukubu was left with only Daisuke Nishio to lead the team.

Once both teams entered the game, just like Ryonan, Takezato fielded its full starting lineup.

Center: Ming Gaoguang, 195cm, 90kg
Power Forward: Mike Okita, 192cm, 85kg
Forward: Tomokazu Godai, 182cm, 81kg
Shooting Guard: Katsumi Ichiro, 185cm, 72kg
Point Guard: Ebina, 177cm, 65kg
Tsukutake:MMP!

Among the main players in Buri, Tomokazu Godai is two centimeters taller than in the original story.

Because of Kogure, Tomokazu Godai's exercise level has increased significantly, which may explain why he grew two centimeters longer.

Not only in height and weight, but Tomokazu Godai's strength is also greater than in the original work, approaching the level of a core player in a strong team.

Compared to the tall and strong Takeshi Nakamoto in the starting lineup, Tsugutake was noticeably smaller.

Center: Daisuke Nishio, 180cm, 75kg
Ohmae: Shinji Toda, 179cm, 69kg
Forward: Izumi Takashi, 172cm, 75kg.

Shooting Guard: Yoshikazu Tamura, 178cm, 65kg
Point Guard: Zhong Zhongwu, 179cm, 65kg.

When the final whistle blew, the intense competition that the audience had expected did not materialize.

On the contrary, the game was one-sided from the very beginning.

Facing the ferocious Takeshi team, Tsukubu was completely powerless to fight back.

Every time Tsukubu tried to counterattack, his attempts were easily thwarted by the Buri team.

The gap between the two sides is simply too large.

Tsukubu couldn't fully utilize the "small, fast, and agile" characteristics of the system; there was no way around it, as it was a system created by Kazumi Kawasaki.

No one knows Tsuhisa Takeshi better than Kazumi Kawasaki!
When Tsukubu lost his advantage of being small, fast, and agile, and was at a significant disadvantage in height contests, their outcome was predictable.

In this situation, the Tsukubu team lost its usual rhythm and was unable to organize even a decent attack.

In the stands, the Tsukubu fans gradually fell silent, eventually failing to stir up any more waves.

In contrast, Buri fans were in high spirits, with cheers and shouts rising and falling.

On the field, Buri's offensive attacks came wave after wave.

As time went on, Buri's lead grew rapidly.

The situation in the match was already very clear: under the complete dominance of the Buri team, Tsukubu had no chance to fight back.

Ten minutes later, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki made a decisive move, bringing on five substitutes and sending out an all-substitute lineup.

Because of the fast pace of the game, Buri built a 30-point lead in just ten minutes.

Mike Okita scored 20 points.

This is related to Tsukubu's low score; their score is still in an awkward single digit.

8 points!
This is an amazing number!

In the finals, not only did Milan's Little Blacksmith get eight points, but even the guy who called himself gOat, the Chrysanthemum Crab, also got eight points.

Buri's high score was largely due to his ability to grab rebounds.

The players from Tsukubu are too short; they simply cannot protect the backboard.

This can be seen from the fact that Ming Gaoguang grabbed double-digit rebounds.

He grabbed double-digit rebounds in ten minutes; theoretically, if he played the full game, he could get 40 rebounds.

Of course, this depends on your teammates' performance and physical condition.

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki substituted the starting lineup mainly because there is a joint final tomorrow, and the players' physical condition must be conserved.

Due to the vast gap in skill, Tsukubu's morale had completely collapsed, and even with a reserve lineup, Takezato was still able to maintain his dominance.

No matter what, Buri was once a national champion, and the strength of its main and substitute players is no weaker than that of the top eight teams in the county.

This also gave Buri's substitute players ample opportunity to play.

This is a rare opportunity for them, one that is extremely rare in official competitions, and they naturally want to seize it.

Buri's substitutes began to showcase their talents on the field, displaying great enthusiasm in both offense and defense, eager to prove their worth to the coach.

As time passed, the tense and intense atmosphere gradually dissipated, replaced by a relaxed one.

Buri took advantage of this opportunity to practice various tactics and coordination, making it seem like a live-fire exercise to the uninitiated.

In the end, as expected, Takezato defeated Tsugutake.

This has made the audience even more excited for tomorrow's match.

Tomorrow is the first round of the joint finals, and Buri's first-round opponent is Shohoku!

The following day, Sunday!
On this day, the county joint finals officially began.

Based on the group assignments, the match between Shohoku and Takezato will be held in the morning, while the match between Shoyo and Ryonan will be held in the afternoon.

As the morning approached nine o'clock, the stadium was packed, and there were even many people gathered outside.

Ever since Kanagawa was dubbed the "mini-national tournament," the prefectural joint finals have become a major event in the city!
Shortly after, both teams emerged from the player tunnel and were warmly welcomed by the audience.

Immediately, fans cheered for their favorite team.

Their voices were so loud they seemed to be able to lift the roof off.

As the national double champions, Shohoku's momentum clearly surpasses that of Takeshi.

In addition, the 'Kogure no Mikoto' have also made many contributions.

As for the 'Rukawa fans,' their scale is not yet very large, and they still need some time to develop.

Before the game started, Shoyo, Ryonan, their coaches, and players were all present.

They dared not underestimate their opponents and both wanted to gather the latest information about the two teams.

Perhaps to generate more buzz, the organizing committee arranged for the two teams to sit together.

"Coach Kitano!"

"Coach Taoka!"

The two coaches spontaneously sat in adjacent seats.

"Sigh, the situation this year is even more intense than last year!"

Coach Taoka sighed softly, a hint of worry creeping in.

Coach Kitano, empathizing with the sentiment, slowly said, "Without a doubt, it was a very wise choice for Takezato to invite Kazumi Kawasaki to be their coach; otherwise, they wouldn't have risen to prominence so quickly."

If Takezato hadn't invited Kazumi Kawasaki to be their coach, Tomokazu Godai and Hiroshi Natsume wouldn't have transferred to Takezato.

Similarly, Mike Okita and Katsumi Ichiro are unlikely to join. That's the charm of Kazumi Kawasaki!

With Buri's rise to prominence, both coaches appeared worried.

With only two and a half spots available in Kanagawa, and Takezato rising to prominence, they could be eliminated if things go wrong.

Coach Kitano was the most frustrated.

Compared to Ryonan, which is full of talented students, Shohoku has not recruited any top freshmen in the past two years.

After this year, Xiangyang will likely lose the opportunity to compete for a spot in the national competition.

Therefore, Coach Kitano hopes to achieve good results this season, so as to gain an advantage in next year's recruitment.

Suddenly, Coach Taoka seemed to have thought of something: "I wonder if Kanagawa can win the right to host the national tournament?"

"Success depends on human effort, but fate will decide. I will not place my hopes on the vague and uncertain right to host the event."

"You're absolutely right, the most important thing is the team's own strength! Alright, the game is about to begin."

After a brief exchange, the two coaches began to focus their attention on the game.

Throughout the entire process, neither coach asked the other which team they favored more.

As professionals, they were well aware of just how formidable Shohoku's strength was.

Shohoku's lineup is terrifying.

Kogure: The strongest high school student in history.

Mitsui: The third-highest high school student in the country.

Akagi: One of the top center forwards in the country.

Naito: The No. 1 power forward in the country.

Rukawa Kaede: The top high school student in junior high school.

Sakuragi: Super Rookie!

That's right, Sakuragi has earned the title of super rookie.

As the star player of Wako Junior High School and the leader of his team to the finals of the prefectural junior high school tournament, Sakuragi is qualified to be called a super rookie.

However, Buri's lineup isn't too bad either.

Without Kogure, Takezato might actually have had a tiny chance of winning, just like Shohoku defeated the invincible Sannoh Industrial in the original story.

Unfortunately, Shohoku has Kogure!
Kogure's presence further elevated Shohoku's status.

In the words of Kazuo Tang, the coach of Fukasawa Sports University, even if this Shohoku team were placed in the university league, they would have a chance to win the championship!
Compared to Coach Kitano, Coach Taoka has the most personal experience.

He recalled the friendly match against Shohoku a month ago.

Despite the Buri team's dramatic increase in strength, including the acquisition of Mike Okita, who has garnered attention from the NBA.

Unfortunately, they still cannot compare to Shohoku.

Unless Mike Okita can defeat Kogure... but is that even possible?

At this moment, the match officially began.

Shohoku did not underestimate their opponent and fielded a lineup of Akagi, Naito, Rukawa, Mitsui, and Kogure.

Sakuragi, who didn't play, once again caused Coach Anzai's neck fat to bulge, and was then dismissed by Coach Anzai with the excuse of a secret weapon.

Buri fielded the same lineup as in the previous match: Meiko Koki, Mike Okita, Tomokazu Godai, Katsumi Ichiro, and Ebina Yoshikazu.

During the jump ball phase, Naito replaced Akagi, outmaneuvering Meiko, and passed the ball to Kogure.

When Kogure dribbled the ball past half-court, he realized that the person standing in front of him was not Ebina, but Mike Okita.

"Kogure Kiminobu, I'll be guarding you in this match. You're destined to become my stepping stone!"

Mike Okita's voice was full of arrogance and confidence.

He didn't believe Rukawa's words. Kogure was a hundred times better than Rukawa. How could that be!

Unless you're an NBA-level player, it's simply impossible.

As a basketball wasteland, even if a player of this caliber were to emerge, it shouldn't happen at the high school level.

"Have you always been this brave?"

Kogure showed an interested expression. After Sawakita, he had encountered another player who had taken the initiative to provoke him.

On the Buri bench, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki's expression was not very good.

Mike Okita was defending Kogure, which was not his intention at all.

"That guy acted on his own again!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki was helpless, especially after hearing Mike Okita's arrogant words.

No, you can't even beat Rukawa, so you're going to challenge the even stronger Kogure?

For a moment, Kazumi Kawasaki couldn't understand Mike Okita's thought process.

On the field, Kogure extended his right hand in a gesture.

The Shohoku players spontaneously dispersed, taking their respective opposing players with them.

The next moment, Kogure displayed astonishing explosive power.

Before Mike Okita could react, Kogure had already completed the breakthrough.

"So fast!"

Kogure's first step was incredibly fast; that's the effect of the Pokémon title bonus.

After realizing what was happening, Mike Okita desperately turned around and gave chase.

However, the distance between the two sides has not narrowed.

The basketball seemed glued to Kogure's hands; his ball-handling speed was no less than Mike Okita's sprinting speed.

Mike Okita has encountered similar situations before; for example, he experienced one last year.

That was a high school player named Allen Iverson!
The problem is that Iverson is less than 1.8 meters tall, while Kogure is clearly over 190 centimeters tall.

Meiko hadn't expected Kogure to arrive so quickly; he had no time to reinforce his defenses.

At this moment, the paint area was completely empty.

good chance!
Kogure's speed had already reached its peak before he stepped into the free-throw line.

He jumped up suddenly, his body gliding through the air for a distance until he finally started to fall as he approached the basket.

Bang~

Kogure stretched out his body and unleashed a tomahawk dunk from the free-throw line.

At the start of the game, Kogure scored with a stunning dunk from the free-throw line!
In that instant, the entire venue seemed to be enveloped in an incredible stillness, as if time itself had frozen.

The audience stared at Kogure with incredulous eyes, many with their mouths agape, big enough to fit a Kunlun egg.

The next moment, the entire venue was instantly engulfed by a huge wave of sound.

The cheers, applause, and screams from the audience erupted like a volcanic eruption, expressing their excitement.

The Kogure fans went wild, delivering a visual feast for the audience.

In short, the entire venue was in an unprecedented uproar.

On the field, Mike Okita stared wide-eyed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Are you sure this is a high school league?
This is clearly beyond the scope of science!

Coach, he cheated!
"Is Rukawa Kaede telling the truth?"

Thinking about this, Mike Okita had a vague sense of unease.

It seems he's messed with a monster he shouldn't have!

(End of this chapter)