Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 392 Why didn't you say something so important sooner!
slap~
The basketball was swatted away by Mitsui and flew quickly towards the frontcourt.

Mitsui accelerated with a push-off and flew towards the basketball.

"not good!"

Immortal Dao was startled and quickly turned to give chase.

A second later, the other Ryonan players finally reacted and quickly returned to defense.

The Ryonan players never expected that their ace, Sendoh, would be at a disadvantage.

They originally thought that even if Sendoh was not as good as Mitsui, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage, and might even have a chance to rise to power by stepping on Mitsui.

By then, Sendoh will be qualified to replace Mitsui as the third-best high school student in the country.

Unfortunately, it was all just an illusion created by the Ryonan players.

Having been trained by Kogure for two and a half years, Mitsui's overall strength is in no way inferior to Sawakita's.

Without a second injury and a two-year hiatus, Mitsui's speed and explosiveness far surpassed those of the same period in the original work.

Mitsui dashed across half-court like a whirlwind, slightly bent down to scoop up the basketball, and charged straight to the basket, his speed not much slower than when running off the ball.

At the same time, the Shohoku team rushed to the frontcourt.

Among them, Sakuragi is far ahead of the competition.

When Mitsui appeared beyond the three-point line, Sendoh finally caught up.

At the same time, Sakuragi rushed across half-court and headed straight for the basket.

"Sakuragi!"

Mitsui shouted and made a feint to pass the ball.

His actions not only fooled Sendoh, but also deceived Sakuragi.

By the time Sendoh reacted, Mitsui had already swept past him like the wind.

By the time Sendoh realized what was happening, it was too late.

Mitsui swiftly strode into the paint area, and as he approached the basket, he bent his knees and leaped into the air.

After takeoff, Mitsui stretched out his body, like a fully drawn bow, raised his right hand high with the basketball, and slammed it into the sky with a powerful dunk!
Bang~
Although Mitsui's jumping height was somewhat underwhelming, he still managed to dunk the ball into the basket.

Mitsui released the basket with his right hand and landed steadily on the ground.

This time, he completed a dunk in actual gameplay by taking a running start.

For Mitsui, dunking is a very rare occurrence.

Mitsui's physical talents are concentrated in speed and explosiveness, but his jumping ability is not ideal.

"Mi-chan~ Mi-chan~"

As Mitsui completed his dunk, the trio of Horita Tokuo in the corridor were moved to tears and began waving their flags vigorously.

Inspired by the trio of Horita Tokuo, nearby spectators spontaneously cheered for Mitsui.

For a time, 'Mi-chan' filled the entire stadium.

Mitsui's face turned bright red because Mi-chan is a special nickname for 'kitten'.

Thinking about it carefully, Shohoku really is a zoo.

Of the original five members of Shohoku High School, besides Miyagi, the other four were Gorilla, Monkey, Fox, and Kitten...

By the way, Sakuragi is very bold; he even gave Ayako the nickname "Mother Gorilla."

With that nickname, someone who didn't know better would think Akagi was Ayako's other half!
Soon, Ryonan regrouped and launched another attack.

As Sendoh controlled the ball, he thought to himself, "I must play with great momentum on this shot!"

That last shot definitely affected Ryonan's morale.

The best way to restore the team's morale is to win a game back from Mitsui's head.

Xian Dao was full of confidence in his own strength.

Aside from Kogure and Sawakita, he doesn't think he'll be completely contained by other players.

That last shot was very likely just an accident!
After dribbling the ball past half-court, Sendoh took a tentative step.

Mitsui remained unmoved, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Based on his understanding of Sendoh, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will most likely choose to take the shot himself.

Sure enough, Sendoh made a move to break to the right, then took a step back, jumped high, and the basketball flew out of his hand.

Sendoh performed this set of movements smoothly and naturally.

Unfortunately, Mitsui's familiarity with the step-back jump shot far surpasses that of Mitsui himself.

The instant Sendoh stepped back, Mitsui reacted immediately, stopping his retreat and stepping forward to jump and interfere.

When he felt the touch on his fingertips, Mitsui smiled, revealing his two original front teeth.

"Oh no, the backboard!"

Upon seeing Mitsui's smile, Sendoh felt a chill run down his spine.

Once he landed, Sendoh immediately shouted to his teammates to fight for the rebound.

Uozumi and Nango rushed towards the basket, trying to gain a favorable position.

However, due to the defensive advantage, Naito and Sakuragi managed to block their positions first.

bang~
The basketball bounced off the rim and flew towards Sakuragi.

Sakuragi grinned smugly and jumped up instinctively.

Perhaps due to a distraction, Sakuragi failed to catch the basketball with both hands.

The basketball passed right through Sakuragi's hands, slammed straight into his face, and then bounced off...

shuh~
The basketball bounced towards the rim, bumped against it a few times, and finally fell in.

In this match, Sakuragi returned to the palace for the second time and once again unleashed the ultimate decisive technique—scoring a goal with his face!
The difference is that this time it went into his own basket.

This was undoubtedly an own goal!

Unlike football, the probability of an own goal in basketball is extremely low.

Of course, this excludes intentional acts, such as Ricky Davis shooting at his own basket to get a defensive rebound in order to achieve a triple-double.

His shady tactics were clearly far less clever than gOat's.

gOat can directly grab rebounds from his own center and power forward.

He was able to complete Project 411 because he was shameless!
The 4 points are a combination of walking, whistle blowing, and score racking.

The 1 rebounds are a fig leaf to cover up the mistakes, defensive retreats, and sacrificing teammates' stats.

1 assists is the emperor's new clothes of monopolizing ball possession, exploding mistakes, and the art of shifting blame.

When Jordan's final shot is replayed in the Chicago dome, and when Kobe's 81-point mural illuminates the streets of Los Angeles, gOat's Project 411 will only be nailed to the pillar of shame in basketball history.

On the day he retires, history will remember the six-time runner-up's rout, the joke of Green hurdling, and the betrayal of the "Decision" live broadcast!
Rather than calling gOat a player, it's more accurate to describe him as a shrewd basketball businessman.

He was like a taxi that kept changing locations, and Project 411 was like the mileage.

However, how could a supercar compare its mileage to that of a taxi?
Project 411 was undoubtedly an actuary-like utilitarianism, and even more so, an extreme selfishness that sacrificed the entire team for personal gain.

To sum it up in one sentence, this is the longest stinking ditch in basketball history—the Great Heng River!

At that moment, Sakuragi stared in disbelief at the basketball lying on the ground, even forgetting the pain on his face.

"Thanks, you're a really nice person!"

Sendoh, not forgetting to tease Sakuragi, took the initiative to thank him.

Thanks to this own goal, Ryonan's morale did not decline much.

Sakuragi stared fiercely at Sendoh. If looks could kill, Sendoh would have been riddled with holes long ago.

Kiyota, not to be outdone, added fuel to the fire: "I think the simplest way to judge whether a shot is good or bad is to see whether it goes in or not."

"What if it goes into your own basket?"

Nanxiang took the initiative to play the straight man for Qingtian.

"Needless to say, it was an absolutely great shot!"

Kiyota burst into laughter. For Ryonan, this own goal came at just the right time, managing to recover some of their losses.

"What a shame!"

Sakuragi stomped his foot hard, clenching his fists so tightly they made a cracking sound.

"Sakuragi, calm down, this was an accident!"

"That's right, you've already tried your best."

……

The Shohoku players could easily see through the Ryonan players' scheme; they simply wanted to demoralize Sakuragi.

Suddenly, Mitsui's stern voice rang out: "Kid, if you can't even stand trash talk, then you shouldn't be playing basketball. It's just two points, we'll get them back in a bit."

In this brutal era, trash talk is also part of basketball.

"I see!"

Sakuragi, unusually, did not refute Mitsui. Instead, he took a deep breath and quickly regained his composure.

I'll pass the ball to you in a bit!

Mitsui casually offered a sweet treat.

Soon, Shohoku team served the ball.

Nobuhiko Okamoto dribbled the ball past midfield and immediately passed it to Mitsui.

Facing Ikegami's defense, Mitsui steadily controlled the ball, observing the situation on the field out of the corner of his eye.

Soon, Sakuragi landed smoothly in a low position, firmly blocking Nango behind him.

Mitsui kept his promise and passed the ball without hesitation.

Sakuragi received the ball with his back to the goal. He first probed the ball, looking for the best time to break through.

Bang~bang~
With a dull thud, Nanxiang lowered his head and stood firmly on the floor, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, never taking a step back.

Nango's muscles trembled slightly from tension, and sweat trickled down his forehead, clearly indicating that Sakuragi's impact was unusually powerful.

Sakuragi had expected that Nango wouldn't be knocked away; he knew very well that the golden-haired monkey's fighting ability was not much inferior to his own.

Just as Nango thought he was about to be hit by a third collision, Sakuragi quickly turned to the right.

By the time Nango realized what was happening, Sakuragi had already passed him.

At this moment, Sakuragi's basketball skills were perfectly demonstrated.

Sakuragi's quick turn not only caught Nango off guard, but also drew gasps of amazement from the spectators on the sidelines.

On the Shohoku bench, Kogure crossed his arms and said, "Sakuragi has improved again!"

Akagi said in a deep voice, "Yes, you're the best teacher!"

Although Akagi taught Sakuragi back-to-the-basket techniques, their personalities destined them to never get along.

Therefore, Kogure became the most suitable candidate.

Within the Shohoku team, Sakuragi respected Kogure the most, not Coach Anzai or Akagi.

In fact, in the original work, Sakuragi also greatly respected Kogure.

On the court, Sakuragi quickly adjusted his pace and accelerated towards the basket.

His movements were swift and decisive, catching the Ryonan players off guard.

Uozumi tried to cover, but it was too late.

Bang~
Sakuragi slammed the ball into the basket, over Uozumi.

Fish stumbled and landed on the ground, unable to help but take two steps back.

Beep~
"White team number four, blocking foul, red team number ten gets one free throw!"

Sakuragi released the basket and landed steadily on the floor.

He glanced at Uozumi, but didn't feel smug about it.

Sakuragi had known Monkey King for over a year and was well aware of Monkey King's defensive abilities.

If Uozumi hadn't been in such a rush, that shot might have been destroyed.

"Sakuragi, you're amazing!"

In the stands, Haruko, dressed in loose clothing, cheered wildly for the spectacular dunk over an opponent.

Kogure looked at Haruko in surprise, his gaze unconsciously focusing on the pair of hopping rabbits.

Why didn't you say something so important sooner!
Kogure was treated to a real treat, as Haruko was sitting right behind him.

Haruko was initially stunned when she noticed Kogure's gaze, but she quickly recovered, her cheeks instantly turning red with embarrassment, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Kogure.

Kogure pretended not to see it and turned his head to look at the field.

"Rukawa, get ready to go on stage!"

At that moment, Coach Anzai's voice rang out.

Rukawa Kaede stood up; he had recovered considerably.

Coach Anzai made this arrangement to enhance the chemistry between Sakuragi and Rukawa.

At that moment, amidst the laughter of the audience, Sakuragi stood at the free throw line and unleashed the "urinal free throw".

Sakuragi has learned to shoot mid-range shots, but he still can't shake the habit of using a chamber pot for free throws.

Of course, this is also related to his higher free throw percentage when using a urinal.

shuh~
The basketball traced an arc and pierced straight through the rim.

It has to be said that his free throws while holding a chamber pot were quite accurate.

The technology was developed and applied by NBA legend Rick Barry, who set a league record with a 90% free throw percentage during his career.

In 2016, Chinanu Onauku used the technology during an NBA regular season game, which garnered attention.

At this moment, Rukawa Kaede replaced Yamamoto Kuma on the field.

With Rukawa Kaede entering the game, Shohoku's offense and defense improved further.

In the following period, the Shohoku players showed amazing fighting spirit and began to exert their strength on the defensive end.

Despite Ryonan's strong strength, their efficiency plummeted under Shohoku's targeted defense.

In addition to their strong defense, Shohoku remained highly efficient on offense.

Among them, Rukawa Kaede, with his abundant energy, continued to exert his strength on the offensive end.

Just like in the original story, no matter how Kiyota tried to defend against Rukawa, it was all in vain.

Unless Rukawa runs out of energy, Kiyota cannot limit Rukawa's performance.

In these few rounds, Rukawa Kaede almost dominated both offense and defense.

Among them, Sakuragi and Rukawa's teamwork can be described as taking it to a new level.

As for Mitsui and Naito, they voluntarily played supporting roles, giving the opportunity to the two of them.

Led by Sakura Ryu, Shohoku launched a 13-5 run, gaining a lead of more than 20 points and laying the foundation for victory.

On the Ryonan bench, Coach Taoka sighed softly, "As expected of Coach Anzai, experience truly matters!"

Coach Taoka reacted too late, missing the best opportunity to stop Shohoku from widening the gap.

Soon, Ryonan voluntarily substituted their reserve lineup.

Shohoku, seeing their advantage, decided to call it quits and also sent out their substitutes.

Ultimately, thanks to their outstanding performance, Shohoku won the game.

Mitsui: I didn't even activate my Unyielding Will buff, and you guys fell down!
Hua Hua Hua~
As the final whistle blew, the stadium erupted in applause and cheers from the audience.

After defeating Ryonan, Shohoku won all three matches and won the county tournament championship.

With two wins and one loss, Ryonan also secured second place.

As for Shoyo and Takezato, they still need to work hard to win, as only the winners can secure the final playoff spot.

(End of this chapter)