Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 408 Uozumi brutally abuses Kawada
During the defensive play, Sawakita exchanged a glance with Coach Domoto, who then pointed at Matsumoto Minoru.

Zebei understood the coach's intention and showed an interested expression.

He wasn't very interested in defending Ikegami, who kept moving around the court, making Sawakita miserable, yet he had no choice but to keep up.

If Ikegami creates an opportunity, it could very likely lead to a loss of points.

This is the advantage of 3D players: they don't dominate the ball, yet the opponent has to take them seriously.

Compared to defending Ikegami, defending Matsumoto Minoru was much easier.

Although Matsumoto Minoru is a well-rounded player and one of the best attacking specialists in the country, Sawakita is confident that he can limit Matsumoto Minoru's performance and even completely shut him down.

Last year, shortly after joining Sannoh Industrial, he challenged Minoru Matsumoto and ultimately won by a large margin.

Of course, this is also the main reason why Sawakita was bullied by Kawada.

Matsumoto Minoru is a good friend of Kawada, and Sawakita, as a junior, rebels against his senior and shows no respect for him.

To avenge Matsumoto Minoru, Kawada didn't hold back when it came to taking action.

After Matsumoto Minoru transferred schools, Kawada significantly increased the frequency of his attacks, much to Sawakita's regret.

This directly led to Sawakita's urgent desire to go to America and escape the hellish school, Sannoh Industrial High School.

Soon, Minoru Matsumoto arrived at the front of the court.

When he saw Sawakita standing in front of him, Matsumoto Minoru frowned slightly.

Minoru Matsumoto did not have a good impression of Sawakita. On the first day of school, Sawakita openly challenged him and ultimately suffered a crushing defeat, which severely damaged his prestige in the team.

“Matsumoto-senpai, I can sense that you are stronger than last year. I will challenge you again.”

Looking at Matsumoto Minoru in front of him, Sawakita's voice was full of challenge.

Sawakita has attended every single one of Ryonan's matches, and Matsumoto Minoru's progress has given him a long-lost sense of excitement.

Only by constantly challenging the strong can he become stronger.

For Sawakita, Matsumoto Minoru was just an appetizer; his real target had always been Kogure.

Defeating Matsumoto Minoru would further solidify his confidence.

"It's an honor to be remembered by the second-best high school student in the country!"

Minoru Matsumoto responded with a smile, deliberately emphasizing his words when referring to the second-best high school student in the country.

Sure enough, Zebei's expression turned ugly, and his eyes showed a hint of resentment.

The proud and ambitious Sawakita only wants to be the GOAT, not the Executive Vice GOAT!

Whoever wants to be the executive vice president can be, he has no interest in it at all.

People will only ever remember the first place, unless the executive vice president GOAT is the GOat!

This is why Sawakita has always been keen to challenge Kogure.

Sawakita's change in expression did not escape Matsumoto Minoru's notice, and this was exactly the effect he wanted.

"Sendoh, ball!"

Minoru Matsumoto reached out for the ball.

Even though Matsumoto Minoru's opponent was Sawakita, Sendoh still chose to pass the ball without hesitation.

After receiving the ball, Minoru Matsumoto adopted a triple threat stance.

Zebei stood a step away, keeping a close eye on Matsumoto Minoru's every move.

In an instant, Matsumoto Minoru moved, taking a step forward at an extremely fast speed.

However, Sawakita reacted quickly and blocked Matsumoto Minoru's path of breakthrough.

At the critical moment, Matsumoto Minoru dribbled with his back to the basket, passed the ball to his left hand, and pretended to break through from another direction.

Sawakita subconsciously shifted his feet, but unexpectedly, Matsumoto Minoru once again connected with a back-to-the-basket dribble, maintaining the original breakthrough route.

In a split second, Matsumoto Minoru and Sawakita brushed past each other.

In the highly competitive environment of Kanagawa, Minoru Matsumoto faced immense pressure, which enabled him to make significant progress.

The more intense the competition, the more people can grow, and Kanagawa Prefecture has such an environment.

The intensity of the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament is almost comparable to that of the national tournament.

In addition, Matsumoto Minoru would also humbly ask Kogure for some tips.

Kogure didn't hold back, allowing Matsumoto Minoru to avoid many detours.

After breaking through Sawakita, Matsumoto Minoru drove straight to the basket.

Zebei quickly turned around and gave chase, rapidly closing the distance between them.

In terms of physical fitness, Minoru Matsumoto is slightly inferior.

This is the difference between first-class and top-tier!
At the same time, Kawada made a move to reinforce their defense.

However, at that moment, Matsumoto Minoru pretended to pass the ball, causing Kawada to instinctively stop in his tracks.

Matsumoto Minoru feigned a sudden attack, easily skimming over Okawada and leaping into the air.

"Innocent!"

Zebei arrived just in time, leaped high, and slapped the basketball with his right hand.

In mid-air, Matsumoto Minoru switched hands and made a layup.

slap~
Zebei wanted to stop, but it was too late.

Beep~
The referee's whistle sounded.

Minoru Matsumoto stumbled and landed on the ground, his eyes fixed on the basketball.

The basketball bounced twice on the rim before finally falling in.

"yeah!"

Minoru Matsumoto raised his arms and shouted, as if he wanted to vent all the frustration in his heart at once.

"Matsumoto, Matsumoto!"

At the same time, the entire audience spontaneously cheered for Minoru Matsumoto's name.

This goal greatly boosted the morale of Ryonan.

Matsumoto Minoru then looked at Sawakita and asked, "Who did you just call naive?"

Sawakita didn't want to talk and gave Matsumoto Minoru a disapproving look, letting him figure it out himself.

However, this shot completely ignited Zebei's fighting spirit, and he dared not underestimate his defeated opponent anymore.

He was careless just now and didn't dodge; he might not be able to do it next time.

"That kid is so rude, no wonder Kawada always bullies him."

Minoru Matsumoto shook his head and walked towards the free-throw line.

shuh~
At the free-throw line, Minoru Matsumoto calmly sank the free throw, completing a 2+1 play.

Soon, Sannoh Industrial made a comeback.

Ikegami remained on the defensive side against Sawakita, and Matsumoto Minoru did not volunteer to defend him.

In terms of defense, Ikegami is better than him.

He was very self-aware of this.

Sawakita was indignant and once again asked for the ball.

Fukatsu was quite helpless; he was almost becoming a 'second-generation little fish,' while Sawakita was naturally the little blacksmith from Milan.

This is the right of the ace player!
After receiving the ball, Sawakita made a crossover step breakthrough.

Ikegami still couldn't stop Sawakita, who broke through again.

Uozumi kept a close eye on the situation and immediately went to provide backup.

Zebei jumped towards Uozumi and then threw the ball with a high lob shot.

The basketball flew past Yu Zhu's fingertips and pierced straight through the rim.

Zebei was thrilled, believing he had succeeded again.

This move was specifically prepared for Kogure.

Although I had used it before, the hit rate was not ideal due to the short time frame.

Things are different now. After months of hard practice, the accuracy of this move has been guaranteed.

Kawada immediately turned around and went back to defend as fast as he could.

He didn't want to be caught off guard by Ryonan's fast break again!
The other Sannoh players delayed the attack, giving Kawada more time to get back on defense. Seeing no fast break opportunity, Ryonan slowed down their offensive pace, and Sendoh slowly dribbled the ball across half-court.

During this time, Matsumoto Minoru casually exchanged words with Ikegami and Sendoh.

Soon, Sendoh passed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru again.

As Matsumoto Minoru broke through with the ball again, Sawakita subconsciously shifted his feet to the side, resulting in him colliding with Ikegami.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Matsumoto Minoru shook off Sawakita.

Sawakita bypassed Ikegami and quickly chased after Matsumoto Minoru.

At the same time, Ikegami immediately rushed towards the bottom right corner.

By the time Ichinokura Satoshi realized something was wrong, Ikegami already had a two-body-length lead.

Minoru Matsumoto broke through and passed the ball to Ikegami, who, without adjusting, immediately made a three-pointer.

Ichinokura Satoshi only managed to reach out his hand once, and was completely helpless.

The two already had a significant height difference, and with the added distance, Ichinokura Satoshi was powerless to help.

shuh~
The basketball traced a beautiful arc, piercing straight through the hoop and creating a splash of net paint.

"Well done!"

"You're the best at relaying information!"

Minoru Matsumoto and Ikegami started praising each other, then turned around and went back to defend with their arms around each other's shoulders.

The existence of Kawada means that Sannoh Industrial has almost lost the possibility of a fast attack.

Even after losing ten kilograms, Kawada's athletic ability is still too poor.

Compared to Kawada, Uozumi appears much more agile.

This time, Zebei did not ask for the ball.

Looking at the expressionless Ikegami, Zebei's enthusiasm was like being doused with cold water, and his desire to attack cooled down instantly.

Ryonan's defense was excellent, preventing Sannoh players from creating any good opportunities.

Fukatsu did not choose to play himself; he focused on organizing the game and had very little desire to attack.

This is also the main reason why he only scored five points in the Xiangshan match, leading many people to believe that he was seriously overrated.

After a slight hesitation, Fukatsu passed the ball to Kawada.

Before the game started, Coach Domoto had instructed Fukatsu to pass the ball to Kawada more often.

Coach Domoto clearly has high hopes for Kawada, believing that with Kawada's physical advantages, he can overwhelm Uozumi.

Kawada catches the ball with both hands and immediately starts his back-to-the-basket move.

His back-to-the-basket skills are average; his most outstanding trait is simply his powerful, brick-throwing ability.

However, this time Uozumi was prepared and took the initiative to lower his center of gravity and fight back with all his might.

Bang~bang~
A dull thud of muscles colliding rang out, and Uozumi swayed, but did not take a single step back.

Although Kawada is very heavy, his explosive power is limited, and he mainly relies on his weight to overwhelm his opponents.

Unfortunately, this time he encountered Uozumi, who was skilled in combat.

In Slam Dunk, the rivalry between Uozumi, Akagi, and Okawata is almost even, with the only ones who might be able to defeat them being Morishige Hiroshi and Naito.

"I must prove myself to my brother!"

Seeing that he hadn't managed to knock Uozumi away, Kawada started to panic.

To prove himself, Kawada held nothing back and gave it his all.

Uozumi sensed Kawada's determination, so he chose to remove the stool.

bang~
The increasingly muffled sound rang out, and Xiaohetian did not stop walking, but sat down on the ground with a thud.

Uozumi snatched the basketball and immediately passed it to Sendoh.

Ryonan players launched another fast break; they naturally wanted to seize such a good opportunity.

Soon, Uozumi, unguarded, rushed into the basket.

Sendoh passed the ball at the right time, giving it a good lead.

Bang~
The fish dunked in mid-air, and it was like a monkey slam dunk.

Once Uozumi landed on the ground, the belated Kawada returned to his own half of the field.

"I'm sorry, brother!"

Under Kawada's angry gaze, Kawada apologized again.

He wasn't angry that Kawada had conceded the goal, but rather that Kawada was cowardly.

As a center forward, if he lacks a certain presence, his impact on the court will be greatly diminished.

Kawada's mental fortitude is clearly lacking; how can his teammates still trust him?

In their eyes, Kawada's only advantage is his height.

As for athletic ability, skills, or mental qualities, Xiaohetian doesn't meet any of them.

Uozumi, who was also questioned by his teammates for only being tall, has become much better.

Only through comparison can we see the difference. It's not that we don't know the value of goods, it's that we're afraid of comparing them!

Uozumi probably never expected that his mediocre athletic ability would be highlighted by Kawada.

The match was still going on intensely, and the audience watched intently, not wanting to miss a single exciting moment.

As time went on, the pace of the game began to pick up.

Neither side would give way, and the fight was fierce and evenly matched.

For a time, the score fluctuated.

Surprisingly, Ryonan team is in the lead.

In just five minutes, Ryonan led Sannoh Industrial by a full 7 points.

This scene surprised many viewers, and some might even say it was a complete shock.

After all, Ryonan was facing Sannoh Industrial at its peak, not the Sannoh Industrial that was only half-dead last winter tournament.

Kawada played a crucial role in Ryonan's lead.

It was precisely because of Kawada's presence that Ryonan was able to launch five fast breaks in just five minutes.

As gOat's favorite, the accuracy of his fast-paced attacks is self-evident.

Furthermore, in his matchup against Uozumi, Kawada, who only relied on brute force, was completely overwhelmed by Uozumi.

Beep~
Coach Domoto finally couldn't hold back any longer and requested a timeout.

His expression wasn't good, and there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he looked at Xiaohetian.

Coach Domoto originally thought that Kawata would put on a brilliant performance like in the previous games.

The result was unexpected; Kawada not only failed to score a single point, but also committed three turnovers.

He hesitated to replace Kawada because he hoped Kawada could perform well, but Kawada was too disappointing.

For the sake of the team's victory, he had to substitute Kawada.

In the audience, the Shohoku fans were also discussing the matter.

"A match is not child's play; Coach Domoto still isn't decisive enough!"

Kogure's assessment was spot on: if it were Coach Anzai, he would never have allowed Kawata to stay on the field for five minutes.

"Kogure, please respect Coach Domoto!"

Mitsui's expression was serious, then he changed the subject: "It was because of Coach Domoto that we were able to win our first Winter Tournament championship!"

"Okay, Coach Domoto is a good person!"

Kogure thought Mitsui was right and silently gave Coach Domoto a "good guy" card.

Coach Domoto is rich and generous!

According to Kogure, Coach Domoto's greatest strength is his caution; he likes to use Sannoh graduates to mimic the playing style of his main opponents before a match.

However, success and failure are both due to the same circumstances, and this approach clearly has its drawbacks.

This can be seen from the Battle of Xiangshan!
When the timeout ended and both teams returned to the court, both sides had made adjustments to their lineups.

Sannoh: Okawada, Nobe Masahiro, Sawakita, Ichinokura Satoshi, and Fukatsu.

Ryonan: Uozumi, Nango, Matsumoto Minoru, Kiyota Nobunaga, and Sendoh
(End of this chapter)