Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 64: The Battle for the Best Center in Kanagawa
Shortly after Murasakibara left, Sakuragi returned to his home with a heavy heart, accompanied by Mito Yohei.

Although his father is no longer in danger of death, he still needs to remain in the hospital for observation and treatment for a period of time.

In addition, the doctor solemnly advised that Sakuragi's father could no longer continue high-intensity work or even overwork.

This means that the Sakuragi family will lose their main source of income. Coupled with the expensive medical expenses, even the optimistic Sakuragi can't help but feel heavy-hearted.

After returning home, Sakuragi began to prepare the daily necessities needed during his hospitalization.

In addition to clothing and toiletries, he also took the family savings.

This money was saved by Sakuragi's father. Although it was not much, it was enough to cover medical expenses for a period of time.

"Hey, this is something from Mumu-senpai!"

While cleaning up, Sakuragi accidentally kicked the basketball.

He has a deep memory of this basketball, as it helped him knock out a bad boy.

"This is a basketball!" Mito Yohei checked it.

"Basketball? The kind you kick around?"

Sakuragi doesn't know much about ball sports. In fact, he only learned about basketball after entering Shohoku.

"The one used for kicking is called football, and basketball is used for hitting!"

Yohei Mito seems to know a thing or two about basketball.

"Is that so?" Sakuragi expressed no interest at all. Right now he was only interested in Pachinko.

"Sakuragi, do you know Muguro-senpai's address?"

Yohei thinks that this belongs to someone else, and the other person is also the savior of Sakuragi's father, so he should return it as soon as possible.

"I forgot to ask!" Sakuragi touched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.

He was only concerned about his father's illness at the time and forgot to ask for the address of Murasaki and others.

"Then leave it here for now. If you meet Mumu-senpai someday, you can return it to him."

"It can only be the."

Sakuragi followed Yohei's advice and put down the basketball.

Not long after, Sakuragi packed his things and went to the hospital to take care of his father.

As time went by, Sakuragi's father's health improved significantly.

During this period, the Sakuragi Army would come to the hospital spontaneously every day to help take care of Sakuragi's father, including taking turns to keep watch.

Although the pressure still exists, with the help of the Sakuragi Army, Sakuragi's life will not become too bad.

……

Time passed by unknowingly, and soon, more than half a month had passed.

Saturday, September 6th!
This day also marks the start of the first round of the county joint finals.

In the first round, Hainan High School VS Buri, and Shoyo VS Shohoku.

Although Xiangbei's game is in the next round, Xiangbei players still did not forget to watch the games of other teams. After all, they also have to play against these two teams.

They do not intend to miss any details, such as the playing styles and player characteristics of the two teams, in order to find the key to victory in future matchups.

Like Xiangbei, the Shoyo team also watched the game on site.

As the game time approached, more and more spectators flocked into the stadium.

Soon, the gymnasium was full and even the aisles were filled with people.

This shows how popular the joint finals are!

Soon, the two teams took to the court.

The stadium suddenly became bustling with fans cheering for their favorite teams. The cheers and encouragements were one after another, as if they were going to blow the ceiling off.

Compared with Hainan High School, the voices supporting Wuli were much smaller. On the wall behind the benches of the two teams, there were banners with the words "Always Win" and "Mind and Skill as One" fixed respectively.

Before the game started, Xiangbei players exchanged their views with each other.

Akagi asked Mugure: "Mugure, which team do you think will win?"

"Hainan High School is more likely to win, but the difference in strength between the two teams is not particularly large, and the final result will depend on their on-the-spot performance."

Mu Mu speaks the truth.

Although the Buri team is at its peak this year, there is still a certain gap on paper compared with Hainan High School.

In addition, if history had not changed, Hainan High School would continue to win the championship this year.

"I think so!"

Akagi thought about it and agreed with what Murasakibara said.

In fact, it wasn’t just them, most people present felt the same way.

After all, Hainan High School has dominated Kanagawa Prefecture for 15 consecutive years, and its prestige has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Soon, the game begins!
Kazuhiro Ikeda of Hainan High School and Masao Watanabe of Takeri came to the center circle, preparing for the jump ball.

Last year, Kazuhiro Ikeda entered the ranks of Kanagawa's top three centers as a freshman.

He has excellent physical fitness, can run, jump and resist, but his technique is relatively rough.

Although Kazuhiro Ikeda performed well last year, he was still firmly suppressed by Masao Watanabe.

In order to defeat Watanabe Masao, Ikeda Kazuhiro worked tirelessly this year and believed that he had made great progress.

This time, he wants to challenge Watanabe Masao again.

Compared with Kazuhiro Ikeda, Masao Watanabe is not only the top three centers in Kanagawa, but also one of the top three centers in the whole country.

Therefore, this game is also known as the battle for the best center in Kanagawa.

As the whistle sounded to start the game, the referee threw the ball high up, and Ikeda Kazuhiro and Watanabe Masao jumped up almost at the same time.

bang~
With a crisp sound, Ikeda Kazuhiro took the lead and hit the ball to Maki Shinichi.

Compared to Watanabe Masao, Ikeda Kazuhiro's jumping ability is more outstanding.

After the start of the game, Hainan High School and Buri both showed extremely strong competitive state, and the two sides showed a trend of mutual explosion.

Hainan High School excels on the outside, with the golden duo of Takamiya Motoyu and Maki Shinichi on the outside; while Buri's advantage is entirely concentrated on the inside. As the strongest inside twin towers, the Watanabe brothers are not only powerful, but also have a tacit understanding of cooperation that is far better than that of ordinary players.

The difference is that Hainan High School also has Kazuhiro Ikeda, one of the three major centers in Kanagawa.

However, in the process of confronting each other head-on, Ikeda Kazuhiro was firmly suppressed by Watanabe Masao.

This came as a surprise to many people!

On the offensive end, Watanabe Masao's post-up play, inside footwork and even mid-range shots left Ikeda Kazuhiro helpless.

On the defensive end, Ikeda Kazuhiro's offense mainly relies on strong shots under the basket and dunks to score points. The key is that the gap between the two players in the confrontation is not big, and the result is predictable.

In addition, Ikeda Kazuhiro has a bad temper and appears anxious after falling into a disadvantageous position.

On the other hand, Watanabe Masao always keeps a calm mind and can always make the right judgment at critical moments.

Whether in offense or defense or in mental willpower, Watanabe Masao has the upper hand.

If Muguruma were to make an evaluation, Ikeda Kazuhiro is like Uozumi before his awakening; while Watanabe Masao is Akagi after his awakening, and still an Akagi with a mid-range jump shot.

Which is better or worse, at a glance!
Although Watanabe Masao has never played in a national competition, he was the starting center for two consecutive autumn national sports games and had head-on confrontations with the top centers in the country.

This is why Masao Watanabe is considered one of the top three centers in the country. Some even think that he is not much inferior to Shota Shibayama, who led the team to the national quarterfinals last year.

In short, one is one of the top three centers at the regional level, and the other is one of the top three centers at the national level. There is obviously a difference in level between the two.

(End of this chapter)