"Are you kidding me?! I thought only the Generation of Miracles could stop Kagami…"
"We completely underestimated Seiho's strength."
Aida Riko glanced at Hyuga Junpei, her expression grim. "After a year, it's not just us who've improved. The two new players Seiho brought in this year are no joke either. We suspected it from watching the tapes, but I didn't expect them to be able to block even the first hurdle."
"Setting Akashi aside for the moment, that rookie wearing number 10, just in terms of defensive pressure, he's as oppressive as Kise Ryouta."
"No doubt about it. Compared to last year, with Akashi and Tsugawa joining the team, Seiho's defensive intensity has easily risen by two or three levels."
When Riko finished speaking, every Seirin player froze, stunned.
A long moment passed before someone muttered incredulously, "Wait, wait… coach, did you just say Seiho's defense is even stronger than last year? But if I remember correctly, last year they were already called the Iron Wall of Tokyo, right?"
"Exactly."
"Seriously? A defense stronger than the Iron Wall of Tokyo? How are we supposed to break through that?"
Riko leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Seiho uses a method called the Rinpa Running Technique. Ordinary people cross their arms and legs when they run, but they move the same arm and leg together."
"This technique greatly reduces unnecessary motion and energy loss. That's why they can employ this full-court man-to-man defense so effectively. But… no defense is perfect. Every formation has a flaw."
"And they're all just high schoolers, like us. They shoot at the same basket. If we can push past their defensive limits with enough speed, we can break through."
"Think of it like a video game. Since Akashi isn't participating in man-to-man defense, we'll tackle each obstacle one by one. First, handle Tsugawa and the rest of Seiho's players. Got it?"
"Got it!!!"
============
The timeout ended.
The players returned to the court.
Seiho took possession and initiated their attack. Only four players participated in the offensive play, as Akashi was assigned to remain under his own basket for the entire match, unless something unexpected happened.
Honestly…
When Matsumoto Yukinori first laid out this strategy, even Akashi had been surprised.
But then he realized something. Against Seirin, this formation could actually be highly effective. With Akashi stationed under the basket, Kuroko and Kagami's full-court passing became completely neutralized.
Seiho's offense moved steadily.
Kasuga Ryuhei dribbled past the three-point line. Though he had the ability to break through Igetsu Shun's defense, he chose not to and decisively passed the ball to the power forward, Omuro Yoshikasu.
Compared to Kasuga, Omuro had a higher chance of breaking past Hyuga Junpei.
Once he penetrated the lane, Seirin's center, Mitobe, moved up to assist in defense. Omuro immediately passed to Tsutomu Iwamura.
"Not so fast!"
Iwamura jumped for a dunk. With Kiyoshi Teppei absent, Seirin's interior was completely exposed. Even though Mitobe was quick to recover, facing a top-tier national center like Iwamura, his defense was almost meaningless.
Luckily, at the critical moment, Kagami rushed back. With a fierce shout, his large hand slammed onto… Iwamura's hand midair.
BEEP~~~
The sharp whistle pierced the court. Iwamura's balance wavered slightly, but he still managed to dunk the ball into the basket.
SWISH!
"White number 10, offensive foul. Black number 4's basket counts, plus one free throw."
At that moment, a shadow seemed to descend over Seirin's players, the frustration and pressure visible even to the naked eye.
============
"Wait, wait~ seriously? If I'm not mistaken, this should be Kagami's third foul in the first quarter!" Kise Ryouta muttered from the stands, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"He's not in his usual form today! Is he… too fired up?"
"No…"
Before Kise could finish, Kasamatsu's expression grew serious. "That last foul wasn't Kagami losing his temper. He was temporarily assisting in defense, and the angle wasn't perfect. This foul is perfectly understandable, at most, it's just a small mistake."
Seirin had called the previous timeout mainly to help Kagami cool his head.
The tactical adjustments were secondary. Most strategies are set before the match; during the game, coaches only make minor adjustments based on real-time situations.
So, the previous timeout had achieved its purpose.
But now, with this unexpected third foul, Kagami's situation would inevitably affect the psychology of the rest of Seirin's players.
============
"Still… Seiho's offense is impressively solid!"
Kasamatsu watched the court as the game resumed. Iwamura's 2+1 free throw attempt missed, a minor mistake given that not every center has Akashi's delicate touch.
Even so, the score had already widened to: 17:0.
Kagami grabbed the rebound, barely keeping Seirin's morale from completely collapsing. But as they attempted to push forward, they immediately hit another roadblock.
Kagami was back one-on-one against Tsugawa.
Remembering Aida Riko's warning, Kagami had intended to switch his rhythm and drive past him, but…
He already had three fouls.
The first quarter wasn't even over. Another foul would likely bench him for at least half of the remainder of the game.
BAM!
After careful thought, Kagami decided not to act rashly and passed the ball to Kuroko Tetsuya.
However, even after receiving the ball, Kuroko couldn't immediately find a passing lane. Seiho's man-to-man defense was too tight, every option blocked.
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