Swish!!!
The basketball dropped cleanly through the net.
Nick sighed helplessly.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw that every member of the Dragon Slayer Team had already gotten back on defense.
Every last one of them had started running while the ball was still in the air!
Nick finally lost his patience and cursed:
"Fuck! That damn accuracy!"
There was nothing Nash Gold could do about it either. Shintaro Midorima's shooting was simply too overpowered.
From what he had seen so far, Shintaro Midorima was the most valuable player on the Dragon Slayer Team.
The others were important too, but none of them had nearly as much impact as Shintaro Midorima.
(P.S. This is just the author's personal opinion, so don't come after me if you disagree. Personally, I think Shintaro Midorima has the best chance of making it to the NBA out of the Generation of Miracles. Compared to the others, his value on the court is far greater!)
Possession changed hands.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold had barely entered the frontcourt when Seijuro Akashi spoke.
"Don't bother trying the pick-and-roll again. We've already figured it out."
The corner of Seijuro Akashi's mouth rose.
"You were the one who showed us how to stop it."
Nash Gold naturally understood. The moment he sent Zack over to help defend, he knew the pick-and-roll had been neutralized.
He glanced at Seijuro Akashi.
"I know. Besides, I wasn't planning to use the pick-and-roll this possession."
With that, Nash Gold pushed the ball forward with both hands, firing it toward the baseline.
Nick was waiting there.
The moment Nick caught the ball, Shintaro Midorima spread his arms and settled into a defensive stance.
Nick held the ball without attacking immediately, calmly assessing the situation.
Nearby, Nash Gold watched with a smile.
"Do you know the biggest difference between our shooters and yours?"
Seijuro Akashi didn't answer.
Nash Gold didn't mind and continued:
"Our shooters are also elite at driving to the basket."
The moment he finished speaking, Nick made his move.
With two consecutive shoulder feints and a sudden change of pace, Nick instantly gained half a step on Shintaro Midorima.
Shintaro Midorima reacted quickly and stayed close.
Nick immediately pulled the ball back behind the three-point line, gathered it, and raised it as though he were about to shoot.
Shintaro Midorima lunged forward, but he didn't jump. He was wary of a pump fake.
He intended to wait until Nick left the ground before jumping himself.
Seijuro Akashi watched calmly.
"Even so, he still can't get past Midorima easily. Midorima's greatest strength is his exceptionally steady mentality."
"Especially after that match."
Nash Gold smiled.
"What a coincidence. Our Nick also has nerves of steel."
Nick raised the ball and shifted his center of gravity upward, but he didn't jump.
Seeing that, Shintaro Midorima thought:
'Just as I expected.'
In his mind, Nick had created space so he could bait Shintaro Midorima into the air with a pump fake, then take an easy shot.
Unfortunately for Nick, Shintaro Midorima had seen through it.
But then something unexpected happened.
Nick didn't jump, but he still shot the ball!
A standing three-pointer!
Shintaro Midorima's eyes widened.
He had thought he had anticipated Nick's plan, never imagining that Nick had anticipated his anticipation.
Swish!!!
The basketball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Nash Gold turned and gave Seijuro Akashi a meaningful smile before heading back on defense.
Seijuro Akashi's expression grew stern, his thoughts impossible to read.
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
Seijuro Akashi brought the ball into the frontcourt, and Daiki Aomine immediately raised his hand.
"Akashi!"
Seijuro Akashi trusted him and passed without hesitation.
Daiki Aomine caught the ball and fixed his gaze on Zack.
"You're not the only ones who can play streetball."
Under Zack's puzzled gaze, Daiki Aomine's presence and expression suddenly changed.
His aura grew heavy, and his eyes became fierce.
Sensing the change, Zack thought:
'Animal Instinct?'
Daiki Aomine's pupils shifted as he began dribbling in an erratic, unpredictable rhythm.
More precisely, he was using streetball.
Zack's lips curled upward.
Then his right hand struck like a savage set of fangs tearing into its prey.
Smack!!!
Daiki Aomine suddenly felt nothing beneath his hand.
He immediately reacted and reached for the ball, but he was a step too late. Zack had already taken it!
The moment Zack secured possession, he charged toward the other end of the court.
Daiki Aomine chased after him, pushing his speed to the limit.
Yet to everyone's surprise, the distance between them only continued to grow.
Daiki Aomine couldn't catch Zack!
It wasn't until Zack finished with a thunderous dunk that Daiki Aomine finally understood.
"His Animal Instinct... is stronger than mine!"
The black panther might represent speed, but the Deinonychus was also known for its speed and agility.
In prehistoric times, a Deinonychus was undoubtedly far more formidable than a black panther.
As Zack headed back on defense, he passed Daiki Aomine.
Daiki Aomine saw the relaxed smile on Zack's face and slowly broke into a grin of his own.
"Heh... Hehehehe... This is interesting. This is really... interesting!"
Daiki Aomine's blood was already boiling.
Aside from Miyamoto Tokima, he had finally found another opponent capable of getting him this fired up.
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
This time, Atsushi Murasakibara didn't pass to Seijuro Akashi. Instead, he sent the ball to Shintaro Midorima, who had just run over.
The moment Shintaro Midorima caught it, he began his shooting motion without the slightest hesitation, right from his own three-point line.
Nick was startled. He hadn't even noticed when Shintaro Midorima had slipped away.
It was already far too late to rotate over. Shintaro Midorima was much too far away.
Now, all they could do was see whether his accuracy held up.
Allen noticed as well and muttered uncertainly:
"He shouldn't make it, right? That's a full-court three-pointer."
Nick said nothing. He simply raised his head and watched the basketball Shintaro Midorima had just released.
...