The result of the game was not unexpected.
Seiho ultimately defeated the noisy neighbor Kuromori by a 51-point margin, 109:58.
With Yuuto, and Seiho's strength already being superior, no one was surprised they could win the game.
It was just that the process was confusing.
They felt Seiho was strong, but it also seemed like just ordinary strength.
The feeling given was completely different from Shutoku and Touou.
Seiho's tactic seemed to be blocking flank drives.
The perimeter lockdown defender marked Laya Larmin, while Yuuto was ready to help defend at any time.
But why did Seiho accomplish so easily what other teams couldn't?
Including Kuromori themselves.
They didn't know how they lost by 51 points just by playing!
This feeling made them feel terrified from the bottom of their hearts.
But Laya Larmin knew what was going on.
Looking back at this game, he could score against other Seiho players, including Tomoki Tsugawa, whose defense was well-received in this game.
But facing that Seiho Number 10, he didn't score a single point in open play.
Every time he crossed the three-point line, it was like stepping into a forbidden zone; the outcome was either a steal or a block.
He felt he would definitely have nightmares when he went back tonight.
"Damn it, why would such a monster appear in a dump like this?"
Laya Larmin was quite confident in his talent.
Not high enough for the NBA, maybe not even much chance in Europe.
But in Japan, his excellent physical confrontation ability was completely enough for him to secure a spot in the professional league.
His ideal was pretty much like this:
Join a Japanese basketball club after graduation, then slowly secure a starting position.
Earning a salary of several million a year, marry a Japanese woman like his dad did—preferably a gravure idol—and live out his life.
Having a championship would be best; not having one didn't matter. His pursuit was pragmatic; with money, he wouldn't be lonely.
But now it seemed, staying in Japan wasn't easy either.
Wait, that Number 10 doesn't seem to be Japanese; he's Chinese.
Fck, doesn't China only produce centers? How come perimeter players can play too?*
With heads full of fog, Kuromori's people left the court in a daze.
This game.
They needed some time to digest.
"Let's go back too. The opponent for the next round is Seiho High School." Riko Aida immediately led her team back to school after watching the game.
She felt she still had many things to prepare.
But when Riko Aida returned home, she didn't know where to start.
Watching the game tape, she couldn't figure out the whys and wherefores; Seiho won with the most orthodox basketball.
Seeing his distressed daughter, Kagetora Aida seemed to understand something.
Riko Aida hesitated for a moment, told her father about the afternoon game, and asked for advice.
Reason told her that possessing Kuroko and Kagami was enough to break Seiho's solid defense.
"I saw how Kuromori lost, and noticed the score gap being continuously widened by Seiho."
"But I feel like I don't particularly understand. Do you know that feeling, Dad?"
"Boiling a frog in warm water?"
Riko Aida's expression was serious.
But Yuuto, that Lion King of Okukozome, always made her restless.
"There's nothing special about it. It's simply a gap in skill level. That kid Yuuto completely dominated both offense and defense, simple as that."
Kagetora Aida had experienced similar games many times.
In any professional league, there would be one or two such teams every year.
No matter how many points they trailed, fans wouldn't worry because they would reverse it as they played.
Nine times out of ten, such teams wouldn't have bad final results, even winning the championship directly.
This is the so-called championship demeanor.
Of course, Kagetora Aida had one more sentence he didn't say.
"Yes, it's pretty much that feeling. Kuromori didn't seem to make any particularly big mistakes, and their core Laya Larmin played reasonably too, but they lost by 51 points without a sound."
That is: when his daughter had such confusion facing Seiho, the pressure would also be huge.
But his daughter, only a second-year high schooler, was still too young; she didn't understand this principle for the time being.
...
The next day.
Neither Seirin nor Seiho had games.
The first round of the group stage would take four days to complete because there were too many teams.
The promoted teams made full use of this rest time because the schedule would become tighter later on.
Back-to-back games were commonplace.
Riko Aida thought for a day last night but ultimately didn't have a particularly good clue.
Simply deciding to go all out, she chose to attack forcefully, vowing to poke a hole in Seiho's turtle shell.
"Eh? Frontal forceful attack?"
"Correct. Their defense is strong, but our offense isn't bad either."
Riko Aida became confident after getting the freshman duo.
They were originally a run-and-gun team; the arrival of Kagami and Kuroko added wings to their offense.
"In the game against Seiho, I require you to charge from the start of the game to the last second."
"Step on the gas pedal to the floor. Every transition and counterattack must use full strength."
"Believe in yourselves, and believe in the teammates beside you. Being able to beat Kaijo proves we have the ability to contend with those powerhouses!"
Riko Aida's thoughts cleared up, and her voice became louder.
After a night of study, she found that fighting a positional battle led only to a dead end.
Seirin's opportunity lay in mobility and offensive speed.
The tactical core of run-and-gun lies in the word "fast"; this is a tactic famous in the basketball world.
Mad Scientist Don Nelson and Gentleman Thief D'Antoni are the two people who brought run-and-gun tactics closest to success.
Both mentioned the word "fast" when talking about run-and-gun. And they required everyone on the team to be able to score.
Seirin met such conditions now because they possessed Kuroko, a top-tier metronome.
"Since it's like this, let's go crazy."
Seeing the coach's posture, the others felt excited too.
Young people have this advantage: they never know the immensity of heaven and earth.
This ignorance gives them the courage to challenge everything.
On the other side at Seiho.
Compared to Riko Aida, Shio Yamashita was much calmer.
He even guessed that Seirin would attack fiercely tomorrow.
After all, they were young people, full of hot blood, daring to challenge the heavens.
But with Seirin's output of 79 points against Shinkyo, they couldn't wash away Seiho.
"Defense will still be based on 2-1-2 zone defense, guarding against their flank drives. Be careful of their Number 10 Taiga Kagami facing the basket directly after receiving the ball; focus on defending layups and dunks. This kid has no jump shot; his dominant hand is the right hand, he won't score with his left."
Shio Yamashita, this old fox, figured out Kagami's background in one game.
Seirin was extremely good at tearing opponent defenses with quick passing, which wasn't enough to threaten Seiho, who played zone defense.
The core Number 10 was fast, strong, and had amazing jumping ability, but lacked offensive means.
Kagami's scoring was mostly concentrated in the paint. He could use a mid-range shot, but it couldn't kill anyone; leaving him open to shoot was fine.
Number 4 Captain Junpei Hyuga was very accurate with three-pointers and didn't soften at critical moments.
However...
"I'll leave this person to you, Tsugawa. Just defend his three-pointers; if necessary, you can let him inside the three-point line, where Yuuto will deal with him."
Shio Yamashita felt he had found not only a "thigh" (carry) but also a top-tier nanny.
With Yuuto, he was so at ease he almost fell asleep during the last game.
...
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