Slam Dunk: I'm the Glasses Brother

Chapter 185: Xiangbei vs. Xiangyang: Let’s start!

"Ryonan's strength has increased a lot." Although the afternoon training was cancelled due to the game, the Xiangbei players still gathered in the gymnasium in the afternoon.

"That's right, with the addition of Wu Dai and the golden-haired boy, most of the holes in Ryonan's lineup have been filled at once, and Yu Zhu has also improved a lot compared to last year," Akagi commented. In this game, Yu Zhu played for 25 minutes and scored 24 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. The reason for the low number of blocks is that Akagi has discovered that Yu Zhu no longer loves to jump and block shots as much as before. Instead, he stands firmly in his position and raises his arms to block and interfere with the opponent's shots. This reduces fouls (Yu Zhu only fouled once in this game) and also reduces the number of times the opponent's inside line cooperates with each other.

"Yuzhu is indeed much more mature than last year, and so is Miyagi. He is not as aggressive as last year and has controlled the rhythm very well," Mitsui commented on Miyagi. In this game, Miyagi organized the team's offense very well. He also played for 25 minutes, got 7 assists and only made 1 turnover.

"As for Sendoh, he doesn't like to score as much as last year. Maybe it's because his teammates are much stronger than his opponents and he doesn't like to attack. But I don't know if you noticed that Sendoh passed the ball more often and also made 4 assists. This was unimaginable last year." Since his opponent was commented on by Mitsui, Murasakibara had to comment on Mitsui's opponent.

"Indeed." Mitsui thought about it and nodded.

"Okay, let's not think about Ryonan for now. We're not sure if we can beat Ryonan. Let's think about the next opponent." Akagi clapped his hands.

"The main attacking points of the Shoyo team are still the point guard Fujima and the inside center Hanagata. In the past, Shoyo was known for its fast offense, but in the second half of last year's game, Shoyo sent out another lineup, consisting of four tall players, two of whom are also in their third year of high school this year, so they may continue that tactic this year, defending the inside and limiting Akagi's inside offensive." Mugure said

"That's right. Akagi was absent due to injury at that time. Last year's four tall players tactics caused us a lot of trouble. They were not mature last year. This year they will definitely practice seriously according to this lineup. They will be difficult to deal with. Akagi, you have to be careful," Mitsui reminded Akagi.

"This year there are three people instead of four. I want to see how powerful they are, but don't worry, I won't act recklessly. Since they are all big players, their movements must be slow. The perimeter defense is also a problem. Didn't you rely on the perimeter to defeat Xiangyang last year? If they shrink their defense, you can shoot boldly from the outside. The more accurate the shooting, the less pressure I will have. As long as you shoot, once their line of defense expands, I will not be afraid of anyone in the interior to play one-on-one."

"Oh, haha, our captain said it very well. This is how we should deal with Shoyo. Tomorrow's tactics will first of all be based on outsiders..." Coach Anxi arranged the tactics for tomorrow's match against Shoyo.

The night passed quickly, and the next day was the second round of the joint finals. This day might decide the life or death of some teams. Although the game started at 9 o'clock, it was a relatively critical round because it was on the weekend. One hour before the game started, 1/2 of the spectators had already appeared in the stands. The first game was the battle between Xiangbei and Shoyo. Midori and Ryonan who had no game, Kainan and Buri who were about to play next, and Miuradai and Tsukuba who had been eliminated long ago all appeared in the stands, and they were also discussing the upcoming game.

"Tanaka-senpai, in the match between Xiangbei and Shoyo, which team do you think will win?" Gao Touri asked when he saw the Ryonan players coming towards him.

"Obviously, it's Shohoku. What do you think?" Tanaoka Shigeichi answered without hesitation.

"It's rare that we agree on something." Takatoki also subconsciously believes that Xiangbei will win the game.

"I hope Xiangbei can win the game and hit Xiangyang's morale, so that we can have a chance to enter the national competition," Fujisawa Eri thought.

"This game will definitely be won by Xiangbei. Last year, Xiangbei was able to beat Shoyo even though Akagi was not in the game. This year, Xiangbei will definitely have no problem with a full team."

"I think Shoyo is stronger. After all, they are a regular in national competitions. And as far as I know, Shoyo's lineup has changed a lot. They won't be as weak inside as last year. Even if Akagi is there, it will be difficult for him to gain an advantage inside," retorted a seemingly senior Shoyo fan.

"Shohoku is still stronger. Just talking about the star players, even if Akagi and Murasakibara of the Shohoku team can only tie with Hanagata and Fujima of Shoyo, Shohoku still has an MVP player like Mitsui Hisashi. Who in Shoyo can limit Mitsui? Shohoku still has the advantage."

"Whoever controls the inside line controls the world. Shoyo's tall lineup will be a nightmare for Shohoku. Shoyo will definitely win this game!"

While the audience was discussing heatedly, the Xiangyang cheerleaders wearing green jackets had already sat down neatly in their seats. Each of them held two huge empty Coke bottles in their hands, and led by a third-grader in the front row, they cheered loudly for their home team.

"Which team will be able to enter the national competition this year?"

"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"

"Although we are both in the top eight in the country, which team is stronger than Xiangbei?"

"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"

"Which team will be the winner of this game?"

"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"

As expected of the famous Kanagawa Fighting Spirit Cheerleading Team, this momentum made many viewers change color. On the other hand, the Xiangbei cheerleading team was a bit scattered. Without Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui and Horita have been playing basketball and have never had any bad experience. The famous "Rukawa No Mikoto" and "Flame Men Cheerleading Team" no longer exist. Only the Sakuragi Army, the small cheerleading team organized by the Xiangbei school, and the fans who support Xiangbei in the society are the backing of Xiangbei.

Xiangyang locker room

"Shohoku won the first game and is in high spirits. We need to be patient in dealing with Shohoku and use our advantages to deal with Shohoku. Hanagata, Takano, and Nagano, the three of you need to protect the inside line, lock down Akagi, cut off Akagi's connection with the outside world, and prevent Mitsui from cutting in. As for Murasakibara and Fujima, I believe you will not let Murasakibara take advantage easily. Ito, after a year of training, your progress is very obvious. First, you need to cooperate with Fujima to organize the team's offense, and second, use your outside ability to mobilize Shohoku's defense." Tateyama made tactical arrangements. Shoyo's tactics were the three tall players in the inside line + double point guard tactics.

Shohoku locker room

"Today's starting lineup is Akagi and Fukuda in the interior. Fukuda, your task is to use your running position to mobilize Shoyo's interior defense and open up the defensive gaps. The two outside guns, Mitsui and Hasegawa, use your three-pointers to assist our interior players in attacking, and Yohei-san, your speed is not inferior to Fujima. Your task is to stick to Fujima and prevent him from easily breaking through and connecting with the team. Consume Fujima." Coach Anzai repeated yesterday's tactics.

"Everyone from Xiangbei High School, please come out. There are still ten minutes before the game starts." A staff member pushed open the door of the lounge and reminded politely.

"Okay, let's go and defeat Shoyo and advance to the national competition." Akagi took the lead and led the Shohoku players out of the locker room.

After a short warm-up, the starting players entered the field. Akagi and Hanagata stood in the center circle. The battle between Shohoku and Shoyo is about to begin!