The same person, the same one-on-one, but the result was completely different.
**Tendo Keigon** did not disappoint everyone's expectations; in just one round, he made **Kawasaki Daifuzoku**'s scoring leader lose all face.
"An ordinary middle school student simply can't stop him. His offensive skills are on another level!" Teiko's assistant coach was excited.
It was like picking up a national-level small forward for free.
**Shirogane Kozo** applauded as he watched. "In the future, maybe I can go to the Kendo Club to find basketball geniuses," he said half-jokingly.
Why half-jokingly?
Because there really are such examples in reality.
The greatest power forward in NBA history, **Tim Duncan**, was picked up by Wake Forest University from a swimming pool.
Geniuses always like to appear in some strange places.
Tendo Keigon's defensive and counterattack capabilities were exactly what **Teiko** needed most.
Basketball in this era didn't place as much emphasis on three-pointers.
The Golden State Warriors and their superstar **Curry** hadn't risen yet.
In basketball at this time, the three-pointer wasn't the main offensive weapon; it was more like a deterrent, threatening the opponent so they dared not blindly crowd the paint.
And that's not wrong; the closer to the basket, the simpler it is to score.
Especially in middle school-level competitions, players don't possess such outstanding abilities, so they need to get the ball into the paint even more.
So everyone liked to grind out positional warfare.
In such a general environment, Tendo Keigon's fast-break counterattacks after steals appeared particularly efficient.
In Teiko's daily training, Tendo Keigon's counterattack efficiency reached an astonishing 90% or more, causing everyone to be afraid to dribble in front of him now.
Shirogane Kozo felt that for this year's Teiko, fast-break counterattacks could become another main scoring method.
A scoring conversion rate of over 90%—it's simply too high!
Kawasaki Daifuzoku started by being beaten 5:0. They weren't anxious, just that everyone's expressions weren't so good.
They were going to do big things this year; how could they lose to Teiko so easily?
You must know, although Teiko is a powerhouse, there are quite a few teams nationwide on the same level as Teiko.
If they can't beat Teiko, how can they talk about dominating the country?
**Yoshizawa Fumiaki** bore the brunt, receiving a teammate's pass and launching again.
He is best at pull-up jumpers after a breakthrough; his body isn't strong, so it's hard to gain an advantage in front of national-level big men.
And then...
"**Dismantle (Kai)!**"
With a whisper, Yoshizawa Fumiaki was horrified to find that the ball in his hand was intercepted again.
At the moment of launch, that familiar arm broke through the air and slapped over, as if traveling through time and space, lying horizontally in front of him and snatching the basketball away.
Kawasaki Daifuzoku's head coach watched dumbfoundedly.
Where did Shirogane Kozo find this little monster?
It's not just the players who think so; as a coach, he is also clear that this year is Kawasaki Daifuzoku's most hopeful year.
With the graduation of third-year players from those traditional powerhouses in Kanagawa, their overall strength has declined.
In contrast, Kawasaki Daifuzoku relied on a group of second-year players to conquer the world last year, almost making it to the final round of the Nationals.
Now a year has passed, the players' level has improved further, plus the competitors' strength has weakened.
Unsurprisingly, among the qualifying spots for Kanagawa this year, Kawasaki Daifuzoku must have a place.
So, what the people of Kawasaki Daifuzoku are considering now is not the prefectural tournament, but opponents in the National Tournament.
Teiko is a good touchstone.
If they can defeat Teiko, then they are qualified to compete for the National Championship symbolizing the strongest.
While he was thinking, Teiko's counterattack was pushed forward again.
**Nijimura Shuuzo** reacted very quickly. The moment Tendo Keigon completed the steal, he accelerated forward, grabbing the first point, picking up the basketball, and accelerating towards the other half.
The Kawasaki Daifuzoku people saw this and hurriedly chased.
"Bring it on, Nijimura!"
The speed was not slow; the opposing captain rushed back to defend before Nijimura Shuuzo completed the finish.
Seeing this, Nijimura Shuuzo ignored him, throwing the ball behind his head, then quickly running away, leaving the stage to the person behind him.
Only then did the Kawasaki Daifuzoku people notice that the brat who stole the ball from the scoring leader twice had killed his way over.
Seeing Nijimura Shuuzo's pass, Tendo Keigon jumped up and caught the basketball in mid-air, assuming a posture to split Mount Hua (tomahawk dunk).
But...
"Holy crap, the gliding distance isn't enough."
Tendo Keigon overestimated himself; the current him couldn't perform such an explosive dunk.
Seeing the distance to the rim getting farther and farther, he twisted his wrist, changing the dunk to a finger roll, putting the ball steadily into the basket.
7:0!
Kawasaki Daifuzoku was forced to call a timeout at the start.
The head coach discovered that this year's Teiko was different from previous years, mainly reflected in their style of play.
The rhythm of the game was exceptionally fast. Except for the first familiar positional warfare where Nijimura Shuuzo broke through and kicked out to create an opportunity, the subsequent two attacks were both fast counterattacks.
Before they could even snap back to reality, they were hit with a 7:0 small climax by Teiko.
They had encountered fast-paced teams before, but never one this fast.
At this moment, they felt the shock of future advanced basketball.
Mainly that number 14 first-year student, stealing the ball at the drop of a hat, and so accurately too—who wants to play with you?
Adjustments must be made, otherwise this game might collapse.
But as the game restarted, he immediately discovered a new problem.
The team's offense completely couldn't open up.
His top scorer was thoroughly frozen.
That number 14 brat not only had amazing stealing ability, but his defense was also like an iron gate, completely locking down Yoshizawa Fumiaki.
With no other way, he could only make hand seals (gestures) from the sidelines, directing the players to hit the ball into the paint, using the second scoring point to score.
Who knew that the "Four Great Centers of Kanagawa" would be helpless facing **Murasakibara Atsushi**.
Murasakibara looked thin, but his confrontation was surprisingly strong. Standing there, Kawasaki Daifuzoku's center couldn't even push in half a step.
Forcing a layup just gave the opponent a free block.
Both inside and outside cores were locked down simultaneously; it was a bit difficult.
Throughout the first quarter, Kawasaki Daifuzoku could only shoot blindly from the perimeter, barely scoring double digits relying on mid-to-long-range shots.
Teiko, on the other hand, very efficiently churned out 28 points in a single quarter.
28:10!
The ambitious Kawasaki Daifuzoku was beaten badly by Teiko in the first quarter.
Tendo Keigon with 11 points, 1 rebound, and 5 steals, became the most handsome guy on the court.
...
PS: Fourth update. Asking for bookmarks, asking for flowers, asking for tickets. Begging everyone, endless gratitude!!