On the next possession.
Miyamoto Tokima started off walking at the same lazy pace, then suddenly accelerated. Shintaro Midorima reacted, but Miyamoto Tokima still managed to catch the ball.
Once the ball was in his hands, Miyamoto Tokima became even sharper. With two quick rhythm changes, he froze Shintaro Midorima in place, then took a huge step back behind the three-point line and calmly released the shot.
Swish!
Three-pointer good.
Possession changed again.
Shūtoku High School had the ball.
Shūtoku High School still used the same method as the previous possession.
Kazunari Takao inbounded the ball, while Taisuke Otsubo, Shinsuke Kimura, and Kiyoshi Miyaji came over to screen for Shintaro Midorima.
Seeing this, Miyamoto Tokima smiled and asked,
"Midori, do you think we have no answer for this play of yours?"
Shintaro Midorima frowned slightly, as if thinking something over.
Seeing that, the corner of Miyamoto Tokima's mouth lifted, and he pointed toward Kazunari Takao.
Shintaro Midorima followed Miyamoto Tokima's finger and turned his head.
The moment he looked, Shintaro Midorima froze.
Because the person standing in front of Kazunari Takao, who was inbounding the ball, was no longer Shogo Haizaki.
It was Atsushi Murasakibara and Dicky Anthony.
The two towering players spread their arms wide, completely covering Kazunari Takao.
They even blocked his line of sight.
Kazunari Takao also looked at the two guarding him in shock.
He had not expected Miyamoto Tokima to send both Atsushi Murasakibara and Dicky Anthony to defend him.
But very quickly, Kazunari Takao calmed down.
Shintaro Midorima also regained his composure and looked at Miyamoto Tokima without saying anything.
Miyamoto Tokima naturally knew what Shintaro Midorima was thinking, so he said directly,
"You think Takao has [Hawk Eyes], so blocking his vision is useless?"
Shintaro Midorima's pupils trembled faintly.
Miyamoto Tokima continued,
"Then have you considered that Atsushi and Anthony's goal was never to block Kazunari Takao's vision in the first place?"
At that moment, Kazunari Takao froze as well, because he suddenly realized he had no space to pass the ball.
Atsushi Murasakibara and Dicky Anthony's bodies were too large. They had completely sealed off his passing lanes.
Kazunari Takao gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.
'Damn it. How did it turn into this?'
Seeing that the inbound time was about to run out, Kazunari Takao had no choice but to make a desperate move and threw the basketball through Dicky Anthony's legs.
Dicky Anthony had not expected Kazunari Takao to suddenly pull that, so his hand was just a little too slow to intercept it.
The basketball rolled quickly across the court before Kiyoshi Miyaji picked it up.
Seeing this, Shintaro Midorima immediately snapped back to focus and began moving into position.
Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura also came over to screen for Shintaro Midorima.
Miyamoto Tokima quickly slipped past the two of them and stuck tightly to Shintaro Midorima.
With no other choice, Shintaro Midorima ran back toward Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura.
This time, Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura seemed to have reached an understanding. The two stood side by side, leaving a gap for Shintaro Midorima.
Seeing this, Shintaro Midorima immediately passed through the opening. Then, just as Miyamoto Tokima caught up, Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura closed together and blocked Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima froze at the sight. Looking at Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura, he thought to himself,
'Guys, seriously? Elevator doors?'
That's right. The tactic Shūtoku High School used this time was extremely similar to the play banned by the league in his previous life.
Shintaro Midorima used the two-man elevator door screen to break free.
Kiyoshi Miyaji immediately passed the ball over.
After catching it, Shintaro Midorima jumped without hesitation and shot.
Even though Shogo Haizaki came up to help defend, he could not stop Shintaro Midorima once he had already jumped into his shot.
Shintaro Midorima, standing before the second [Gate]...
Had achieved a full-court three with no wind-up.
Swish!
Three-pointer good.
Possession changed.
Kirisaki Daiichi had the ball.
The moment Shogo Haizaki crossed half-court, he passed the basketball to Miyamoto Tokima.
After catching the ball, Miyamoto Tokima immediately made a jab step to test him.
In Shintaro Midorima's eyes, Miyamoto Tokima seemed as if he had already broken past him.
But Shintaro Midorima did not bite at all. He spread his arms and kept his eyes locked firmly on Miyamoto Tokima.
'Hm? He didn't fall for it? No, that's not it. It's not that he didn't fall for it. It's...'
As Miyamoto Tokima thought this, he made a shooting motion and even shifted his center of gravity upward slightly, as if he were about to shoot.
Seeing this, Shintaro Midorima immediately raised his center of gravity and prepared to jump, but he quickly saw Miyamoto Tokima lower his weight again.
It was Miyamoto Tokima's fake.
Shintaro Midorima immediately settled his weight back down and continued defending Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima looked at Shintaro Midorima, who had been lifted by the fake so easily, and smiled helplessly.
This was not him ignoring fakes at all.
He was clearly giving up the drive and refusing to give up the shot.
As long as Miyamoto Tokima dared to drive, Shintaro Midorima would let him.
In fact, if Miyamoto Tokima chose to drive, Shintaro Midorima could just stand still and not move at all.
"Midori, are you trying to wear me down little by little again?"
Miyamoto Tokima asked.
Shintaro Midorima said nothing.
Not denying it meant that was exactly what he was doing.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly, then suddenly slammed the ball down and stepped back, bringing his left hand toward the basketball at the same time.
Seeing this, Shintaro Midorima immediately stepped up. In his eyes, Miyamoto Tokima had already gathered the ball and entered his shooting motion.
So Shintaro Midorima jumped without holding anything back.
But Miyamoto Tokima was faking.
This was Miyamoto Tokima's skill.
[Illusion].
A fake so realistic it made defenders believe it completely.
After sending Shintaro Midorima flying, Miyamoto Tokima simply shifted his position slightly, then released the basketball at once.
It dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Swish!
Three-pointer good.
Over the next few possessions, Miyamoto Tokima and Shintaro Midorima began trading shots.
As long as Shintaro Midorima caught the ball and someone managed to hold Miyamoto Tokima back for even a moment, he could shoot freely.
The rest of Kirisaki Daiichi definitely could not stop Shintaro Midorima's full-court three with no wind-up.
Once Shintaro Midorima jumped, all they could do was watch.
Miyamoto Tokima was the same. As long as Shintaro Midorima allowed even the slightest distance to open between them, Miyamoto Tokima would show Shintaro Midorima exactly what a quick release was.
Miyamoto Tokima's release speed left Shintaro Midorima completely unable to cope.
Just like that, the two went back and forth, one three-pointer after another.
They kept trading threes all the way until the end of the first quarter.
Watching Shintaro Midorima keep firing in three-pointers, Miyamoto Tokima understood his resolve.
And so...
...
...
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