binnovel Chapter 175: Xiangbei vs. Green Wind: Before the Game
Chapter 175: Xiangbei vs. Green Wind: Before the Game
After school on the afternoon of June 6, members of the Xiangbei basketball team gathered in the basketball hall.
"The Green Wind team must not be underestimated," Akagi stressed with a serious face not to underestimate the enemy.
"That's right. In the group stage, they beat their opponents by an average of 33.4 points per game, and in the knockout stage, they also beat their opponents by an average of 22 points per game. This shows that this team is very capable. They have many famous players. Center Ming Gao's rebounding and blocks are both in the top five. Guard Ebina's assists per game are also in the top five. Junior high school MVP Rukawa Kaede is currently ranked first in scoring. There is an outstanding player in the inside, forward and back line. Green Wind already has the prototype of a strong team." Mitsui continued to analyze
"This is not the real strength of Midorikaze," Mugure continued to add, and at the same time said something shocking, "Don't forget, according to intelligence, they have a high school student studying in the United States, a Japanese-American mixed-race Mike Okita. Midorikaze has already registered him for this tournament. According to reliable information, he has already rushed back from the United States to participate in the joint finals."
"How come we encounter such a mysterious team in the first game? It's not easy to beat them," said Kemei.
"No matter what mysterious teacher or expert who studied in the United States joins us, they will not be our opponent. We want to dominate the whole country. If anyone blocks our way, we will tear him to pieces." Sakuragi said this without a smirk, but said it very seriously.
"That's right, I agree with the red monkey. Shohoku also has three of us super rookies joining us, so we are also very strong." Kiyota, who had been beaten by Akagi before for his bragging, spoke more cautiously. When he mentioned the super rookies, he didn't forget to include Sakuragi and Yohei, so as not to attract a beating from the captain.
"Oh, our freshmen said it very well. And don't ignore one thing. Green Wind is just a new team. Their experience in major competitions is far less than ours. And I have observed that they don't have any tactics to speak of. They mostly fight alone. In good times, this is not a problem. But if they encounter bad times, there is a high probability of collapse. In this regard, we are much better than them. So don't forget, we are strong!" Coach Anxi summarized.
"We are strong!" All the Xiangbei players shouted, and the sound resounded throughout the gymnasium.
"Okay, let me tell you about tomorrow's game..." Coach Anxi was making game arrangements on the tactical board. "Okay, just do some simple exercises today, don't overdo it to avoid injuries. Don't forget that we are playing back-to-back games. The intensity of the game will be very high, and everyone must be ready to play at any time. I don't want you to be unable to play due to excessive practice, understand?"
“Yes, coach!
Green Wind High School
"Mike, how have you been resting these days? Have you adjusted to the jet lag?" Fujisawa Eri asked with concern.
"Ok. It's all right now. I'm in good shape. I also know the strengths of my teammates. There will be no problem in dealing with tomorrow's game. Huili, what kind of team will our opponent be tomorrow?" A tall and handsome guy with blond hair who was obviously a mixed-race guy at first glance asked.
"The Xiangbei basketball team, last year's national top eight -" Fujisawa Eri introduced the Xiangbei team, just as she was talking about last year's results, she was interrupted.
"Only the quarterfinals? They're not as good as Hainan. I watched Hainan's game videos. With that level, they're still the runner-up? It seems that the large number of graduates has weakened Hainan a lot. I've also watched Shoyo's game videos, and they're even worse. I guess the same is true for Xiangbei. We will get first place in the group and advance directly." The blond boy, Mike Okita, looked confident.
"Mike, you only saw the tip of the iceberg. You should know that Kainan and Shoyo didn't try their best. Their captains almost never played. Even if Kainan and Shoyo's strength has declined due to the graduation of seniors, Shohoku won't, because Shohoku's three main players were all sophomores last year. They only had one senior in the starting lineup last year, and the so-called captain's strength was average. His graduation has no effect on Shohoku. Last year, in addition to Rukawa Kaede, I wanted to recruit three junior high school students, but failed. Two of them joined Shohoku High School. It can be said that Shohoku's strength will not only not decline, but will increase instead," Fujisawa Eri still introduced to Mike very seriously.
"Oh well, leave it to me," Mike patted his chest confidently.
"It's up to you, Mike."
Soon it was June 6th. The first match to be held at the Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium was between Xiangbei and Midorikaze. On this day, all the teams that entered the joint finals, and even some of the teams that had been eliminated before, came to watch the game.
"Ms. Aida, there are so many people here today." Nakamura, a newcomer to Basketball Weekly, looked at the packed auditorium and opened his mouth in surprise. Not only were the seats full of people, but even the corridors were filled with spectators. "This is just a high school basketball game, right?"
"Do you look down on high school basketball, Nakamura?" Yayoi Aida frowned and asked in a bad tone.
"No, no, no, of course not." Nakamura quickly explained with a smile on his face: "I think there are too many spectators watching the game. And these two teams are not traditional powerhouses in Kanagawa. Shohoku only made it to the national competition last year, and Midori is just a new team."
"That's true." Aida Yayoi didn't expect this game to be so attractive. "Nakamura, it seems that you have some understanding of the two teams. So which team do you think will win?"
"I, that's all I know. I don't know anything else." Nakamura touched his head, trying to get away with it with a silly smile.
"What?! You don't know much about these two teams. How do young people work nowadays?! You have no sense of responsibility!" Yayoi Aida exploded and pointed at Nakamura's nose. After the rage, Yayoi Aida introduced the newcomers
"The Xiangbei team was indeed unknown before, and only made it to the national competition last year. Judging from past records, it is indeed average, but the Xiangbei team retained four of the main lineup that made it to the national competition last year, and they also added three outstanding rookies from junior high school this year. The strength has not weakened at all, but will become stronger. Their coach is former national player Anxi Mitsuyoshi, who is also a leading figure in the basketball world. Therefore, this year's Xiangbei team will achieve even better results. Just like their flag, "surpassing" their goal is to dominate the country."
"Dominate the whole country?! What a big ambition!"
"As for Green Wind, they made it to the joint finals in their first year of existence. This is a first in Kanagawa. Even the champion Hainan made it to the joint finals three years after its establishment. Green Wind has the junior high school MVP Rukawa Kaede joining the team, and a player who studied in the United States has returned. Their strength is also impressive."
"Ms. Aida, which team do you think is more likely to win today? I think it's Shohoku, because they have more experience and their lineup hasn't suffered much loss," Nakamura expressed his opinion.
"Nakamura, your analysis makes sense." Aida Yayoi gave this assistant a slightly higher opinion and said, "I also think that Xiangbei has the upper hand. This will be a very exciting game."
Before the game, Kiyota and Sakuragi came to Rukawa and said, "Rukawa, you won against us by luck in junior high school. This is the first and last time you beat us. We will never lose to you again."
"Two idiots" Rukawa Kaede is as indifferent as ever.
"Two idiots" Akagi appeared behind the two men, grabbed one of them by the neck with one hand, and left.
"Hmm, this center looks so imposing, and seems to be better than Minggao." Mike's intuition tells him that Xiangbei's center is not simple, so he needs to pay attention to the inside line.
After both teams have finished warming up, the main players enter the court, the jump ball players of both teams stand in the center circle, the referee throws the ball into the air, and the game officially begins!