Slam Dunk: My physical abilities can be increased indefinitely.

Chapter 10: 7 Seconds, From the Bottom Line to the Game-Winning Shot

The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.

With two minutes remaining in the second quarter, the score was tied at 35.

With possession in Shohoku's hands, Miyagi dribbled past half-court, but Uekasa was sticking to him tightly, constantly waving his hand in front of Miyagi's face. Miyagi, uncomfortable with the tight marking, called for a screen from Akagi. Akagi moved up and positioned himself to Uekasa's right, and Miyagi accelerated from that side, driving to the free-throw line.

Uozumi switched onto the defensive end, big against small. Miyagi didn't force a drive, and lobbed the ball to Akagi, who was cutting to the basket. Akagi received the ball, but Uekusa was in front of him, creating a mismatch, big against small.

Akagi took a step, jumped, and dunked with both hands. Sendoh flew over from the weak side to try and steal the ball, but he was a fraction of a second too slow, and the ball slammed in over his head, causing the basket to shake violently.

With the score at 37-35, the pace of the game began to pick up.

After landing, Sendoh glanced at Akagi. The two-meter-tall giant hung on the rim and swayed after dunking. When he landed, he was expressionless, turned around to defend, and took heavy steps, each one as if he wanted to pierce through the floor.

Ryonan is on offense. Uekusa dribbles the ball across half-court, Sendoh receives it at the top of the key, and Rukawa defends. Sendoh calls for a screen from Uozumi, and after the screen, Akagi switches out to defend, leaving Sendoh facing Akagi. Akagi's defensive positioning is further back than in the first quarter; he knows Sendoh is fast and doesn't dare to get too close, leaving a half-step of space.

Sendoh didn't shoot, dribbling towards the left. Akagi followed with a slide step, his footwork faster than expected against a smaller opponent. Although Akagi was heavy, he was quick on his feet. Sendoh rushed to the left side of the free-throw line, stopped abruptly, and jumped to shoot. Akagi lunged at him, blocking his face with his hand.

The ball bounced and went in.

37 square meters.

Rukawa dribbled past half-court, this time without a screen, facing Sendoh directly. After a couple of dribbles, he suddenly accelerated, not with a change of direction, but with a straight-line drive, using his speed to overpower Sendoh. Sendoh slid to catch up, and the two ran side-by-side towards the basket. Rukawa jumped, and Sendoh jumped too.

The two collided in mid-air. Rukawa switched the ball to his left hand, intending to slip it under Sendoh's arm. Sendoh's left hand reached out and touched the ball.

The ball was touched, its trajectory changed, and it bounced back off the backboard.

Uozumi grabbed the rebound, and after Sendoh landed, the feeling of touching the ball still lingered in his palm—the friction of the rubber, the weight of the ball, and Rukawa's force.

"You've run into him," Rukawa said.

"I ran into him."

"I won't do it again next time."

Sendoh didn't reply and ran towards the frontcourt. Uekusa dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Sendoh. Sendoh received the ball, glanced at the timer, and saw that there were forty-three seconds left in the second quarter.

Waste time, then launch a final attack.

Sendoh dribbled at the top of the key, guarded by Rukawa. He dribbled slowly and steadily, the sound of the ball bouncing on the floor like a heartbeat. Rukawa dared not get too close, afraid of being blown past in one step, nor dared to stay too far away, fearing Sendoh would shoot a three-pointer.

That guy's defensive positioning was subtle, not too far, not too close, just right in the middle of Sendoh's passing and driving routes.

Thirty seconds.

Sendoh called for a screen from Uozumi. Uozumi moved up and screened Rukawa on the right. Sendoh drove to the left, and Akagi switched out to defend him. This time, Sendoh didn't slow down, but accelerated, cutting past Akagi on the left. Akagi turned to chase, but was a half-step too slow. Sendoh reached the free-throw line and jumped.

Sakuragi flew over from the weak side to help defend. He had red hair and amazing jumping ability. He was like a spring that bounced off the ground. Sendoh saw in the air that Sakuragi's palm was already above the ball. He was going to block it. If he tried to force it, he would definitely get blocked.

He switched the ball from his right hand to his left, leaned his body to the left, dodged Sakuragi's block, and made a low layup.

The ball brushes the paddle and goes into the net.

The whistle blew, the second quarter ended, Ryonan led by one point, 37-38.

After landing, Sakuragi stood frozen in place, his hand still raised in mid-air. He turned and stared at Sendoh for two seconds.

"What was with that mid-air hand switch? Are your eyes on the side? How did you see me coming from the left? You shouldn't have been able to see me from that angle. You must have been guessing, right? Were you guessing?"

Sendoh wiped his sweat. "I saw it."

"How did you see that? Can your head turn 180 degrees?"

"Perspective."

Sakuragi paused for a second, then turned to look at Rukawa. "Rukawa, can you put more pressure on me on defense? My help defense was already pretty good; you let him drive in too easily."

Rukawa glanced at him. "You talk too much."

"I asked you about defense, and you said I was talking too much? If Shohoku loses, it's your fault for being too lax in defense."

Akagi walked over and placed his large hand on Sakuragi's head. "Shut up. Go back to the locker room."

Sakuragi was being pushed forward by Akagi, muttering to himself, "I'm telling the truth. Even when I was covering for Sendoh's shot, he still managed to score. There must be something wrong with the person guarding him..." Akagi tightened his grip, and Sakuragi's voice grew softer.

Halftime, in Ryonan's locker room.

Taoka stood in front of the whiteboard and drew several key rounds from the first half.

"Sendoh, you scored ten points and had four assists in the second quarter. Rukawa scored eight points. You kept him in check." Sendoh sat in his chair, wiping the sweat from his arms with a towel. "I didn't keep him in check, it's a tie."

"A draw is enough. You continue playing in the second half. Uozumi, pay attention to helping defend Rukawa's drives. He drives more on the right than the left, so stand in the help defense position on his right side and don't let him easily get to the basket."

Uozumi nodded, and Taoka then looked at Koshino, "You're facing Mitsui in the second half. Don't let him fool you with his fakes. He likes to fake a shot and then take a step for a mid-range jumper. When you're defending him, keep your hands up and don't jump."

Yueye gave a wry smile. "Coach, what if I don't jump and he just throws me?"

"Then you make your judgment."

"How do you determine this?"

Use your brain.

Yueye opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words "I have no brains." Fukuda sat in the corner, not saying a word, chewing gum vigorously, his cheeks bulging.

Sendoh glanced at him and said, "In the second half, focus more on Sakuragi. He doesn't have enough defensive experience. Drive towards him, don't back down."

Fukuda nodded, spat out the chewing gum, wrapped it in a tissue, and did so naturally.

The second half begins.

Shohoku took the first possession. Miyagi dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Mitsui. Mitsui faced Koshino, a triple threat, and faked a shot. Koshino didn't jump; he raised his hand, his heels left the ground, but he didn't actually jump.

Mitsui took a step, stopped abruptly, and jumped to shoot. Koshino pounced on him, slamming his hand into Mitsui's face.

The ball bounced and went in.

39 square meters.

After landing, he cursed, "He still scored." Sendoh patted him on the shoulder, "You defended well, he was on fire." "I'd rather you curse me a couple of times, saying it like this makes me feel even worse."

"Then you can suffer."

Ryonan is on offense. Sendoh dribbles past half-court, Rukawa is on defense. This time Sendoh doesn't call a screen, he faces Rukawa directly, dribbles with his right hand, takes a step to the right, and Rukawa slides to follow. Sendoh stops abruptly, crossovers to his left, and leans his body to the left. Rukawa's weight shifts to him.

Sendoh pushes off with his left foot, pulls his body back, regains control of the ball with his right hand, accelerates from the right side, and repeats the same move. He changes direction repeatedly, pulls back, and then breaks through in a straight line.

Rukawa anticipated it again. He shifted his weight even faster than before, moving sideways to block Sendoh's path to break through. The two faced each other, less than half a meter apart. Sendoh stopped the ball.

Rukawa stared at him. "I told you, the same move won't be used on me twice."

Sendoh looked at him. "And this one?"

He passed the ball over his head to Fukuda on the weak side, then made an off-ball run, cutting past Rukawa and getting to the basket. Fukuda didn't shoot, but passed the ball back to Sendoh who was cutting in.

Rukawa was left half a step behind by the off-ball movement, just half a step.

Sendoh receives the ball, jumps, and Rukawa chases after him to block the shot.

Sendoh didn't dunk; he simply put the ball in gently.

The sound of the webpage being refreshed.

41:39.

After landing, Sendoh turned to look at Rukawa, "The same move is indeed useless, but I can try a different one."

Rukawa's expression finally changed; his lips twitched slightly, not in a smile, but in a way that said, "You're really annoying."

He jogged over, his face full of schadenfreude. "Rukawa, I took a picture of your expression just now. So your face can move after all. I thought you had facial paralysis."

Rukawa glanced at him. "You're noisy."

"You finally said three words, and you were even cursing me. I'm so honored."

Xian Dao shook his head and returned to defense.

The third quarter lasted ten minutes, with the score fluctuating back and forth. Sendoh and Rukawa were like playing chess, each making a move, neither able to completely overpower the other. Sendoh had the speed advantage, but Rukawa's jumping ability was better, and the two were wearing each other down on both offense and defense.

Taoka frowned on the sidelines. Sendoh's stamina wasn't as good as Rukawa's; if they continued playing like this, they might run into problems in the latter part of the fourth quarter.

He called a pause.

"Sendoh, come down and rest for two minutes. Fukuda will play your position, and Koshino will play shooting guard."

Sendoh nodded and sat down on the bench. He covered his face with a towel; underneath, he was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was still uneven. The system panel flashed briefly at the edge of his field of vision.

[Endurance B+, currently more than half depleted, it is recommended to control the pace]

You don't need to tell me, I know.

Two minutes later, Sendoh entered the game. The score was 47-46, with Ryonan leading by one point. Rukawa was still on the court, his hair was soaked and stuck to his forehead, but his eyes were still the same, without fatigue or relaxation, still that focused "I'm going to devour you" look.

Sendoh dribbles past half-court, where Rukawa defends.

The two looked at each other for a second.

Immortal Dao suddenly accelerated; it wasn't a change of direction or a feint, but a straight-line breakthrough—pure speed.

Rukawa followed with a sliding step.

But Sendoh's first step was too fast, so fast that Rukawa's slide couldn't catch up. Speed ​​A- against A-, the two were equally fast, but Sendoh's start was more sudden, without warning, the push of his right foot off the ground like a bullet leaving the barrel.

He cut past Rukawa on the right, and Rukawa turned to chase him, but was a beat too slow.

Sendoh suddenly rushed to the basket, jumped, and dunked with one hand.

49:46.

Rukawa stood still, looking at the basket, and remained silent for two seconds. "When did your first step become so fast?"

Sendoh landed, turned to look at him, and said, "Just now." Rukawa didn't say anything more.

But Koshino heard it from the sidelines and said to Uekusa, "Did you hear that? Rukawa just asked Sendoh a question, a complete sentence, six or seven words, and there was a time adverb like 'when'."

Uekusa nodded. "I heard you."

"He talked to Sendoh more than he talked to the entire team combined."

"Perhaps it's because Sendoh doesn't need him to repeat it a second time."

"What do you mean?"

"Rukawa speaks softly, so others can't hear him and have to ask 'what'. But Sendoh always hears him clearly, so he doesn't have to ask."

Koshino paused for a second, "You're so observant?" Uekusa pushed up his glasses, "I don't talk much, so I listen carefully."

With three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was close. Shohoku called a timeout. Coach Anzai sat in his chair, smiling, his voice slow and deliberate.

"Rukawa-kun, the player you're facing, Sendoh-kun, is an excellent player. Your talent is no less than his, but he has one more thing that you don't."

Rukawa looked up at Anzai.

"experience."

Anzi paused for a moment, "He can use the same move three times, each time with a different rhythm. Your talent can allow you to keep up with him, but your experience isn't enough to completely shut him down. So, don't try to defend him alone; call for a pick and roll and let your teammates help you."

Rukawa paused for two seconds, then said, "No need."

"Rukawa-kun."

"I can defend against it by myself."

Anxi looked at him, smiled, and didn't try to persuade him further.

The timeout is over; there are three minutes left.

Sendoh had the ball, and Rukawa was on defense. This time, Rukawa's defense was different from the previous three quarters. He was much closer, almost pressing his entire body against Sendoh, not giving him any space to dribble.

Sendoh was uncomfortable being stuck to the ball, so he turned his back to protect the ball and called for a screen from Uozumi.

After the pick-and-roll, Akagi switched onto the defense. Sendoh faced Akagi, dribbled twice, and suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer.

Akagi was too slow to pounce. The ball traced an arc in the air, very flat.

"Whoosh."

52:49.

Ryonan is leading by three points.

Rukawa dribbled past half-court, facing Sendoh. This time, he didn't ask for a screen, but instead pulled up for a three-pointer, exactly the same move Sendoh had made earlier. Sendoh lunged forward, his fingertips touching the bottom edge of the ball. The ball was touched, its trajectory changed, and it bounced back off the backboard.

Uozumi grabbed the rebound and passed it to Sendoh. Sendoh dribbled the ball up the court, with Rukawa chasing behind.

There are seven seconds left.

Sendoh dribbled to the three-point line and stopped abruptly. Rukawa chased after him from behind, but couldn't stop in time and sped past Sendoh.

Sendoh had an open shot in front of him, but he didn't shoot. He dribbled to the free-throw line, jumped, and made a mid-range shot.

Rukawa jumped up from behind to block, his body fully extended in the air, his palm reaching up to Sendoh's head.

The ball is released.

Rukawa's fingertips were off by two centimeters.

The ball spun twice in the air.

It bounced once, fell in, and went in.

Toot toot toot~, the whistle sounds.

competition is over.

Ryonan won 54-49.

After landing, Sendoh's knees buckled, and he almost lost his balance. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor.

Rukawa stood in front of him, panting heavily, staring at him for three seconds.

"Will you go to America?"

Sendoh was taken aback. The question was too sudden and had nothing to do with the match just now, but Rukawa's expression was serious; he wasn't joking.

"meeting."

"When?"

"After graduating from high school."

Rukawa nodded. "Then I'll go too." He turned and walked back to Shohoku's bench without looking back.

He ran over and grabbed Sendoh's arm. "What did he just say to you?"

He said he would also go to the United States.

"Who? Rukawa? He's going too? Can he pass the English test?"

He'll get through it.

Yueye shook his head. "You two are really... I'm starting to suspect that playing basketball is just a side job for you, and your main job is dating." Sendoh kicked him.

In the locker room, Sendoh took off his soaking wet training clothes and changed into a dry T-shirt. The system panel popped up.

[Practice match victory, PP+10]

Current PP: 28

[Speed ​​A - Edge, stability improved after sustained high-intensity combat]

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The game-winning shot was still replaying in his mind: seven seconds left, from the baseline to the frontcourt, a sudden stop, Rukawa rushing past him, and the shot. That image swirled in his head several times.

My phone vibrated.

The text message Rukawa sent contained only two words.

"Wait."

Sendoh stared at the screen for two seconds, then typed two words back.

"OK."

My phone vibrated again.

"You type so slowly."