Chapter 60 - ||Awakening|| (1/2)
The second half of the game started with Aiwa switching to defense.
Just like Shun, Hanamiya also needed the first half of the game to analyze the opponent and then plan the steals.
Hanamiya: 'Now, I know their patterns. I can steal passes from them.
It's time for a comeback.'
Hanamiya had a genius-level intellect, and that helped him figure out the pass patterns of the team.
Against an average team, Hanamiya could counter one-quarter of their passes, converting them into turnovers.
In Kirisaki-Daiichi, Hanamiya could steal one hundred percent of passes with the assistance of Seto Kentarō.
On the other hand, Shun's steal percentage was just below fifty-percent. Shun's copy ability provided him with an ungodly advantage in analyzing the opponent.
But soon, Hanamiya found out the problem with his thinking.
Hanamiya thinking was too naive.
Tokiwadai had changed their strategy, and now all the plays were just one pass play to Shun.
It didn't matter if the plays were fast or slow; all of them contained a single pass to Shun.
After Shun got the ball, he didn't pass the ball and scored on his own.
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Shun got the ball and moved. Aiwa's shooting guard came to defend him.
Shun stopped and stood upright in a normal standing stance. Aiwa's shooting guard moved a little back and raised his posture to be ready for a shoot.
Shun continued by lowering his stance abruptly, causing his defender to panic and follow with his stance change, but Shun moved one step back and again eased stance.
This caused the Aiwa's shooting guard to move forward to close the gap, but as soon as he moved forward, Shun again lowered his posture and charged forward.
Aiwa's shooting guard instinctively tried to follow, but his body weight was now off-balance, his feet slipped, and he fell on his b.u.t.t.
Shun stopped a little ahead and dropped a three-point dragger as the first point of the third quarter.
Tokiwadai Bench: ”Ankle, Break!”
Tokiwadai Bench: ”The dude will never be able to walk again!”
Tokiwadai bench went wild as Shun broke Aiwa's shooting guard ankles.
The game continued with Shun scoring left and right, each time Tokiwadai possessed the ball, they would pass the ball to Shun before reaching the three-point arc.
Shun would then take the ball and score a point without fail.
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Shun was dribbling the ball and got into the low post. Aiwa's center loomed onto him.
Shun looked left and went into the pass motion to the left.
Aiwa's center turned to the left, but the pass was a fake as Shun was already in the air, with the ball in his hand dunking it down into the rim.
-*-*-*-
Shun was dribbling forward and got to the free-throw line. Hanamiya was standing in front of him, ready to block.
Shun stomped on his left leg in front of Hanamiya.
Shun was now behind Hanamiya and scored with a simple layup.
Kaitani exclaimed when he saw Shun use the move.
Kaitani: ”Euro Step! He used the Euro Step!” [1]
Shun had used an advance move, and rim finishers like Kaitani were swooning at the display.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Shun was standing just outside of the paint in front of the basket.
Shun calmly looked at Hanamiya, who was standing in the paint as he waited for Shun to make a move.
Shun lifted the ball with one hand and threw it towards the basket.
Hanamiya looked back, thinking.
Hanamiya: 'He threw the ball randomly. There is no way it is going into the basket.'
Hanamiya was right, it didn't go in, but it did bounce off the backboard and returned to Shun.
The jaws of all the players in the gym dropped when they saw the ball bounce back and Shun shooting the ball without any contesting from Aiwa's team.
Hanamiya looked back at Shun to see him running back to his side of the court without looking back once.
Hanamiya: ”What is happening?!”
-*-*-*-*-*-
A few minutes into the third quarter, Shun declared to Hanamiya.
Shun: ”Hanamiya, I will be stealing the passes from now on. Let's see if you can stop me from stealing.”
A vein bulged on Hanamiya's forehead as he growled.
Hanamiya: ”What did you say!”
Shun's word had hit Hanamiya hard. He had been trying to steal the ball since the start of the third quarter, but because of Tokiwadai's one-pass play, he wasn't able to steal a single pass.
Shun did what he set out to do. In the Aiwa's next offense, Shun stole the ball right in front of Hanamiya.
The turnover turned into a three-point play as Shun dropped a shoot from the three-point arc.
Hanamiya was getting more and more frustrated as the game continued, with Shun scoring all the points, Aiwa was not able to deploy dirty tactics as Shun was to fast for them.
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Hanamiya had lost all sense of calm and was on the verge of exploding.
He was defending Shun, and Shun was dribbling towards him.
Shun felt Hanamiya's mood, so he decided to push him over the edge.
Shun moved forward to the left and dribbled the ball in a between the leg motion, switching the ball from his right hand to the left hand.
Both Hanamiya and Shun moved to the left, but Shun switched the ball from his left hand and right hand from behind his back and moved back to his initial position.
Shun stopped and shot another three-pointer, increasing the ever-increasing point gap.
Aiwa's team finally understood that no matter what they tried, they couldn't stop the monster that was playing against them.
Hanamiya couldn't believe that his ankles were broken.
He looked above to find Shun looking down on him from the corner of his eyes.
Hanamiya was finally enraged, and in the next possession, he decided to show it.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Hanamiya had managed to get the ball, and in front of him was his defender, Shun.
Hanamiya had been building up stress since he wasn't able to participate since Shun and Kaitani had him in lockdown.
On top of that, Hanamiya was angry at Shun for breaking his ankles.
Hanamiya: 'I will make you regret everything!'
Hanamiya raised both of his hands such that his elbows were right above Shun's head, and with a crazed look in his eyes, he brought them down clearly intending to smash them into Shun's face.
Shun just moved his head backward with a bored expression on his face. He sighed, and at the moment when Hanamiya was shocked at his failed assault, Shun literally snatched the ball from Hanamiya, and Hanamiya didn't even resist.
Shun dribbled forward, and as the Aiwa's shooting guard came to block him, he used his integrated version of 'Earth' shot to land a three-pointer and gain a free-throw from being fouled.