NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

"Not good!" Mibuchi frowned tightly, aware of how formidable Teiko was. Each player was just as skilled as those from Rokko, and some were even better.

At that moment, Kawamura came over, advising, "Mibuchi, during the game, make use of your Earth Shot. Try to take out Midorima first, his three-pointers are too dangerous for us. We can let them have some twos, but we need to shut down the threes. Teiko relies mostly on Midorima and Shiro for their three-pointers, so if we can lock down those two, we have a chance"

Kawamura's words sparked a realization in Mibuchi, and his frown relaxed. "You're right, I'll focus on dealing with Midorima first" With determination, Mibuchi turned to Kawamura and said, "Got it. When the game starts, pass me the ball—I won't let the team down!"

"Right, no problem. We believe in you!" Hachimura stepped forward, clapping Mibuchi's shoulder firmly, his eyes showing unwavering support. The rest of the team nodded, Mibuchi, after all, was the best shooter in junior high. If they couldn't trust him, who else could they trust?

Michuchi felt his teammates' trust and support, which fueled his fighting spirit.

Rokko had possession.

Kawamura dribbled down the court, quickly passing to Mibuchi.

With the ball in his hands, Mibuchi looked at Midorima, who stared back with a cold expression. Mibuchi couldn't help but taunt, "Little brother, you can't beat me!"

"Don't flatter yourself!" Midorima clearly hated that nickname.

Taking advantage of Midorima's distracted response, Mibuchi suddenly cut to the right.

"Cheap move!" Midorima quickly followed, trying to catch up.

Mibuchi, pulling his signature move, stepped back again to the three-point line and prepared to shoot.

'Should I jump or not?' Midorima found himself in a bind. If he didn't jump, Mibuchi's Heaven Shot would be unstoppable. But if he jumped, Mibuchi could switch to his Earth Shot and potentially draw a foul. Neither choice felt right.

As Midorima hesitated, Mibuchi's eyes flashed with confidence, and he executed the Heaven Shot. He jumped swiftly, the ball arcing high before swishing perfectly through the net.

Midorima's eyes widened, frustrated at how easily Mibuchi had scored. More troubling was that he couldn't crack Mibuchi's shooting pattern, leaving him helpless on defense.

The score moved to 48:43, with Teiko now on offense.

Kawamura and Mibuchi were determined to limit Midorima's three-pointers, their primary goal to deny him the ball even if it meant letting others score.

Kawamura focused intently on intercepting any passes between Akashi and Midorima, while Mibuchi stuck close to Midorima, giving him no space.

Their focused defense had an immediate impact. Akashi found himself cut off from Midorima and had no choice but to pass to Shiro.

Watanabe clung to Shiro, determined not to give him any open three-point shots. If he dared drive, Rokko's center were ready to contest, willing to give up two points to prevent a three.

Faced with Watanabe's tenacious defense, Shiro felt trapped. Watanabe mirrored him like an NBA player guarding Harden, keeping him from making a step-back three-pointer. With no other option, Shiro rushed towards the basket, aiming for a layup.

As Shiro neared the hoop, Hachimura Rui leapt high, poised to block.

Reacting quickly, Shiro spotted Murasakibara wide open. Without hesitation, he delivered a precise bounce pass, sending the ball to Murasakibara like a flash of lightning.

Fueled by frustration from the first quarter, Murasakibara jumped, preparing a powerful dunk to release his anger. But just as he lifted off, Watanabe appeared, standing his ground, even bracing his jaw against Murasakibara's elbow.

Watanabe fell to the floor, clutching his jaw in pain as the whistle blew. "Teiko No. 5, Atsushi Murasakibara, offensive foul. Rokko retains possession!"

"What! He was faking it! You've got to be kidding me!" Murasakibara fumed, furious at the foul.

Seeing Murasakibara's fury, the referee blew his whistle again, signaling a technical foul on Teiko No. 5 for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Rokko a free throw and possession.

Just as Murasakibara began to argue further, Shiro quickly pulled him back. "Come on now, calm down" Shiro apologized to the referee, smiling. "Sorry about that, he's young, please don't take it personally"

The referee sighed, understanding Shiro's sincerity. After all, they were just kids, and tempers sometimes flared. Besides, Murasakihara's size wasn't something anyone wanted to contend with.

"Murasakibara, calm down and get back on defense. I'll treat you to a big meal after this, okay? Let's just focus on the game for now" Shiro whispered to him, patting him on the shoulder.

Murasakibara finally relented, returning to defense.

Meanwhile, Rokko's players exchanged satisfied smiles, silently grateful to have an experienced teammate like Watanabe, who effortlessly drew a foul.

Watanabe calmly sank the free throw, moving the score to 49:43.

Then Kawamura took the inbound pass.

Thanks to a seamless pick-and-roll by Watanabe and Nebuya, Mibuchi received the ball from Kawamura and taunted Midorima "What's your plan, little brother? Care to try blocking my Heaven Shot?"

Hearing the taunt, Midorima wrestled with doubt. He couldn't tell if Mibuchi was bluffing, making him even more cautious.

Mibuchi opted for a direct attack. Standing beyond the three-point line, he made a slight drag step, prompting Midorima to shift his weight backward. But him quickly pulled up, seemingly going for the Heaven Shot.

'Is it a Heaven Shot?' Midorima lunged forward instinctively.

Just then, Mibuchi pulled back. He had indeed been aiming for a Heaven Shot but changed his mind, drawing Midorima into a foul. Switching to an Earth Shot, he aimed for the basket.

Beep!

The whistle sounded again, as Midorima fouled Mibuchi on the shot.

All eyes tracked the ball as it arced toward the basket, filled with suspense.

"Bang!" It hit the front rim, bouncing upward. Midorima breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, in a shocking twist, the ball bounced into the hoop!

At that moment, Midorima's expression darkened. He hadn't expected to lose in his duel with Mibuchi. In his mind, there was no doubt—he, Shintaro Midorima, had lost. Completely!

The referee's whistle blew. "Teiko's No. 7, Shintaro Midorima, foul. One free throw!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. In this battle of sharpshooters, Mibuchi had shown his skill, winning the showdown.