NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

After Mibuchi smoothly sank his free throw, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

The score reached 53:43, a staggering 10-point lead! No one had anticipated that Teiko, usually so dominant, would fall so far behind.

At this moment, Midorima had already accumulated three fouls. 

"Coach, should we call a timeout? Midorima already has three fouls, and it's only the second quarter!" Sanada, looking worried, pushed his glasses and anxiously asked Shirogane.

Shirogane's gaze was unusually intense as he watched the court, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he slowly shook his head and said, "This is also a test for Midorima. Let's see if he can overcome this challenge and rise above it. Strategically, subbing him out would help secure our win, but I'd rather see him push through under pressure"

Teiko launched a fierce attack, and Akashi deftly passed the ball to Shiro. At that moment, Midorima's confidence had clearly taken a hit after Mibuchi's shot, and he seemed less assured than before. Shiro skillfully controlled the ball, creating space from Watanabe and backing up to three steps beyond the three-point line.

"What's he up to, standing that far out? Could he be hiding some new trick?" Watanabe stayed on high alert, struggling to figure out Shirogane's intent. Then, Shiro suddenly bent his knees, preparing to shoot. 

Mibuchi's eyes flashed as he remembered Shiro's occasional ultra-long-range shots, shouting, "Watanabe, get up there and guard him!"

Reacting quickly, Watanabe shot toward Shiro, but him was almost at half-court, and Watanabe was still near the three-point line. Defending him effectively from that distance was nearly impossible.

With a satisfying "swish" the ball sailed cleanly into the basket like a guided missile. The audience went wild, cheers and gasps filling the air.

"Midorima, trust in yourself. You're not inferior to him. If you observe his movements closely, you'll surely find a way to defend against him!" Shiro, freshly triumphant, looked seriously at Midorima, his gaze seeming to transfer strength and confidence.

After speaking, Shiro turned and hurried back to the defensive end without hesitation.

'Shiro…' Midorima, watching Shiro retreat, reflexively pushed up his glasses. Under the bright stadium lights, they flashed a blinding white.

Suddenly, Midorima's step became lighter as he closely followed Shiro to the backcourt. Clearly, Shiro's words had left an impact.

Rokko regained possession, and Kawamura once again passed to Mibuchi, counting on his skill to break through Midorima's defense.

"Midorima…" Mibuchi was about to taunt him, but before he could finish, Midorima interrupted, "Mibuchi, I admit you're strong, but I won't give up easily. I'll find a way to defeat you!"

"Oh? Then you'd better try harder" Mibuchi replied, smiling faintly before charging at Midorima with renewed intensity.

With a swift sidestep to the right, Mibuchi tried to break past Midorima. But him held his ground, blocking Mibuchi's path entirely. Mibuchi kept switching up his dribbles and directions, hoping to throw Midorima off balance, but him shadowed him closely, giving Mibuchi no openings.

"Damn, this isn't working…" Mibuchi muttered under his breath. "If that's how it's going to be, I'll have to take the shot!" With that thought, he pulled up for his signature Heaven Shot.

Watching closely, Midorima analyzed Mibuchi's movements, quickly weighing the risks. He made a bold decision, gritted his teeth, and jumped with all his might to block the shot.

"Damn, he predicted it!" Mibuchi was stunned as Midorima leapt, willing to risk everything. Mibuchi immediately shifted his shooting posture to avoid the block, switching to an Earth Shot.

In this tense moment, something astonishing happened—Midorima managed to halt his momentum mid-air, avoiding a collision with Mibuchi!

"What! How is that possible?" Mibuchi's eyes widened in shock. He stared at Midorima in disbelief, overwhelmed by the unexpected.

Everyone was amazed. No one had anticipated Midorima's physical prowess, allowing him to stop so suddenly. Such control required extraordinary core and abdominal strength!

The audience buzzed again, seeing Midorima effectively shut down Mibuchi. It seemed the match between the two was far from over!

Mibuchi, having already picked up his dribble, immediately called Watanabe over for a handoff. Watanabe sprinted over and executed a smooth pick-and-roll, ending up against Midorima.

Watanabe quickly unleashed a crossover that was even slicker than Mibuchi's, his fluid movement shifting Midorima's balance. With a double cross, Watanabe successfully created space, then dashed toward the rim.

Midorima stuck close, refusing to let Watanabe have an easy shot.

Under pressure near the free-throw line, Watanabe paused, dribbling between his legs, and backed into Midorima, preparing for a post-up.

Using his strength, Watanabe pushed Midorima twice, gaining enough room to spin into a jump shot. Midorima lunged forward, but Watanabe, anticipating his move, waited.

'Oh no! He's baiting me into a foul again!' Midorima's eyes widened, trying to stop himself, but Watanabe was already in position, drawing the contact.

Beep!

"Teiko's No. 7, Shintaro Midorima, foul! Two free throws!" The referee's call echoed as Watanabe smirked. He'd missed the shot, but his goal was met: Midorima now had four fouls!

"Whistle! Teiko Academy calls for a timeout!" Coach Shirogane called a timeout after Watanabe sank one free throw, seeing no choice since Midorima was one foul away from fouling out.

"Midorima, take a break. We'll sub you out" Coach Shirogane said reluctantly.

Midorima dropped his head, feeling dejected. He'd hit four fouls by halftime, and if he went back in, one wrong move could end his game.

"Midorima, study Mibuchi's shooting. We'll need you later. You brought your lucky item today, right? And today's horoscope ranks Cancer as the second luckiest!" Shiro's voice reached him as he handed Midorima his nail clipper. The whole team looked to Midorima, and Akashi spoke up firmly, "Midorima, we need you back in the second half!"

Seeing his teammates' trusting eyes, Midorima nodded, his eyes misting slightly.

'So, this is what it feels like to be trusted'

He resolved silently, 'Reo Mibuchi, I will defeat you!'

Coach Shirogane glanced around the team, his gaze landing on Shiro. He knew Shiro's skill was pivotal in this game—he had not yet unleashed his full strength.

Teiko's team followed Coach's gaze, focusing on Shiro. They understood his importance, he could even beat Aomine with ease.

"Turn off your animal instinct, Shiro, otherwise, we'll exhaust ourselves" Aomine advised, knowing that playing in the animal instinct required immense energy. If both played that way, Teiko would be in trouble once they left the court.

"Got it" Shiro replied with a firm nod.

"Let me take the lead on offense!" Aomine's confidence radiated, his presence reaching a new peak.

Beep!

The timeout was over.

"All right, guys, let's go!"