Capítulo 26: Chapter 25
With Meiko inbounding the ball to their court, it provided a significant advantage for them. They didn't have to bring the ball down and waste more time, which was crucial since there were only 11 seconds left in the game and they were still behind by 7 points.
With Ogiwara inbounding the ball, he has only one play in mind: to ensure that Ichigo immediately gets the ball without any time wasted.
Ogiwara tries to survey the court, but someone is blocking his view with their body. He sees that Murasakibara is in front of him. This move by Teiko is as expected since Murasakibara's height, length, and agility make him the perfect player to disrupt an inbounds play.
As the referee signals for the resumption of the game, he passes the ball to Ogiwara for the inbound and starts his 5-second countdown.
As Ogiwara receives the ball, he immediately tries to locate Ichigo. However, with Murasakibara's towering height and impressive wingspan, Ogiwara finds it nearly impossible to see the court, let alone locate Ichigo.
As the referee's 5-second countdown approached and with Ogiwara unable to locate Ichigo due to tight guarding by Aomine and the entire Teiko team, Ichigo was prevented from even getting close to Ogiwara to receive the pass. Consequently, Ogiwara had no choice but to pass the ball to Murasakibara's feet in order to reset the inbounds play.
The referee then signaled for an out-of-bounds violation, with Meiko retaining possession. However, despite gaining possession, Ogiwara's play still wasted a precious second of the clock. In an inbounds play, the time starts running after the ball is touched by any player inside the court. As a result, only 10 seconds were left in the game.
After realizing that he couldn't find a good position on the court due to the watchful eyes of all the Teiko players, Ichigo signals for his teammates to gather at the free-throw line. However, Ogiwara is unable to join them because it wasn't a timeout.
Inside the huddle, you can see the serious expressions on the players' faces as they wait for Ichigo to say something. After a few moments, Ichigo demonstrates a play for them to follow in order for him to create an opportunity. The players attentively listen to his strategy and nod seriously, placing their complete trust in Ichigo.
Once they understand the play, Ichigo's teammates quickly move to their assigned positions as per his instructions. Ichigo himself positions himself on the wing, one player takes the left side of the free-throw line, and the other two position themselves on the right side of the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Ogiwara throws the ball in from the right side.
Akashi was intrigued by their positioning on the court but didn't have time to ponder their play. The referee signaled for the restart of the game and passed the ball to Ogiwara.
Upon seeing this, Ichigo immediately rushed to the free-throw line where one of his teammates was standing to set a screen for him. Aomine was guarding Ichigo closely, and although the screen slowed Aomine down, he continued to follow Ichigo closely.
Realizing that Aomine was chasing him, Ichigo slowed down as he approached his two remaining teammates on his left and right sides. He pushed Aomine slightly as he passed between his two teammates and quickly rushed towards the corner of the court.
As his teammates noticed Aomine closing in, they executed their signature elevator play, employing two screeners to metaphorically shut the door on the defender. They positioned themselves on either side of Aomine, effectively trapping him on the other side of the screen.
Witnessing this unexpected move, Teiko's defense momentarily faltered, presenting an opportunity for Ichigo to be open in the corner. Ogiwara scanned the court in search of Ichigo, but couldn't see the play that Ichigo had signaled to his teammates. With the shot clock winding down and only a few seconds left, Ogiwara instinctively passed the ball to the figure he saw in his peripheral vision, not knowing if it was his teammate or not.
Realizing that he had a clear shot, Ichigo didn't bother to set himself up for a comfortable position. As soon as he caught the ball, he swiftly executed a turnaround shot, ensuring that both his feet were positioned behind the three-point line.
Teiko's player could only watch as Ichigo confidently took an open shot, sending the ball smoothly through the net. That incredible shot added to the overall score of 112-116. The team was completely taken by surprise with the elevator play, as it was the first time they had ever witnessed such a tactic being used.
After the basket, the crowd went wild. They hadn't expected to witness such an exciting game. Teiko's previous opponents had either been easily defeated or had given up before the game even started.
So, watching a game this tightly contested and intense from Teiko was truly surprising and enjoyable for the fans in attendance. It served as an eye-opener and a real treat for those who were following the game.
With no timeouts remaining for either team, Teiko was forced to inbound the ball without any tactics or strategy. Akashi's sole focus was to prevent Murasakibara from gaining possession of the ball at any cost. He was determined to get the ball into the hands of his teammates, excluding Murasakibara.
However, Meiko was pressuring Akashi to pass the ball to Murasakibara. They had witnessed Murasakibara's disastrous free throw in the previous play. It was disappointing to see such a talented player struggle with such a basic skill. Murasakibara's lack of practice and neglect of fundamental training had clearly affected his ability to perform in this last minute or so.
As the referee's countdown approached the 5-second violation mark, Akashi could only clench his teeth in frustration. He reluctantly passed the ball to Murasakibara. Aomine was double-teamed, and Kise and Midorima faced their own defenders. Akashi wanted the ball to reach these two players, especially Midorima, who was the best shooter on the team. But Ichigo stood in his way, blocking his passing lane to Midorima and Kise. Akashi knew he couldn't risk passing the ball to them due to the high chance of Ichigo stealing it, particularly since Midorima wasn't known for his exceptional ball-handling skills.
Resigned to the circumstances, Akashi passed the ball to the unguarded Murasakibara. At least if Murasakibara missed the free throw, which was highly likely, even if Meiko got the rebound, they would still need to bring the ball past half-court. With only around 6 seconds remaining on the clock, even if they made a three-point shot, they would still be ahead by one point. Surely, it was implausible to expect them to score two baskets consecutively within such a short timeframe, right?
Maybe the basketball gods took pity on Akashi, but Murasakibara almost made the first free throw. If the rim had been slightly to the left, Murasakibara's shot would have gone in. But unfortunately, it didn't even graze the rim.
Upon seeing that shot, Akashi almost grabs his hair in frustration. However, he stops himself before his hands go above his hips. He expected that Murasakibara wouldn't make a single free throw, but at least hit the ring, big guy. Don't embarrass yourself like that.
Akashi even had the urge to tell Murasakibara that if he was missing so badly, why not just toss the ball towards the other side of the court. But he didn't do it because he was a proper young man. And, from what he knows, that was an illegal move in basketball.
Before Murasakibara took his second free throw, Ichigo called for a huddle with his teammates. He gave them instructions in a soft voice. At first, their faces showed shock, but it quickly changed to determination as the referee signaled for them to take their positions.
As Murasakibara prepared to take his second free throw, all the players were ready to rebound the ball. The referee handed the ball to Murasakibara, and as expected, his shot missed. This time, however, it hit the rim and bounced out.
With the ball in the air, ready for a rebound, all the players under the basket scrambled to get into the best position to grab it. However, Meiko had the advantage with three players positioned to rebound, while Teiko only had Aomine and Kise. They were completely boxed out by Meiko's players. Just as this happened, Ichigo comfortably grabs the rebound.
With Ichigo grabbing the rebound, the game continues. As he lands, he quickly rushes to the other side of the court to make a shot.
With less than 4 seconds left on the clock, Ichigo passes the half-court line. After a few more steps, he stops to take a shot. However, Akashi had anticipated this. Earlier, when the Meiko players were in a huddle, he gave an instruction to Murasakibara.
After Murasakibara takes his freethrow, he needs to quickly get back on defense and prevent Ichigo from shooting a three-pointer. Akashi knows that Ichigo will attempt a three-point shot, and he wants Murasakibara's height to at least bother Ichigo's shot.
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A/N: For those who don't know what an 'Elevator screen' play was, it's a play that the early splash bros used before they became a dynasty in the NBA. And from what I know, they made that play illegal in the NBA because of how effective it was in making sharpshooters like Curry and Thompson from getting open shots.
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