Slam Dunk:Starting with perfect copy

Sendoh was well aware that the coach had his reasons for setting up the two teams in this way; it was to test the abilities of this

extraordinary newcomer. It was only natural for the coach to do this testing himself. He was also very curious about this player. In this case, let me see just how good you are!

Following a brief halftime interlude, the players from both teams reemerged onto the court. Yuzumi and Sugahira stepped into the center circle to contest the ball yet again. Just like the start of the first half, Yuzumi easily claimed the ball over Sugahira's head once more. The moment it came down to him following the pass, Kazuki Kishino booted it directly to Kenichi Uesugi. From this first half,

what he realized was that this guy, though a rookie like him, has a strength way beyond that of the main players. Well, that explained why it wasn't any surprise that he was being outmatched by him in the competition; even the starting players themselves couldn't handle his prowess!

Kishino Kazuki, thinking over all this, looked at Ikegami with sympathy. "This guy is really miserable!" he thought. "But why didn't he defend Kenichi Uesugi?" Kenichi Uesugi took the ball passed on to him by Kishino Kazuki. While bouncing the ball on the floor, he looked at Sendoh, who had come up to defend him. "You finally came! You are very strong! But I want to see how strong you can be!"

Sendoh got ready for defense and replied calmly. The other players from both teams on the side became instantly interested in seeing Sendoh actually defending Kenichi Uesugi alone. "Sendoh is really defending Kenichi Uesugi!" "This guy has actually gotten Sendoh's attention. It seems that his strength is recognized by Sendoh!" "Who will win in their matchup?" "Isn't that obvious ? It's Sendoh, of course!"

Naturally the overwhelming majority were not optimistic about Kenichi Uesugi. But that was only to be expected. In the past year, Sendoh had given them too many shocks. On the bench outside the court, Tanabe Shigeichi stared at the two figures on the court representing opposing sides. His eyes slowly intensified. "Come on! Show your true strength!"

Even at the end of the rookie tournament, Tanaka Shigeichi had wanted to find out how far Uesugi Kenichi could go, so he took this bout and methodically planned it. More than an internal team sparring match, this bout was closer to a game that was deliberately devised by Tanaka Shigeichi for Kenichi Uesugi. Though he said it was to decide the starting five, in truth, there was no need for a game to determine that. The starting positions of Yuzumi and Sendoh were absolutely set in stone. Uekusa definitely earned the point guard position. The other players, Ikegami and Gonoko, were head and shoulders above the rest. There was also Fukuda, who would switch with Ikegami once he returned to the unit later.

Only Kenichi Uesugi was aware of the true extent of his strength, while Shigeka Tanaka found himself uncertain about his precise position on the court. All these dilemmas required resolution in this match. On the court, Sendoh fixed his gaze on Kenichi Uesugi, who was dribbling at a measured pace. As Kenichi Uesugi's dribbling rhythm began to quicken, Sendoh abruptly advanced, nearly pressing against him.

"Sendoh is actually defending Kenichi Uesugi closely!"

"He did this to better guard against Kenichi Uesugi's quick shots!" Yuzumi explained. His words made Ikegami want to slap himself. He hadn't thought of it. The closer you are, the easier it is to interfere with his quick shots. At this time, Yuzumi spoke again, "But this also has a disadvantage : it can be too easy to be broken through. "

Everyone on the court knew Yuzumi was right. The defensive distance was far too close, making it far too easy for offensive players to slip through. After all, the initiative was in their hands; the choice to break through or take a shot rested solely with them.

"If that's the case, Kenichi Uesugi will definitely choose to break through. He definitely won't dare to attempt a shot against Sendoh!" Ikegami said from the side. He had just finished speaking when he felt slapped in the face by Kenichi Uesugi.

Faced with Sendoh 's close defense, Kenichi Uesugi chose to force a jump. "Damn! This guy is too arrogant! He actually ignored Sendoh 's defense!"

"What a cocky player! He dared to provoke Sendoh !"

"Are the newcomers so arrogant now?" Ikegami, who had been slapped in the face by Kenichi Uesugi, commented. The players on both sides of the court unanimously did not believe that Kenichi Uesugi could score a goal. After all, Sendoh was already defending closely. If he still wanted to use quick shots, he would definitely be asking for trouble.

"He can't really only utilize this one shooting method!"

"Maybe it's truly possible!" The players had differing opinions, but they all disagreed with Kenichi Uesugi. Only the player on the bench, Shigeichi Tanaka, saw the clue. Kenichi Uesugi did not use the technique of quick shooting this time ; this was his normal shooting posture. 

However, even against Sendoh's tight defense, getting blocked remained a common occurrence. "What on earth is he trying to do?" Shigeichi Tanaka found himself somewhat bewildered at that moment.

On the court, Sendoh too was puzzled by Kenichi Uesugi's actions, yet he swiftly reacted, mimicking Kenichi Uesugi's movements as he leaped. In a swift motion, he raised his hand to obstruct Kenichi Uesugi's shot. Just as Sendoh was about to complete the block, Kenichi Uesugi - who had originally jumped vertically - suddenly shifted his center of gravity backward, causing his upper body to separate from Sendoh. This made it impossible for Sendoh to touch the basketball in Kenichi Uesugi's hand.

Then Kenichi Uesugi, half-tilted, threw the basketball directly into the basket!

"Shua"

The sound of the basketball passing through the net was clearly heard by everybody on the court,

but what was weird was that,

the court was dead silent.

After landing, Kenichi Uesugi took several deep breaths in succession,

just now, he imitated Junpei Hinata's skill in the black and blue: inviolable shooting,

this skill required him to forcibly move his center of gravity in the air,

although he successfully shot the ball towards Sendoh,

but this skill did consume a lot of his physical strength.

Opposite to Kenichi Uesugi,

Xendo looked at Kenichi Uesugi standing opposite him,

with an expression of disbelief and astonishment on his face!