On the bench of Seirin, the players were visibly stunned.
Riko furrowed her brow and asked Kuroko with a serious expression, "Kuroko, could he shoot from that far back in middle school?"
Kuroko shook his head, replying gravely, "No, the furthest I've seen him shoot was from half-court. This is the first time I've seen him attempt a full-court shot."
Izuki let out a wry smile, murmuring to himself, "I've seen NBA training footage of shots like that, but attempting one in an actual game? That's just unreal."
Hyuga sighed in frustration. "The Generation of Miracles... Are they even human?"
Koganei, equally baffled, chimed in, "Seriously, how are we supposed to defend against something like that?"
The question left the entire Seirin team deep in thought. They were well aware of the difficulty and threat posed by such an ultra-long-range three-pointer. If they couldn't find an effective defensive strategy, it could spell serious trouble for them.
Meanwhile, on the Shūtoku bench.
"The opposing team will definitely try to shut down Midorima first. There are plenty of ways to do it, but how should we respond?" Masaaki, the coach, rested his chin on his hand, his brow furrowed as he focused intently on the court, pondering their next move.
The team was actively discussing how to counter the opponent's defensive strategies against Midorima.
Just then, Midorima suddenly called out, "Coach!" His voice was firm and commanding, snapping Nakatani out of his thoughts. He looked up at Midorima, waiting for what he had to say.
Midorima spoke directly, "In the second quarter, pass every ball to me."
His words were like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, causing shock and dissatisfaction among the Shūtoku players. They thought Midorima's request was reckless and disregarded teamwork.
However, Midorima paid no attention to their reactions. His gaze was fixed on Nakatani as he reiterated, "No matter how they defend, I will crush them myself." His words were filled with confidence and determination, leaving everyone in awe.
Nakatani looked at Midorima deeply, silently marveling at the sheer audacity of a member of the Generation of Miracles. Though he understood the risks involved in Midorima's plan, he also believed in Midorima's ability to overcome any challenge.
With a nod, Nakatani agreed to Midorima's request, saying, "Alright, but you'll have to use up one of your three 'selfish' privileges for today."
"Wait, Coach!" The team was stunned and immediately tried to protest.
"The coach has already agreed, so I won't say much. You can do as you please in the first half, but if we lose..." Ōtsubo glared at Midorima with a murderous expression, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"You'd better be ready to take responsibility."
Hearing this, Midorima gulped, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. Despite his usual confidence, even he couldn't ignore Ōtsubo's threat. After all, he didn't want to be the reason the team lost.
Beep! The break ended, and with the sound of the whistle, the second quarter began!
Takao received the ball and quickly passed it to Midorima. However, something unexpected happened — Kuroko appeared in front of Midorima, attempting to block his advance!
The audience was shocked. After all, Kuroko was only 168cm tall, while Midorima stood at 195cm — a nearly 30 cm difference! Given such a height disparity, the crowd didn't hold much hope for Kuroko's defensive abilities.
"You think a trick like this will scare me?" Midorima sneered, then instantly broke through from the left.
Seeing this familiar scene, Kise, sitting in the stands, couldn't help but smile slightly. He thought to himself, "The real defense is coming up, Midorima!"
Just as expected, Kuroko's plan was the same as when he had defended against Kise earlier. After being bypassed by Midorima, Kuroko immediately followed behind, trying to steal the ball from Midorima's back.
Just as Kuroko was about to succeed, Takao suddenly appeared beside him, setting a solid screen that completely blocked Kuroko.
"Hey, hey, sneaking up from behind isn't very sportsmanlike, is it?" Takao said with a sly grin.
"Kuroko's steal from behind... was completely read!" Both Kise and the Seirin team were once again stunned. They knew Kuroko's abilities well, and they hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary high schooler to see through Kuroko's signature move.
Kagami, seeing this, rushed forward to help defend, but Midorima was faster than expected. He quickly shook off Kagami and, without hesitation, launched another three-pointer.
The ball arced beautifully through the air before swishing cleanly through the net!
"This guy isn't just good at threes — he's fast too! Damn, he's a monster!" Kagami wiped the sweat from his forehead, inwardly marveling at the sheer talent of the Generation of Miracles.
Seirin's next possession saw Kagami passing the ball to Kuroko once again. Kuroko lightly tapped the ball, sending it back to Kagami. But with a sharp smack, Takao intercepted the pass.
Takao looked at Kuroko with a smirk. "Hmph, you think you can get past me? Not a chance!"
The ball soon found its way back to Midorima, who didn't hesitate to shoot.
"Swish!" The ball went straight through the hoop, bringing the score to 24:13.
The crowd erupted in cheers, applauding Midorima's incredible performance.
Seirin's next play involved more teamwork, and the ball eventually ended up in the hands of Mitobe.
Facing Ōtsubo, Mitobe showed no fear. He took a deep breath, gripping the ball tightly with both hands.
His eyes were filled with determination, as if telling himself he had to succeed.
With his left hand rising slightly to guide the shot, Mitobe gently hooked the ball with his right hand. The ball arced gracefully through the air.
"Swish!" The ball bounced off the rim and went in.
"No matter how much you fight back, you can't stop me from scoring" Midorima said confidently.
As soon as he finished speaking, he once again caught the ball near the opponent's basket and jumped for a shot. This time, his movements were even smoother, as if he had practiced this shot countless times.
"Not so fast!" Kagami, seeing this, sprinted toward Midorima with all his might, leaping high to block Midorima's full-court three-pointer. His eyes burned with determination, as if he could stop Midorima's shot through sheer willpower.
However, when Kagami reached Midorima, he realized just how high Midorima's release point was.
"So high! Once he sets his stance, it's over!" Kagami thought, shocked. He had believed his jumping ability was enough to block Midorima's shot, but now he realized he had underestimated Midorima's skill.
Despite Kagami's incredible leaping ability, Midorima's height of 195 cm was no joke.
Not only that, but Midorima's wingspan and jumping ability were also impressive, even if they weren't as outstanding as some of the other members of the Generation of Miracles.
In the end, Midorima effortlessly released the ball, which arced beautifully through the air before cleanly passing through the hoop.
"Swish!" The crisp sound of the net echoed as the ball went in. Midorima had successfully completed another perfect full-court three-pointer.
"Three in a row!"
"Midorima is unstoppable!"
"This is a one-sided game!"
The crowd was once again electrified, now fully realizing Midorima's dominance. He truly lived up to his reputation as the best shooter from middle school!
"If this continues, it's not just the score that'll collapse — it's their morale!" Shiro, sitting in the stands, muttered to himself. "What will Seirin do next?"
Only two and a half minutes into the second quarter, the score was now 27:15, with the gap widening to 12 points.
Seeing this, Kagami's lips curled into a grin, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha... so strong! This is Midorima?!"
"Kagami always gets excited and laughs when he faces a strong opponent, but this time... it feels a bit different" Hyūga noted, sensing something unusual.
Kuroko, meanwhile, stared at Kagami in awe. To him, Kagami seemed to be surrounded by a blazing fire — a fierce fighting spirit and desire to win!
Kagami's eyes were locked on Midorima, filled with an unyielding thirst for victory.