NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

At this point, Shiro's name once again resonated loudly. Whether in the streets or on social media platforms, any discussion about high school basketball in Japan inevitably included his name. People couldn't stop praising his skills and extraordinary performances.

However, Shiro himself remained unfazed by the outside world's admiration. He stayed focused on his training, arriving at the gym every day on time and practicing rigorously with his teammates.

Meanwhile, the preliminaries continued to unfold intensely.

Thanks to Shiro and his teammates' outstanding performances, Fukui advanced smoothly through each round.

In their subsequent games, Fukui defeated Yamasa 157:31, showcasing their dominant strength. They then followed up with a 161:29 victory over another team, leaving spectators in awe.

...

Throughout the preliminary stages, Fukui faced almost no obstacles. With an overwhelming style of play, they crushed one opponent after another.

Their scores consistently hovered around 160 points per game, while their opponents rarely scored more than 30 or 40 points.

Such statistics led many to believe that Fukui had become an unbeatable powerhouse.

Interestingly, Shiro only played during the first half of each game. Yet, even in just one half, he would establish a lead of 70-80 points or more.

This allowed his teammates to play more relaxed and efficient basketball in the second half, consistently widening the margin to over 100 points by the end of each game.

Over time, hearing about Fukui's landslide victories became routine for people from other schools.

In fact, many high schools analyzed Fukui's games but failed to devise any effective counter-strategy.

...

"Sigh, who would've thought the opponents in the finals would be this weak!" Nijimura Shuzo remarked, his face tinged with disappointment. They had just won the Osaka Group finals with a staggering score of 163:41. Due to the smaller number of schools in Osaka compared to Tokyo, their finals were held a day earlier than Tokyo's.

"Well, it's not surprising" Kawamura responded calmly, his eyes glinting with confidence. "The Osaka Group has never really had any standout schools. Even in the past two years, I led the team to the Interhigh without much difficulty"

He added with a mix of pride and regret, "Though, back then, we only managed 15th place two years ago and 9th place last year."

Kawamura's expression briefly showed both satisfaction and frustration. For the past two years, he had been the sole pillar of the team, with no one else to share the burden.

But now, with Shiro and Nijimura joining the roster, this year was shaping up to be his best shot at winning the Interhigh.

"By the way" Shiro suddenly said, turning to Nijimura and Kawamura, "Seirin will face Shūtoku tomorrow for their spot in the IH. Interested in watching the game?"

Hearing this, Momoi's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes, yes! It'll be Kuroko and Midorima's first showdown! I definitely want to see it!" She jumped in excitement, clutching Shiro's arm and looking at him eagerly.

Watching her energetic demeanor, Shiro chuckled softly, patting her head gently. "Alright, alright. We'll go together."

Nijimura and Kawamura exchanged glances and nodded. "Sure, why not?"

They knew this match would be a thrilling spectacle and a rare face-off between members of the Generation of Miracles.

For them, studying their future opponents' strengths and tactics in advance was undoubtedly a smart move.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we'll watch the game!" Shiro said with a smile.

The group then boarded the team bus and began their journey back to school.

The next day, under a bright sun and a gentle breeze, Shiro, dressed casually, arrived at a Tokyo sports arena with Momoi and the others.

As expected, despite Seihō High's unique defensive techniques inspired by old martial arts movements, Seirin's strength prevailed. They secured a decisive victory and advanced to the next round.

By now, Shiro and his group had taken their seats in the audience, ready to watch the Tokyo Group 1 final. This match would determine who would represent the group in the IH.

The most anticipated showdown was undoubtedly between Kuroko and Kagami against Midorima.

Shiro sat quietly in his seat, his eyes fixed on the court, waiting for the game to begin.

In Shūtoku's locker room, Midorima sat alone, his expression unusually serious. Lost in thought, he muttered to himself:

"Kuroko and his new light — Kagami. I've never once slacked in my shooting practice. Every session, I've given my all. Even my left-hand nails remain perfectly maintained. Today's horoscope ranks Cancer as number one, and I have my lucky item — a tanuki statue. I even tied my shoelaces starting from the right, just as planned. Everything is in place. I've done my part"

With that, Midorima stood up and walked out of the locker room, heading toward the court.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Seirin's locker room was heavy.

Kagami sat on the floor, exhausted, with his eyes closed as he tried to compose himself.

Finally, Kuroko, the last to leave the locker room, spoke softly, "Kagami, it's time to go."

Hearing this, Kagami opened his eyes, a fierce and determined light gleaming within them.

Clenching his fists tightly, he muttered under his breath, "Let's go!"

He then stood up and followed his teammates toward the court.