Slam Dunk:Starting with perfect copy

"Oh my god! Am I seeing this right? He can score a goal like this?"

"Is Kenichi Uesugi really a high school student? He just scored with his back to the basket!"

"Kainan should just give up. He can score with his eyes closed. What's the point of even trying?"

The crowd erupted in astonishment as they witnessed Kenichi Uesugi's incredible play. Meanwhile, on Kainan's bench, frustration was palpable. No matter how hard the players on the court tried, they couldn't score, while Uesugi was casually scoring even with his back to the basket. The contrast was impossible to ignore.

More importantly, the score gap had widened significantly.

Takato Riki, standing by, wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered under his breath, "It should be soon, he won't be able to last much longer."

On the court, Kainan's morale was at an all-time low. Even Maki, the strongest player and Kainan'spillar, was feeling the pressure.

He couldn't see a way to win. The offense and defense were completely dominated by Uesugi Kenichi. If it weren't for Coach Takato's constant encouragement to hold on a little longer, Makiwould have given up. But, respecting his coach, Maki forced himself to stay focused and continue the game with his teammates.

Maki brought the ball up court and, after facing Sendoh's defense, found an opening to break through. He scanned the court for Uesugi Kenichi but didn't see him. Taking advantage of this, Makiquickly shot. As the ball left his hands, he looked for Uesugi again, but this time, Uesugi wasn't anywhere near him. Someone else was defending him, leaving Maki confused.

"Why isn't he here?" Maki thought, just before hearing the sound of his shot hitting the rim.

"Bang!"

Maki realized too late that Uesugi Kenichi had been deliberately distracting him. By not directly guarding him, Uesugi made Maki second-guess himself, and in that moment, he had failed to make the shot.

From that point on, Uesugi continued his individual brilliance, scoring repeatedly and stretching Ryonan's lead even further. As Uesugi scored with an unorthodox shot, the score climbed to 94-72, with Ryonan now ahead by 22 points.

Watching this display of dominance from the sidelines, Yuzumi, who had been substituted out earlier due to a foul, was visibly frustrated. He turned to Shigeichi Tanaka, shaking his head.

"Is he really this strong? One man is enough, do I even need to play?"

Tanaka, eyeing Uesugi's performance, replied calmly, "He can only last five more minutes."

Just then, Uesugi scored another basket and, seeing the scoreboard, decided it was time for a break. He turned to coach Shigeichi Tanaka, who immediately understood his intentions. Tanaka approached the referee's table.

"Beep!"

"Ryonan requests a substitution. Player No. 6 replaces player No. 9! Player No. 4 replaces player No. 11!"

Uesugi had been substituted out, as Tanaka aimed to maintain the 22-point lead. Uesugi slowly walked off the court, exchanging a high-five with Hiroaki Takashiro. Takashiro nodded, "Thank you for your hard work."

As Uesugi walked to the bench, Takashiro couldn't help but sigh. "If he hadn't been here today, I fear we'd be looking at garbage time by now."

The crowd buzzed in excitement.

"Wow! Kenichi Uesugi is off the court!"

"Yeah! He must be exhausted. It's no wonder he was so active earlier!"

"Does that mean Kainan has a chance now?"

Everyone knew that the reason Kainan was trailing by more than 20 points was Uesugi's sheer dominance. With him off the court, they believed Kainan might be able to catch up.

In the front row of the stands, Akagi of Shohokuspoke, "Now that Uesugi's off the court, Kainanhas a real chance. The score is 22 points, but there are still 6 minutes left. Can they do it?"

"It's tough, but if Kainan plays explosively, they have a chance!" Mitsui replied.

Coach Anzai remained silent but observed the situation closely. He noticed Uesugi looked worn out as he left the court but didn't seem completely drained. This puzzled him.

On Kainan's bench, Takato Riki couldn't hold back his excitement. He knew Uesugi's energy had been fully depleted. With 6 minutes left, he believed Kainan's time had come.

Standing up, he shouted to his team, "Everyone, stay focused! Now's our time to catch up!"

The players on Kainan's team, now freed from the pressure Uesugi's defense had put on them, found a renewed sense of

determination. Maki quickly ran up the court, passing the ball to A Shen, who took the shot.

"Swish!" The ball went in.

Kainan finally scored after a 4-minute drought. The score was now 94-75, and the players erupted in joy, both on the court and from the bench.

They had waited four long minutes for this moment, and now it felt like they were back in the game.

As Ryonan attacked, Kainan's defense was much more aggressive. Afu attempted a layup against Muto Masa's defense but was blocked. Kiyota Nobunaga grabbed the rebound and charged down the court, scoring on a fast-break layup.

"94-77!"

Kiyota's first point of the game came at a crucial moment. After struggling all game against Uesugi Kenichi, he finally broke free and celebrated with a roar, releasing all the frustration that had built up.

Over the next few minutes, Kainan continued to press Ryonan's basket, and Ryonan's defense began to falter. Sendoh found an opportunity to score, but it wasn't enough to stop Kainan'smomentum. Yuzumi, with four fouls, was too cautious to challenge Takasago directly and missed several shots. Uekusa, as the point guard, attempted to slow down the game but couldn't hold off Kainan's resurgence.

With just 2 minutes left, the score stood at 98-88, with Ryonan still holding a 10-point lead.

"Can Kainan pull off a comeback in these final minutes?" one fan in the stands asked.

Some were hopeful, while others felt it was too late. But everyone was on the edge of their seat, watching as the final minutes unfolded.

In the closing moments, Kainan made a strong push. After receiving a pass from Maki, Kiyota Nobunaga prepared for a layup but was met with Yuzumi, who blocked his path.

"Beautiful block, Yuzumi!" His teammates cheered.

However, the referee's whistle blew.

"Beep! Ryonan No. 4 fouled!"

Yuzumi was out of the game, having accumulated his fifth foul.

With Yuzumi out of the game, Ryonan's defense had been significantly weakened. Kainan now had an even better chance to close the gap.

From Kainan's bench, Takato Riki laughed triumphantly.

"Now we have the upper hand. Let's finish this!"

Kainan's players, pumped up, cheered as they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The game wasn't over yet, but it was clear—this was their moment.

And then, just when everyone thought the game was sealed, a substitution on Ryonan's bench caught everyone's attention.

"Ryonan makes a substitution!"

"Replace player No. 4 with player No. 9!"