"Alright~ let's start by securing the first point safely!"
Yosen, having won the initial possession, didn't rush their offense. Instead, they advanced methodically toward Seirin's court.
Point guard Fukui Kensuke stood at 176 cm, the shortest player on his team. The second shortest, Himuro Tatsuya, was already 183 cm.
All other players were over two meters tall.
Fukui dribbled to the perimeter and, facing Shun Izuki's defense, didn't try to break through aggressively. He just shifted slightly, creating a gap, and passed the ball inside.
Inside, Okamura Kenichi caught the ball. Without dribbling, he bumped against Kiyoshi Teppei and Kagami Taiga a few times near the basket, then spun around for a dunk.
Bang!
Yosen scored the first point effortlessly.
"Damn it! That guy's height is no joke."
Kagami wiped sweat from his forehead, watching Okamura retreat on defense, clearly frustrated.
Though Kagami's jumping ability was exceptional, and he could easily surpass two-meter-tall players like Okamura or Liu Wei in vertical reach, basketball near the basket wasn't just about jumping.
Power and size mattered more than vertical leap.
Jumping from the floor takes time. The higher you jump, the longer it takes, and if it takes too long, controlling the timing and rhythm of rebounds becomes difficult.
In this domain, height outweighed jumping ability.
"What are you mumbling about, Kagami? Haven't we known this all along? Focus up. Now it's our turn to counterattack."
Teppei suddenly appeared behind Kagami and slapped his back encouragingly.
"Alright, got it!"
Seirin launched a counterattack. Having studied Yosen's intimidating defensive height on video, they knew ordinary offense wouldn't work.
Izuki moved to the three-point line and passed to an empty zone, a "no-man's area."
Fukui froze for a moment.
Though Yosen had learned of Kuroko's ability via Himuro before the match, Kuroko's presence belonged to a "rule-based" skill.
You can't defend him simply because you know about him. In actual gameplay, even if you consciously remember, you instinctively forget Kuroko's presence.
Snap!
A crisp dribble echoed.
In the "no-man's area," Kuroko's figure suddenly appeared. Acting as a conduit for the pass, the ball's distance instantly doubled without changing direction.
At the baseline three-point zone, Hyuga Junpei caught the pass and shot immediately.
But just as he released the ball, a massive shadow, like a giant tree, appeared in front of him…
"Hey, why the hell are you here? Weren't you just in the key? And… so tall! How long are his arms?!"
Hyuga's pupils shrank; his face froze in shock.
Boom!
A block.
The ball shot from Hyuga's hands was smacked out of bounds.
·····
"What astonishing speed and reflexes… at that height and weight, he's this agile? It's like another Akashi… no, maybe even more naturally gifted than Akashi physically."
In Seirin's rest area, Aida Riko observed Murasakibara Atsushi's stats up close using her data eye. The uniform blocked some measurements, but the visible data alone made her break into cold sweat.
Strength, speed, stamina, Murasakibara hadn't reached Akashi's extreme levels yet, but still far beyond normal human limits.
More importantly, his height, wingspan, and leg length exceeded Akashi's, giving him a massive physical advantage.
"I suspected it before, but now I can confirm. Like Akashi, this guy has a defensive range covering the entire three-point zone."
"In that case, let's expand our attack distance…"
Just as Riko thought this, Seirin restarted possession and launched their second offensive play.
This time, they used Kagami as bait to draw Murasakibara forward, while Kuroko, the passing hub, sent a super-long pass nearly the full length of the court.
The pass traveled over twelve meters, a tactic previously used against Akashi, who also couldn't catch up. Now, even Murasakibara couldn't. No tall player can instantaneously traverse such a distance.
However, while both Yosen and Seiho specialize in defense, there's a key difference…
Boom!
A dull sound echoed.
Hyuga's eyes widened; another block.
"Hey, Seirin brats! Don't think Yosen only has Murasakibara!"
This time, the shot-blocker was Okamura Kenichi. Liu Wei and Okamura didn't have Murasakibara's defensive reach, but as two-meter-tall players, few nationwide could break through them easily.
Seiho's defense excels in stopping drives, its "wave-running" combined with full-court man-to-man severely restricts passing, receiving, positioning, and penetration.
But in height-based defense, Yosen is truly unrivaled.
In Yosen's rest area, Coach Araki Masako glimpsed Seirin's ultra-long baseline pass with mild surprise.
"So they can bypass Murasakibara's defense like that? Interesting… but this alone won't break our 'iron wall.'"
"After last summer's crushing defeat, Yosen has rebuilt their defense from scratch, reaching a new level."
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria