Yuuto also greatly admired Duncan. The Big Fundamental made his teammates better. Without his rim protection, screens, and drawing of defense, there would be no "Big Three" (GDP). Fans often joked about the memorable Spurs team: "Run like the Mustang when ahead, be the Buddha (Duncan) when behind, and the Demon Blade (Ginóbili) in the clutch."
But without Duncan making all sorts of sacrifices, there might not have been the Mustang or the clutch Demon Blade moments. Duncan's presence made the Spurs sometimes look less like an NBA team and more like a European team; they focused more on teamwork and tactics. And Duncan was the absolute core of that team's offense and defense.
Of course, Yuuto admired this, but he didn't want to play this way forever. He was selfish. He yearned to shine like Jordan and Kobe, but against Teikō, he had to make this sacrifice. There was no other reason: he wanted to win!
...
The game continued. After Akashi discovered Yuuto's secret, he further reduced his personal offense. Even though he was confident that his Emperor Eye had no weaknesses, he instinctively distributed the ball evenly among all his teammates.
Akashi dribbled repeatedly at high speed. His ball control, comparable to Tezuka's Zone, combined with his low center of gravity from his posture, made his dribbling look no slower than Rai's. But Yuuto's defense was becoming increasingly tight. Akashi felt the illusion of a large net slowly closing in on him.
Then, the ball flew with exquisite precision to Kise Ryōta's hands. This was the best choice. Kise had mastered an untold number of skill sets through his imitation over the years. He was the hardest player for Yuuto to find a weakness in.
When Kise received the ball, Haizaki's attention was on Yuuto, ready to help on defense. When the ball went to Kise, Haizaki's reaction was a half-step slow. Kise took an early two-point jumper. He bent his knees to shoot, but Yuuto, who had just been in front of Akashi, had already rushed over.
Relying on his jumping ability, explosiveness, and wingspan, he managed to intercept the ball in mid-air.
"BOOM~!"
The ball was swatted by him onto the floor.
"Ah Yuuto?!"
When Yuuto landed, Kise was still in his shooting posture, frozen as if paralyzed.
"An air interception!"
"Teikō's Number 8, Kise's shot was intercepted in mid-air by Yuuto!"
"He's practically the most advanced anti-air defense system!"
The Tochigi Prefecture commentator was incredibly passionate. Homi Academy wasn't dominating the court, and the score was even still behind. But reaching this level against Teikō was already enough, because their opponent was the strongest Super Teikō in history!
"What an excellent child."
In Tokyo, at Shirogane Kōzō's home, the former Teikō head coach was semi-retired due to his health, but he still closely followed the Generation of Miracles. In this game, he saw Yuuto.
Undoubtedly, even though Yuuto's stats were not the best of the game—his scoring wasn't as high as Midorima's, and was even the lowest on Homi Academy, and he had been stripped of the ball several times by Akashi in their one-on-one matchups—he was still the best player on the court in Shirogane Kōzō's eyes.
He used his sacrifice to allow Homi Academy to match Teikō on the scoreboard.
"Monster."
The current Teikō coach, holding a full hand of aces, uncharacteristically referred to a player from another team as a "monster." This was a term usually used by other teams to describe the Generation of Miracles. When Yuuto played full-out defense, his ridiculously large defensive coverage felt ghostly, even to someone accustomed to Murasakibara. After all, Yuuto was a perimeter player!
Thanks to Yuuto, Homi Academy put on a beautiful defensive show after the start of the second quarter. Akashi felt he had clearly misjudged. Perhaps, Kise's mimicry and the nature of the players made him difficult for Yuuto to quickly analyze. But in terms of player caliber, Yuuto was a step higher.
He planned to return the favor with a spectacular defensive play to regain control of the game.
However, this time, Yuuto did not continue to challenge Akashi's Emperor Eye. The moment he made contact with Akashi, he immediately flicked the ball to the side. Kuroko caught the ball on the free-throw line extended.
He didn't pass! This was unexpected by everyone else.
"Stopping the ball in that position, what does he intend to do?"
Akashi's brows furrowed tightly. From the beginning, this game seemed to have slipped out of his control. All his thoughts and tactical deployments seemed to have been seen through.
"Aomine-kun, I'm going to defeat you." Kuroko's gaze was firm, looking directly at the person who was once his best friend.
Aomine remained silent. He couldn't figure out what Kuroko intended to do. What could a player who only passes, whose layup near the basket often results in an air ball, and who easily makes a turnover with slight interference to his dribble, possibly do against him?
Almost simultaneously, the moment Kuroko prepared, Yuuto sped up. He abandoned Akashi and swiftly crashed into the "battlefield" between Aomine and Kuroko.
"Yuuto? Finally can't resist getting involved?" Aomine involuntarily looked over. But immediately after, his near-supernatural instinct alerted him to impending danger. Right before his eyes, Kuroko Tetsuya suddenly disappeared.
"Nani?!"
Aomine's expression was priceless. Similar looks were on the faces of all Teikō players who knew Kuroko, including the head coach.
"Kuroko... he actually crossed Aomine-kun?" Kise was dumbfounded. This was simply a joke. Kuroko had achieved something even he hadn't.
A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in Akashi's heart. The game was moving further and further away from his expectations. He knew Kuroko. Kuroko didn't possess the ability to self-evolve; he needed guidance, just like when Akashi saved his basketball career. Since Homi Academy didn't have Akashi, that person could only be Yuuto.
But, "Even if you crossed Aomine, what can you do next?" Fujimura Kentarō muttered from the bench.
Then, Kuroko showed them what he could do. Aomine executed a swift turn. No matter how incredible Kuroko's disappearing dribble was, his athletic ability was a fact. He had a fundamental gap compared to the Generation of Miracles.
But as Aomine circled back in front of Kuroko, Kuroko's action again surprised everyone. He threw the ball with a strange shooting posture.
...
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