[Yamashita Shio attempted to sever the link between Kazunari Takao and Shintaro Midorima, but he realized it was nearly impossible because Seiho didn't have a second Yuuto.]
[He had studied Takao's game footage. He knew that Shutoku's first-year possessed eyes with no blind spots. Stopping him from passing was easier said than done.]
[Following the double screens came the expected triple screens. Shintaro Midorima sank another three-pointer. Four shots, twelve points.]
[Shutoku's triple screen wasn't as simple as three players just dragging themselves to the perimeter to screen for Midorima.]
[Their screens were layered. Midorima would execute a massive amount of off-ball movement, first testing the waters at the three-point line, then circling into the paint to take you on a tour.]
[At this moment, Kiyoshi Miyaji, Shinsuke Kimura, and Taisuke Otsubo would form a staggered formation, like a staircase, to provide cover for Midorima.]
[After setting the screens, they wouldn't just stand there; they would immediately move to prevent Seiho from going all-in and aggressively double-teaming Midorima.]
[If Seiho recklessly swarmed Midorima, Takao's pass would simply find its way to someone else.]
[Masaaki Nakatani is an excellent coach. He successfully made the entire Shutoku team operate like a well-oiled machine, with every player turning like a gear.]
[Yamashita Shio quickly called a timeout; he wasn't going to sit back and wait for defeat. "Since attacking the Generation of Miracles' strongest shooter isn't working, we'll attack the distributor instead."]
[After the timeout, you changed the defensive strategy. By the second possession, it paid off.]
[Facing the double-team of Tsugawa and Kasuga, Takao couldn't deliver the ball immediately. By the time he finally shook off the harassment and found a passing lane, you burst out from behind Shutoku's triple screen and intercepted the pass.]
[On the offensive end, Shutoku also adopted a trapping tactic against you—an unreserved double-team the moment you touched the ball.]
[Yet, facing the double-team of Midorima and Takao, you still used your individual skill to find space to shoot. However, your shot clanked off the rim.]
[In such a short time, you couldn't quickly adapt to the effects of your increased strength.]
[But you quickly redeemed yourself. Taisuke Otsubo boxed out Iwamura in the paint to secure the rebound. The Eye of the Sky saw his next move; noting the changes in his hand muscles, you exploded into the paint, stealing the ball before he could pass and finishing at the rim.]
"A 5-point increase in strength has this much impact?"
Yuuto felt that his immediate task was to adapt to the effects of this attribute boost as soon as possible.
He realized that once an attribute reached 90 points, it was extremely difficult to improve it through training alone.
Especially for players whose physical limit was around 89 points; they might never break through that ceiling in their entire lives.
[Masaaki Nakatani gritted his teeth on the sideline. He realized that Seiho's offensive tactic was simply to give the damn ball to you and have everyone else clear out.]
[This was a typical superstar tactic. However, your floor is low but your ceiling is astronomical, making it incredibly hard for Shutoku to defend. This went against Nakatani's basketball philosophy.]
[Shutoku's turn to attack again. It was still multiple screens, just to create shooting space for Midorima.]
[But this time, the distributor wasn't Takao. By the time the trap arrived, Takao had already passed the ball to a teammate.]
[To maximize Midorima's shooting ability, Nakatani and Shutoku had racked their brains.]
[But it was all worth it. By halftime, Shintaro Midorima was 9-for-9 from the three-point line, blasting out 27 points single-handedly. Such firepower was unrivaled nationwide.]
[The audience was thoroughly entertained. The technical and tactical level of this match was truly King vs. King, and the scene was exceptionally intense.]
[However, beneath this intense surface, you had already completed one weakness correction after another.]
[In the locker room, you told Yamashita Shio—who was fiddling with the tactical board and lecturing the team—not to bother with all that trouble. You would handle Midorima yourself.]
[Then, the second half began. You hit a jump shot from outside the three-point line with a massive "Sky Shot" arc.]
[Amidst the many clanking misses, your Weakness Revision talent was rapidly correcting your shooting form and accuracy.]
[On defense, Shutoku did the same thing. Midorima slipped through the paint like a loach and circled back to the three-point line...]
[This time, no one double-teamed Takao, and no one stopped his pass. However, facing Shutoku's multiple screens, you moved like a phantom, weaving through the obstacles to appear right in front of Midorima.]
[It was still that barely-there, one-step distance. Yet, with that razor-thin margin, you dodged Shutoku's continuous screens, denying Midorima Shintaro even a sliver of space to shoot.]
[But Shutoku's tactics didn't end there.]
[What followed showed just how deeply prepared Shutoku was for this match.]
[Midorima stopped obsessing over three-pointers. He feigned a dash to the three-point line then executed a cutback. Takao immediately delivered the ball, and the Miracles' strongest shooter caught it and sank a 2-pointer.]
[Next possession, three Shutoku players moved to the high post. Midorima ran out from behind a "Great Wall" of screens, took a hand-off, and pulled up for a shot on the spot.]
[Pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, screen-and-shoot, screen-and-drive. Even advanced variations like the Spain Pick & Roll, "F4" tactics, delay tactics...]
[To provide a shooting opportunity for this mobile turret named Midorima, Shutoku practically used every trick in the book.]
[Seiho's shooting percentage was high—higher than Shutoku's—but your score was actually lagging slightly behind theirs.]
[This was the charm of the three-pointer, and the charm of Shintaro Midorima. He possessed the greatest firepower output in the nation.]
[However, amidst Shutoku's constant changes, you were also evolving rapidly. The Eye of the Sky was almost reaching the level of the Emperor Eye.]
[Although you couldn't accurately predict the opponent's future like Akashi, because the Eye of the Sky had its limits...]
[This was a fact even Weakness Revision couldn't change. But after prolonged correction, your ability to read the game had risen to a level others couldn't imagine.]
[By observing changes in the opponents' physical data and deducing their intentions... you were stripping Shutoku's strategy bare.]
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"
