Slam Dunk: My physical abilities can be increased indefinitely.

Chapter 11: On the night of the lottery, Sendoh taught Taoka a lesson.

On the night the draw results for the prefectural tournament were announced, Taoka called Sendoh to his office.

The office was small, with an old-fashioned desk piled with videotapes and tactical manuals. A whiteboard stood against the wall, with the names of Hainan, Xiangbei, Ryonan, and Wuli written on it, followed by numbers.

It was completely dark outside the window. There were no lights on the playground, only the fluorescent light in the office was on, humming softly.

Taoka sat in a chair with a schedule spread out on the table in front of him and a cup of tea that had gone cold beside him.

"sit."

Sendoh pulled up a chair and sat down, glancing at the schedule. Actually, he didn't need to look; he already knew the outcome: the first game was against Wuli, the second against Hainan, and the third against the winner of the match between Shohoku and another team.

That's how the tournament schedule was in the original story; he had read it countless times in his previous life.

"You already know?" Taoka noticed his calm expression; he didn't seem like someone who had just seen the schedule.

"I guessed it. The first match is in Burj Khalifa, the second in Hainan, right?"

Taoka stared at him for two seconds. "How did you guess?"

"Wu-Zheng was fourth last year, so according to the draw rules, they'll be in Group B. Hainan is a seeded team, so they'll definitely be in a different group than us, but we'll most likely meet in the first round of the knockout stage." Sendoh said casually, tapping his finger on the schedule. "This schedule is the same as last year, except they replaced Shohoku with another school."

Taoka leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his stomach, and said, "You've done a lot of research on the schedule."

"I've been watching it for years, the patterns are always the same." Sendoh didn't mention that he had memorized the Slam Dunk schedule perfectly in his past life. "Coach, you didn't call me here just to talk about the schedule, did you?"

Taoka sat up straight and took out a videotape from the drawer. It was labeled: Hainan vs. Sannoh Industrial, last year's winter tournament.

"I showed you this video, but you said you noticed something I didn't. Today, tell me exactly where Hainan's weaknesses lie."

Sendoh took the videotape and twirled it in his hand. The label on the box was yellowed and the corners were curled up.

"Coach, before you show me the video, let me ask you a question: what do you think is Maki Shinichi's strongest weapon?"

"He drives and passes. His physical attributes are too strong. His first step is quick, he's good at physical contact, and once he drives in, the defender has to double-team him. Once double-teamed, he can pass to the shooter on the outside."

"So what do you think is his weakest weapon?"

Taoka thought for a moment, "Three-pointers. His three-point shooting is inconsistent, his release is slow, and he rarely shoots from the outside."

"Yes. So guess what kind of defense Hainan fears most?"

"Shrink the inside defense, allow shots but not drives."

"After collapsing the paint, what about Jin Soichiro on the perimeter? That guy's three-point shooting percentage is over 40%, letting him shoot is just giving away points."

Taoka paused for a moment. He picked up a pen from the table and drew several positions on the whiteboard. "You mean, we can't simply contract; we have to switch between contraction and expansion?"

"It's not just about switching." Sendoh stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and took the pen from Taoka. "Coach, do you remember the game between Hainan and Daiei Academy last year? How did Daiei Academy limit Maki?"

Taoka thought for a moment, "Dairei Academy used a full-court press, which caused Maki to exhaust himself as soon as he crossed the half-court line."

"The full-court press is just the surface. What Daiei Academy is really doing is forcing Maki to go down the left wing. Maki's success rate on the left wing is much lower than on the right wing because when he dribbles with his left hand, his right hand can't protect the ball, making him easy to steal. Also, after he breaks through from the left wing, his vision will be blocked by his right shoulder, and he won't be able to see the open shooters on the weak side."

Sendoh drew Maki Shinichi's breakthrough path on the whiteboard, with an X on the left and a circle on the right.

Taoka stared at the whiteboard for more than ten seconds, then looked down and flipped through his notes, finding the record of last year's match between Hainan and Daiei Gakuen.

"Wait a minute." Taoka flipped through his notes twice, then looked up at Sendoh. "You're right. Daiei Academy did keep forcing Maki to go down the left flank. I thought it was a normal defensive formation and didn't notice that detail."

"It's not that you didn't notice, it's that Daiei Academy's execution was lacking. They forced Maki to go down the left flank, but Maki was still able to use his physical strength to break through. For this strategy to work, one person's defense isn't enough; the whole team needs to cooperate."

Sendoh picked up a pen and drew a diagram of the entire half's formation on the whiteboard. He drew quickly, the lines weren't perfectly straight, but the positions and running routes were very clear.

"If I'm guarding Maki, I won't try to outmuscle him. I'll let him go down the left flank, and then the weak-side defender will be positioned in his passing lane in advance. His first choice will definitely be to pass to Jin Soichiro in the corner. If we move to the corner passing lane in advance, his ball will be intercepted. After intercepting the ball, we can launch a fast break, and no matter how fast Maki's defensive speed is, he won't be able to catch up."

Taoka stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and stood next to Sendoh. He stared at it for a long time; the lines on the whiteboard seemed to come alive in his eyes, running and shifting positions.

"You can come up with a name for this tactic."

"No name. It's just a defensive strategy."

"Should I write 'Sage Mode Strategy' in my tactics notebook?"

Sendoh glanced at Taoka. "Coach, are you serious?"

"Do you think I'm joking?"

Taoka's expression certainly didn't seem like he was joking. There was a light in his eyes, a light that Sendoh had seen before, the kind of light that coaches had when they were drawing up plays in the final moments of the NCAA tournament on TV in his previous life.

"Coach, there's a premise to this strategy."

"What are the prerequisites?"

"I have to wear him down on defense, making it difficult for him to break through easily. If he gets past me in one step, there won't be enough time for any help defense."

Taoka turned to look at Sendoh. "Can you do it?"

Sendoh thought for a moment, "Not now. But on the day the county tournament starts, it's possible."

"Why that day?"

"Because I'll be faster these next few days."

Taoka didn't ask why. He patted Sendoh's shoulder, not with much force, but with considerable weight.

"Alright. Then for the next few days, you can follow the tactical drills you drew today. I'll have Koshino and Uekusa practice their help defense runs, and Uozumi practice their help defense timing under the basket."

"Coach, aren't you going to ask me how I know I'll get faster?"

Taoka smiled, his wrinkles crinkling together.

The office was silent for a second.

"Coach, I'm going back now."

"Okay. By the way, tomorrow's training will be half an hour earlier. I want the whole team to run the defensive support route you drew."

"OK."

Sendoh walked out of the office. The corridor was dark, with only the green light for the emergency exit at the end illuminated. His sneakers bounced on the terrazzo floor, echoing through the empty corridor.

My phone vibrated as I reached the stairwell.

A message from Yueye: I heard you were called in for a chat by the coach? Was it because you slacked off during training today?

Sendoh replied: No.

Off-road: Why is that?

Sendoh: I taught the coach a lesson.

Off-road: ? ? ?

Sendoh: You'll find out tomorrow.

Off-road: Can you stop saying half of what you mean? I won't be able to sleep tonight.

Sendoh: Then don't sleep, go to the gym to practice help defense.

Off-road: What am I supposed to practice for help defense? I don't even understand my own defense.

Sendoh: Then you need to practice even more. In the second game of the prefectural tournament against Hainan, you'll be matched up against Jin Soichiro. That guy moves like a rabbit; if you don't improve your help defense, he can make eight three-pointers in a game.

Yueye: ...Why are you telling me this now? I was planning to have some instant noodles before bed, but now they don't taste good anymore.

Sendoh didn't reply and put his phone back in his pocket.

He pushed open the dormitory building door, and the corridor smelled of instant noodles mixed with the fragrance of laundry detergent. He climbed up to the third floor, opened the room door, and found his roommate already asleep, his breathing heavy.

Sendoh lay down on the bed in the dark and stared at the ceiling.

The system panel floated in the darkness.

PP Balance: 28

[Jumping B+, Speed ​​A-, Strength B, Reaction B+, Flexibility B, Endurance B+]

There are five days left until the first round of the county competition.

There are six days left until the battle in Hainan.

He silently chanted in his mind: Add more speed.

Speed: A → A

PP Consumption: 5

[Remaining PP: 23]

The body's reaction was very mild, like the feeling of tightening a shoelace after it has come loose. The soles of the feet felt stronger, and when pushing off the ground, the elasticity of the muscles felt much better than before.

enough.

The initial acceleration from A- to A will be significantly faster. Combined with that defensive support strategy, Maki Shinichi won't have an easy time.