Slam Dunk:Starting with perfect copy

Sendoh knew very well that the reason Maki hid his strength at the risk of losing the game was to deal with Kenichi Uesugi.

It seemed that Maki still remembered what Sendoh had said to him last time.

At this moment, Sendoh felt a bit of regret.

"Should I have said so much to Maki?" he thought.

But soon, he was relieved.

Even if he hadn't said anything, Maki would have investigated and verified it on his own.

Maki wasn't the type of person to become arrogant or look down on others just because he had strength.

On the contrary, he would never underestimate anyone with power.

That's how Maki had become the current Emperor Maki.

However, the fact that Kenichi Uesugi could attract so much attention from Maki also proved that Uesugi's strength made Maki uneasy.

Sendoh guessed that Maki wasn't sure he could beat Uesugi.

After the game,

Coach Tanaka was preparing to take the Ryonan players back to school.

Before leaving, he glanced at Hainan's coach, Gaotou.

Coincidentally, Gaotou was also looking at Tanaka at that moment.

The two, who had been rivals since their playing days, stared at each other intently.

Aida Yayoi happened to catch this moment and quickly snapped a photo.

After examining the shot, she smiled to herself, feeling satisfied.

"Let's use this as the cover of tomorrow's magazine!" she said.

The next day,

The basketball stadium, where Ryonan and Hainan were about to play, was already packed.

Everyone was eager to see which team was stronger.

Especially with the help of Basketball Weekly,

the anticipation for this clash of the titans was immense.

"Who do you think will win today?"

"It should be Hainan! They've been the champions for 16 consecutive years!"

"Ryonan isn't weak either! They didn't lose much last year, and now they have a superstar like Kenichi Uesugi!"

"That's right! It's hard to guess the outcome!"

Before entering the stadium,

The crowd outside was already discussing the game.

After all, whoever won today's match would almost certainly secure a spot in the national competition—unless there were three teams with a 2-1 record later on.

Soon, the audience lined up to enter the stadium.

On one side of the court, Hainan's battle flag was displayed early,

with the bold words "Always Victorious" showcasing Hainan's glorious history.

On the other side, Ryonan also hung their banner,

the mighty words "Courageous and Brave" proudly displayed, symbolizing their spirit of never giving up.

Seeing this, the audience entering the stadium immediately felt the atmosphere of the game growing intense.

Soon, the sharp-eyed spectators noticed many "familiar faces" in the audience.

All the players from Shohoku appeared in the front row, led by Coach Anzai.

Fujima and Hanagata from Xiangyang were also in attendance.

Several players from other teams were present as well.

In total, there were no fewer than dozens of notable figures.

"It seems everyone is paying close attention to this game!"

"Of course! The winner of these two teams will most likely be the Kanagawa

representative in the national competition. It's only natural that they'd attract so much attention!"

In the locker room of Ryonan,

Coach Tanaka tried to act relaxed as he spoke to his players.

"As long as we win today's game, we're basically in the national competition, and it'll be much easier from there!"

"Everyone, just give your best today! No need for me to say anything more!"

Normally, for important games, Tanaka would give the players a lengthy speech, emphasizing key points.

But today, facing the strongest team they'd encountered so far, he didn't want to say much more.

He did this so that his players wouldn't feel too pressured.

He wanted them to play relaxed, knowing how strong their opponents were.

If they went in with a heavy heart, they might not be able to perform to their fullest potential.

The players understood Tanaka's reasoning.

They didn't ask many questions.

As long as they played well, that was enough.

But even so, the tension was palpable.

After all, Hainan had been the champion for 16 consecutive years, and they had lost to them the previous year.

At this moment, nobunaga, who had been standing in the corner, suddenly ran out and said,

"Coach! I heard that you and Coach takato of kainan were players from the same era. Tell us about your story!"

"Yeah! You've never told us about it before!"

Uesugi Kenichi also chimed in.

It wasn't that he was truly interested in the story;

after all, as a time traveler, he already knew all the details.

He mainly wanted to ease the tense atmosphere in the team.

When Tanaka saw that even Uesugi had asked, he began to talk.

"I and Riki were mortal enemies in high school!"

"If he's Rukawa Kaede, then I'm Uesugi Kenichi or Sendoh!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the players of Ryonan looked at him in disbelief.

"Really, Coach?!"

"No way! Coach, you were that awesome back then?!"

"Was the coach so handsome when he was young?"

At this moment, nobunaga spoke up again,

"Putting aside your strength, your looks were nowhere near as good as Uesugi's or Sendoh's!"

His words caused the entire locker room to burst into laughter.

Tanaka, now a little embarrassed, continued,

"Anyway, I was better than him back then!"

"Later, we both became coaches. He went to Hainan, which was already strong. After he joined, Hainan won the championship for several consecutive years!"

"I came to Ryonan and built my dream team from scratch!"

"During that time, I never won once!"

"But today, I think we can win!"

Tanaka's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated with every player on the team.

"Coach, don't worry! We'll definitely win today's game!"

Uesugi Kenichi took the lead in saying,

"Yes, we will definitely win!"

The morale of the Ryonan players was immediately lifted.

Even if it wasn't for the national competition,

they all wanted their coach to finally secure a victory.