Coach Anzai knows he needs to do something quick in order to retake the lead from Shohoku, but is not sure if Mitsui has enough strength left in him to hit those crucial three-pointers.
Shohoku debuts in the National Championship, playing against Toyotama. Coach Anzai hopes his plan will take the team to the next level, but the Shohoku players are not sure they will be good enough to beat last year's champion, Sannoh.
Sakuragi Hanmichi, a freshman at Shohoku Prefectural High School, quickly becomes a standout on the basketball court and must learn to transfer some of that skill to the game of love.
The Shohoku basketball team avoids suspension over the on-court fight, but Coach Anzai decides on a starting lineup for Shohoku's game without Hanamichi, Rukawa, Ryota, and Mitsui as punishment for their lack of discipline.
At half time, Shohoku High is only down by six points in the game against Ryonan, but it remains to be seen if Shohoku can take advantage of that or if Ryonan's Coach Taoka is just waiting for the Shohoku team to slip up.
Rattled after being knocked down by Uozumi in Shohoku's game against Ryonan, Akagi doubts himself and defers plays to his teammates, which lets Ryonan pull ahead and makes Shohoku wonder if they have a chance of catching up.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, having joined the basketball team to impress his crush, Akagi Haruko, must decide whether she is worth the effort when he tires of the game after only one week.
After advancing to the final four in their prefecture, Shohoku's first game will be against Shoyo, one of the tallest teams around. Sakuragi starts because of his uncanny rebound skills, but the team still struggles against the other team's height advantage and faces possible defeat.
Hanamichi and Ryota Miyagi quickly form a bond, but when a group of thugs with a score to settle with Ryota crash a practice session, everyone braces themselves for an all-out brawl.
The Shohoku team is nervous about their upcoming contest against the previous year's champions, Sannoh, who still have three players from their championship team, but Coach Anzai has a plan to make sure that Sannoh does not get an easy win out of them.
