Winning isn't everything in the game of basketball, but who wants to come in second? It takes dedication and discipline to be the best, and the Shohoku High hoops team wants to be just that. They have one last year to make their captain's dream of reaching the finals come true--will they do it?

With seven minutes left in the second half, Shohoku slowly chips away at Sannoh' s large lead thanks to Sakuragi's rebounds. But Sannoh's star player Sawakita isn't going to sit still for that! Faced with an apparently unstoppable opponent, Rukawa and Sakuragi both have to dig deep to understand themselves and their own game, and become the basketball players they were meant to be!