Just as he's entered into the Shohoku-Ryonan game, Sakuragi keeps making mistakes because he's so nervous. So Rukawa helpfully gives him a kick in the butt to wake him up. Yes, Mister Ice Man "I-don't-care-about-anyone-else's-plays-but-my-own" stops in the middle of a game to help a fellow player (admittedly in a roundabout way).

I'm still trying to figure out the significance of this event. (In a non-innuendo way, excuse me!) Rukawa gets a supposed "leg cramp" and Sakuragi, hoping to worsen the situation (so Rukawa'd have to be removed from the game) kicks him in the injured leg. 

But then Rukawa gets up, apparently fine. What, Sakuragi's kick actually helped him, or what?

Sendoh's becoming a menace, so Anzai-sensei asks the dynamic duo to double-team on him, despite Sakuragi's reluctance to work with the kitsune. But they do it, anyway.