By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Simone Pianigiani couldn’t comprehend how Maccabi Tel Aviv grabbed a sum of 19 (!) rebounds (tying the franchise’s EuroLeague single-game record) thanks to which it easily beat Olimpia Milano.
“We arrived without the right energy. That is, for example, what you see in rebounds. It is unbelievable. Maccabi’s 19 offensive rebounds killed us. We were flat, and that is clear,” Pianigiani said in the post-game presser. ”
“But that’s one side,” he added. “But when you are not ready, and not on top of your game, in a long season of 80-something games, you have to resist and be smart. Tonight, we lost completely, starting from our point guards, the idea of the game. Turnovers, missing calls, missing everything. So, energy is one thing, but mentally, to stay in the game, to prevent turnovers for easy fast breaks. And in the end, this was the difference.
The loss didn’t showcase any major quality difference between the two teams, according to Pianigiani. “I honestly don’t think Maccabi is a much better team than us, but tonight, they were much better because they played with more energy for sure, more desire, and they followed the game plan better than us. This one loss does not change much for us because we were ready to start the season 0-5 because of a tough schedule, but everything must give us something to be better, and tonight was one or two steps behind. This situation happens during the season, but we have to manage them in a different way.”
Photo: Olimpia Milano