By Panos Katsiroumpas/ info@eurohoops.net
The Magnifying Glass takes you to Madrid, Piraeus, and Istanbul to paint a picture of three big games that took place last night for Euroleague Week 3!
An advertisement for basketball! A great game, with great pace, with good and bad intervals for both teams, and a fascinating finale. And it was even better thanks to new faces that came to the fore and decided the game.
Johannes Voigtmann! This kid doesn’t look like a German center. Amazing adjustment to a level that is very far from the one he played at and a great basketball mind. He fought in defense, he has moves in the post, a nice shot, and an ability to read and execute passes. In the absence of Bargnani, he played 32 minutes, gave battles everywhere, and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. A revelation!
Real’s defense in the opening 15 minutes was pathetic and the main reason for their defeat. Especially in the part of transition it was like they weren’t even on the court, with the Basques being up 28-45 in this period.
From beautiful to… fateful! In the last quarter and for 8 minutes, Jaka Blazic was making very poor decisions in offense, where he confused his teammates, and in defense as well where he was exposed by Carroll. In the final two minutes, however, he scored 8 points in 3-for-3 shots, giving his team the win.
Olympiacos – Olimpia Armani Milano
Naivety! This is the only word with which we can characterize the way the Italians dealt with their defense. Very few helps, few covers, bad returns and, generally, sluggishness. They might’ve gotten two wins but in their three games they’ve conceded an average of almost 90 points.
The liberation of Vassilis Spanoulis! The presence of Erick Green automatically changes the whole manner but also approach that Olympiacos’s captain has. Spaces are more open and with the simultaneous presence of Lojeski the defense cannot close inside easily. If Spanoulis does it he’ll find the passes, if not he’ll get to the basket easily.
The first impression doesn’t always tell the truth. This is true for Green, who in Madrid had no points and several hasty decisions. In contrast, in the two home games he has 13.5 points with 50% in three-point shooting.
Guided by defense! In the first half Olympiacos had many good attacks in set game but the defense in the second half, combined with the successful transition, made the difference and, in the end, brought the comfortable win.
Duration is required. For about 25 minutes, Milan gave out a much better picture offensively compared to previous years. They read the advantages they had mainly with Gentile, passed the ball to Raduljica who scored and wore down, and overall had discipline. If they can sustain this for a longer period of time in every game, they will do some damage.
The fiery duo! Teodosic and De Colo had a great game, playing together on the court for a long time. They scored, created, and opened up the rhythm exemplarily at every opportunity. They finished the game with a total of 41 points and 14 assists between them.
The keys. Cory Higgins and Jeff Ayres did a great job in the game. The first one scored big shots in the second quarter when the margin started widening, as well as at the end when the game had caught fire. The second won battles and had 10 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This was the picture of Efes’s defense. In the first half it was very bad both at an individual as well as a team level. It improved in the second half and it was the vehicle that got them back in the game. In the final couple of minutes they looked like they ran out of energy.
The charity line! This was a catastrophic aspect for Efes. In a closed game they had 3-for-12 when CSKA had 26-for-29. The right use of fouling and fouling the wrong players has become a crucial part of the game.