By Panos Katsiroumbas/ info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce are ready for the battles of the semifinals of this year’s Final Four, which is going to be hosted in the Sinan Erdem Dome, and the Magnifying Glass is going to analyze the two big appointments for the readers of Eurohoops as only… we know!
Real Madrid and Fenerbahce are going head to head in the second semifinal. The singularity of this pair is that we have a repeat of the 2015 semifinal in the Final Four that took place in Madrid, with Real prevailing easily and then lifting the trophy. This time we’re going to have the exact opposite scenario, with Fener being the home team, even if the final phase isn’t going to be held in their own arena but the Sinan Erdem Dome.
Last year, the two teams met in the playoffs phase, with Zeljko Obradovic’s team winning the series 3-0, while this year, the teams have shared the victories. In the game in Istanbul, Fenerbahce prevailed 78-77 in a game that had a dramatic finale, and in Madrid – in a very mediocre game in terms of quality – Real managed to get the win in the end with 61-56.
Analyzing the two gladiators
The truth is that both Fenerbahce’s course and their image went through several alternations throughout the year. Of course, there are serious mitigating factors for these ups and downs, since they lost several players with injuries at different times during the regular season. The good thing for Zeljko Obradovic is that, in the final stretch of the playoffs but also the Final Four, he has all the players at his disposal and the team looks very dangerous, since, as we mentioned, they’re going to be the hosts of the final phase.
Fenerbahce’s game is based on three main axes. These are Bogdan Bogdanovic’s talent in creation but also in execution, the pick-and-roll and the switching defense for the greatest part of games.
The amazing Serb returned from his injury and breathed new life into the offense of the Turkish team, who would have struggled greatly without him. This makes sense since Bogdanovic, aside from his huge talent, has worked hard on certain parts of his game, and as a result he’s among the best players in the competition right now.
The Serbian guard, aside from his prowess in execution, has visibly improved his creation through the pick-and-roll, while has great patience in reading situations and has also worked on his movement with the ball on the floor. Overall, he’s much more aggressive and adds an extra weapon along the perimeter, giving more room for action and execution to Dixon, Sloukas and Datome.
He can execute under any circumstances, no defense can play under him, while if there is an offensive hedge out he passes superbly as the big man cuts inside the paint. It’s no coincidence that, without Bogdanovic, Fenerbahce played a total of 13 games with a 6-7 record, while in the other 20 games with him in their line-up they were 15-5. These numbers alone demonstrate the significance of this particular player for the Turkish team.
Generally, Fenerbahce are a pick-and-roll team, as are most of coach Obradovic’s teams. A great number of plays start from this specific offensive tactic, with the spacing being excellent, something that could be seen clearly in the series against Panathinakos. A lot of the time Udoh functions as a passer in the short roll, when the defense has essentially opened up and a condition for a 4-on-3 game has been created.
In some of the pick-and-rolls, especially from the top, Fener also use a third player who sets a back screen on the big man’s cut inside in order to confuse the rival defense even more. This way they can open the way for the one who set up the play, while making it easier for the big man to dive in the paint. At the same time, the third player who’s setting the back screen, pulls out to the perimeter to get a shot if the defense pulls back.
Aside from the pick-and-roll, Obradovic’s team uses some screens along the wings in order to find some fast shots. Overall, Fener is not a team that plays in a very fast tempo, but if they find an opportunity in transition they will not let it go to waste.
A very important part of Obradovic’s game is the switching defense. Ekpe Udoh is the most important player in this kind of defense since he can get out to the perimeter and guard any opponent with great success. His commitment in defense is legendary, as he can read plays very well, while he also functions as a rim protector whenever that’s needed. This kind of defense involves many risks, but Udoh’s presence can really mess with the minds even of teams that read the game well and look for mismatches with consistency.