By Panos Katsiroympas/ info@eurohoops.net
After the analysis of the big game in Athens, the magnifying glass travels to Vitoria for the big game between Baskonia and Olympiacos. In the end the outcome was decided by one shot and many bad decisions from both teams, with Baskonia surviving in the qualification race.
This was the first Euroleague game this year for Olympiacos without Vasilis Spanoulis. Petway was also injured and Dunston had fever and played only few minutes early in the game. With the Reds facing all these absences, their first goal of the game was to play in a low tempo and keep the score in lower standards in order to have a shot of winning.
On the other side Baskonia was looking to increase the tempo of the game, to run in transition and to execute in every opportunity. Olympiacos in offense tried to put the ball in the post in every opportunity even with Mantzaris in some occasions. Printezis was again the go-to guy in the paint, with Mantzaris and Sloukas also creating pick and roll plays.
Lojeski was trying to be the second source of creation for the Reds from the perimeter, taking many screens while having possession of the ball and also some off ball screens for quick executions. In the majority of the possessions, Olympiacos moved the ball well in offense, but committed some crucial mistakes when they tried to run the court.
On the other hand Baskonia was playing their favorite isolation and run and gun game. They tried to attack in transition in every opportunity and they manage to get some points on the open court.
In set offense they set screens away of the ball especially when Bertans was on the floor, and try to put the ball inside mainly for Shenghelia and Begic. Olympiacos tried to put the pressure on the guards but Baskonia opened the court nicely after the aggressive hedge out defense of Olympiacos.
In the majority of the pick and roll plays, the hedge out was taking place almost on the half court, with the gaps and distances of Olympiacos in defense increasing. The guard of Laboral, most of the times passed the ball well to the step player who was more or less in the free line area, and the creation started from there.
Olympiacos was needed to put a player there in order to try to stop that pass and limit the creation from this source. Instead of that the other three players of Olympiacos were not aggressive towards the tall guys that received the ball, having all the time to find the best option for a good execution. The bigs of Baskonia finished the game with 6 of the total 16 assists of their team.
The outcome was decided by one shot with both teams taking bad decisions in the last plays. James twice tried to execute in isolation, early in the possession without any option to move the ball and create the best opportunity.
In the final possession of Olympiacos the Reds didn’t even pass the ball once. Even though Printezis was effective in the post in the final minutes and Hunter finished many plays after pick and roll, the ball stuck in the perimeter. Lafayette took the shot, missed and a game that could have gone both ways ended with the Spanish team celebrating their first win in such a close game in the Top16.