By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The column is back and looks at the showdown between Alba and Maccabi that will decide whether or not the two gladiators will advance in the tournament. We approach the big game with our attention focused on Guy Goodes’s tactics board!
We chose this particular game because it’s the most important for both of them in their course up until now. If Maccabi loses and Panathinaikos defeats Crvena Zvezda, they will be submerged in the shock of disqualification from the best eight right after the season that saw them win the Euroleague championship…
What does coach Goodes have to aim for so his team can win? Let’s take a look at the 3 most crucial points in terms of tactics, as Eurohoops sorted them out!
- Three players make up Alba’s backbone and almost the team’s entire game goes through their hands. Reggie Redding, Alex Renfroe and Jamel McLean. Their individual and collective defense and the extent to which they will be restricted, will be a catalyst in deciding the outcome of the game. Per game, Obradovic’s trio turns out: 35.1 points (exactly half of the teams output!), 14.5 rebounds (45%) and 10.2 assists (65%+). If Maccabi manages to lower these numbers, it will be hard for the rest of Alba’s players to make up for the damage.
- The two teams play an entirely different style of basketball. Maccabi usually favors fast pace basketball, isolation play, and a lot of possessions. Alba, because of their coach, controls possession, rhythm, and tempo. If the game results in mostly set play, things will get tough for the European champions. If overall possessions go up and the people’s team increases their scoring from transition situations, they automatically gain an advantage. What’s the secret for Goodes? To take advantage of the Berliners’ susceptibility to errors (16.3 on average) and to increase Maccabi’s possessions but also the game’s in general. Big key.
- Maccabi strongly believes in the power of offense. It’s imperative that they manage to stay within their Big Three’s averages. Namely Smith, Pargo and Randle. Together they score 38 points, pick up 15 rebounds and dish out 10 assists. With a good night by the leaders, which would have to be accompanied by a good game by one of their centers (Schortsanitis or Tyus), it’s a winning – and qualifying – combination.