By Panos Katsiroumpas / info@eurohoops.net
We have already watched 2 games in each playoff series and now is time to conclude what we have seen in this first week of the road to Madrid games. Let’s analyze the series CSKA–Panathinaikos.
This one is going the way almost everyone was expecting to go. CSKA plays total basketball, against a team that cannot follow in rhythm and cannot match the size of the Russian team. CSKA won easily the first 2 games with an average differential of 24 points.
The Russians control almost everything. They play the games in their rhythm and they punish all the mistakes of Panathinaikos defense. They score an average of 96.5 points with almost 28 assists per game. They control the boards, especially in the 1st game they outrebounded Panathinaikos 36-22
They scored 14 3pointers in each game and their percentage is almost 52%. Their 2pt percentages are also impressive, shooting with 65%.
The defense of Panathinaikos is very bad, mostly because of the bad rotations of their centers, after the traps and the hedge outs. They rotate very slowly and CSKA finds time and space to distribute the ball extremely well and execute with high percentages.
What Panathinaikos should do?
1. They have to be more aggressive in defense. They must be tough, they must foul, they must improve the rotations and the close outs, in order to stop the executions. CSKA is killing them with their rhythm, and this has to stop. They must try to break the screens and not switch especially when Batista is in the play.
2. They must risk something else. Panathinaikos choose to protect the paint and risk in the outside shooting of CSKA. This risk has not yielded. The Russians shoot extremely well and the Greens have to close them down. Give something else.
3. Distribution and execution. In this part of the game Panathinaikos found some rhythm in the 2nd game. The Greens created some good plays, executed and scored some open shots. They had 20 assists and almost 40% behind the 3pt arc. They are obliged to continue with the same pace in Athens.
Key fact
The key fact of the series till now is the way CSKA is executing from distance. Panathinaikos risk it and the Russians killed them. 84 of the 193 points of CSKA is coming from the 3pt line with 52%. If they continue shooting like this, they will close the series in the 3rd game.