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The 2016/17 season was the one in which the new Euroleague league was launched, in a method in which the 16 teams all play against each other. Maccabi Tel Aviv finished the same season with a home loss to Panathinaikos 81:61, with a fourth quarter in which they scored only 7 points. That is, with a fourth quarter and an entire game that is all a slap in the face. Who finished well a season that is all a leak. A season that began with Erez Edelstein followed by Rami Hadar and ended with Einars in Gatzkis, when our (new then armored) representative recorded a humiliating balance of 10 wins and 20 losses.
And why am I returning you right now in a nightmarish time tunnel? Because at the press conference after the humiliating loss to Pau at the end of the season, Bagatskis took the microphone, explained that he felt bad for the fans, but bothered to point out that “apart from the game against Glatsray, we were close to winning every game and stayed close, but lost in the end.” Needless to say, Bagatskis, who just finished finishing a 20-yard hassle against the Greens, was talking nonsense. Needless to say, Bagatskis also then, practically, ended his role by force and went home.
I do not know how this season will end, and I mean the European one. With seven games left, Maccabi could potentially end up with a positive balance of victories. And can, scenarios and theoretically, even talk about miracles and wonders later on. Therefore, let us exclude everything he writes in the following paragraphs in the sense of the present. And right now, with a balance of 11 wins versus 16 losses, Yannis Sapropoulos can count close losses as he pleases. Explain that he could have been as different as he wanted. Cry for the bitter fate of his group from here to the legendary Nikos Gallis Hall. Oh, and can also, under the auspices of accommodating management, explain that Corona is now and that it is really not easy budgetary, logistically or professionally. Definitely can.
It all matters less. Currently, the Israeli champion holds a balance of victories that sends coaches home. And that’s the smaller problem. The Israeli champion is currently presenting a basketball that sends coaches home. No kahal, no idle and no discounts for the upcoming Passover. Which leads us to the simple question in relation to Coach Sapropoulos. Because let’s and breathe aside what was. Because what was, so it is often said in sports, has been forgotten. And in the bleak present, the team coach seems to have run out of ideas. One can rightly be proud of the fighting ability of the team, which in the vast majority of cases does not give up, but basketball matters are in the end quite absolute. And not only is the team losing and losing, but it is also deteriorating. Also at the level of group attack; Also at the level of group defense; Also and especially in relation to the personal situation of the actors, most of them as all. And you know what? It is also possible that at the level of trust between some of the players and their coach, or between some of the players and their coach’s system / coach’s decision making.
But wait. Now is the time to remember again. When Sapropolus was placed in the old hand of Elijah, after the end of Nevan Spahija’s term, he arrived at the club in a deep crisis. And undoubtedly helped (greatly) in his rehabilitation. Including the end of the 18/19 season. Certainly and certainly when it comes to the 19/20 season, which officially announced that Maccabi is back. Or, alternatively, that temporarily announced that Maccabi was back. Yannis Sapropoulos then succeeded where the coaches before him failed / crashed, so if we accept the assumption that even good coaches can have bad seasons, then the recent past should earn him credit that will continue for his next season on the contract. At the same time, it would be better for the club, before making the required decision regarding the continuation of the joint work, to ask a number of populos to stop for a moment and think. And will come up with insights that will illustrate how things can be done better next season. Also in relation to the use to be made of Scotty Wilbkin. Also in relation to the method of attack. Also in relation to the method of protection.
Katsch arrived ready
Methodical stop. Let’s talk a little about the coach on the other side. Oded Katash arrived ready and ready for the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. We will talk about attacking matters shortly, but we will start with the Greek defense. Without the injured Nadovic, Pau wheelbarrows particularly large vehicles, which are capable of producing difficulties for rival attacks. Probably for rival balloon attacks. And if you fit Katsch’s defensive exchange ideas into a lineup of great people in general and a monstrous defensive player like Howard St. Ross in particular, you get potential for something interesting. Oh, sure and sure if ready for the opponent. Sure and sure if correctly identified how to neutralize the other side’s attempts to score.
For example here. Maccabi Tel Aviv is running its VEER exercise, in which Hunter seems to block a pick and roll for Jones, but actually goes down to create a depth block for Wilbkin. That’s nice. The thing is, Pao is ready and Pao has good defensive tools to deal with. Defensive exchange between Mitoglou, 2.10 meters on a rainy day and St. Ross, one of the best defensive players in the factory, who on the road is also listed as a 2.01 height coordinator, plus Papapatro’s attention (only 203 cm) who keeps the ball = lost attack and a lost ball Even if the Cuban gets stuck for a moment and doesn’t remember where and to whom exactly he is supposed to hit now.
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Familiar with this exercise between Jones and Bryant, which managed to embarrass almost every opponent Maccabi encountered this season? Well, the exercise in which Bryant stands under the ring and shows how Otto goes out on a high block (Hunter / Zizic) – then Jones surprises everyone and hits Bryant when he’s right under the basket? Familiar? Very Good. Katsch also knows. And when Maccabi tries to run the element, Papapatro stands by him when he is ready and ready for anything. And pushed. And kidnapper.
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And look here at how sharp and ready the green defense is. Start with a defensive substitution (White and Papapatro) with Jones running a feed and roll at first. Okay. When Maccabi tries to hit Zizic on the inside and is unsuccessful, the right way – on the face of it – is to push the ball to the big Croatian through the upcoming move Hi / Low. To that end, Cloiaro popped into the penalty area to receive and deliver inside to Zizić. Which is actually a good idea. The thing is, Papapatro is ready and ready again, moving in time and depriving Cloiaro of an easy life. And to Mitoglou, who is struggling properly against Žižić, he is joined by another prostitute from the corner, as there is no reason in the world to stay there with Sandy Cohen, who does not really pose a danger to the defense.
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Although absorbing a single-digit number of points in the first and final quarters, Panathinaikos’ defense was not free of mistakes and errors (which is quite similar, to be honest). But when it comes to cracking the faint ideas on the other hand? She knew very well what to do and how to neutralize.
Not removed. Do not score. Yes lose
Last night, Maccabi Tel Aviv donated 17 balls to its opponent, when it recorded loss after loss after loss, even when it did not encounter any special pressure from its opponent. By the way, the Greek rival also lost 17 balls, especially in the face of pressure as Maccabi showed from time to time in light of the lack of ball leaders in Pau. The difference is that the Greens, by the way, also finished with 21 assists. Maccabi? Maccabi 13 only. That is, Sapropoulos’ team recorded a negative assist / loss balance. This is not particularly surprising, because Maccabi is ranked 16th in the second best league in the world in this category, with only Villarban and the Red Star below it.
moment. Giving a little is not terrible. Hi, CSKA Moscow has fewer assists on average than the Yellows. And losing a lot is not terrible. Here is Barcelona, which holds the good balance in the factory on the one hand but loses the most balls on the other hand. The thing is that neither deliver nor lose a lot of balls? Already a big problem, of course, when you combine all this with the fact that on the way, Maccabi Tel Aviv is also one of the weak shooting teams (for three) in the factory.
So if you also do not remove, neither score nor lose, it makes the game experience a little less fun. Here, I wrote gently.
And the losses, well you asked, are not just because of the personal affairs of certain players, but touch quite a bit on the way Sapropoulos chooses to use them. And also in the profit and timing it produces for them.
Now we will demonstrate. The exercise now seen, aims for a pick and roll between Dorsey and Hunter. Pao does not produce a spare on Dorsey’s move, but shows in front of him the help of the great Papayanis. And now is Guard’s decision time. Who fails to see in front of him an easy delivery angle to Dibertolomeo. Unable to produce more sophisticated dedications. Who seeks, in the absence of choice, the other nearest angle — that is, lavender. Now, I do not want to bore you too much with conventional concepts of profit after pick and roll. By and large, there are elements (they are called in American Shake / Lift, etc.) that relate to the spacing and movement of the corner players after running pick and roll. At Maccabi Tel Aviv, they are poorly implemented. And most likely not translated into Croatian either, because it’s hard to get out of this spacing. Certainly when you submit and make bad decisions like Tyler Dorsey.
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Take a similar example. Here’s going to Pick and Roll Dorsey the Hunter. On one side there are two: Wilbkin and Jones. On the other side is Cloiaro, who sinks slowly, but really slowly, towards the far corner. Dorsey, who this time received Mitoglou after a defensive substitution, has several options and places to go. The worst option is the one where both crowded and there is St. Ross on the way. Because St. Ross, unlike the vast majority of guards on the continent, did not hesitate to take distance from Wilbkin in large parts of the game, because he relied on both his abilities to respond defensively and, apparently, feared much less than Wilbkin of March. And so he did this time as well – when he abandoned his defensive mission for a moment and went to scare Dorsey. Who chose to hand over to the other group, after committing to an intrusion from which it is impossible to get out safely.
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Dorsey had four losses last night, but his hand was not alone at the top. Here is Wilbkin for example. Who also this time chooses to penetrate in the direction where there are two more attacking players. And beyond St. Ross, to receive in exchange the Papians and with the help of Aaron White (who returned to being Aaron White). Good luck with that.
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That’s not how you build an attacking game. That way there are no gaps in the attacking game. This is not how you decide in an attacking game. This is not how you play on offense.
When Hunter does not save the defense
Let’s, as Berald says, put things on the table. When we made a defensive list, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s defense relied mainly on athleticism (Black, Ace) plus good point abilities in the back line (Sussman) – but first and foremost on Othello Hunter. As an anchor. One that identifies problems and solves them simultaneously. And the truth must be told. As Rita once sang, it does not work. It does not work anymore. Of course when Hunter shows up for games, even today, his presence is impressive and mesmerizing. But his presence is already only occasional. Yesterday, for example, he was not there.
And these are not necessarily Hunter’s defensive mistakes, because it really does not happen too much. But to cover for the others? Neutralize opponents? Not last night. Not in front of Pau. Certainly not regularly and systematically. And now we will demonstrate.
Please note Mario the prostitute who is on the ball, in a half pass attack. And notice please, at the same time, the Hunter who slowly stepped back to the defense, without giving a look to the Croatian with the neat hair opposite. And when the prostitute takes Caluiaro for a walk on the way to the ring, there is no identification from the weak side and no help coming from there. Let go for a moment of the changing protection laws: Someone is supposed to help. This someone can and should be a hunter, certainly at his location level. Certainly in reference to the identity and location of the player he is guarding. But instead of identification and alertness, there is mostly demonstrated indifference here.
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Now please take a look at the next green pass attack as well, which ends when White cuts on Caspi’s back, on the way to another easy basket. But note that your attention is mostly on the Hunter. Also about his trailing behind at the start of the run, but mostly about the passive and unconvincing way he wanders towards Mitoglu inside. Is this Hunter ?!
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That will not be understood otherwise. Hunter is not Maccabi’s defensive problem. The problem is that he is expected to always be the solution, to cover up for and the failures of others. Like Dragon Bender for example. His had some good instinctive defensive moves against Valencia, for example. That does not change the fact that despite all the desire and activism, Bender errs far more than contributes.
For example here. A move that looks like Pau’s pick and roll becomes one in which White slides in and does not block the prostitute. Bender, like Bender, hesitates and loses eye contact with White. Then Bryant arrives to help from the corner. Then Papafatro. Then three.
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Like Tyler Dorsey for example. When he signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, there were those who explained – and rightly so – that Dorsey showed at times that he does know how to press the ball defensively. And the truth is that he proved it, sometimes, even on his Sabbath as yellow. What can not be said about his terrible defensive ability when he does not keep the ball. When he needs to be focused and focused. Like here for example.
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Let’s calm down
Chris Jones has been Maccabi Tel Aviv’s outstanding player lately. Chris Jones is also the only coordinator of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the squad. And Chris Jones, by no means, is capable of manning Scotty Wilbkin’s place in the exercise set. He is not an exceptional one-on-one player and certainly not a scorer to whom one can go for isolation missions and so on. Alternatively, anyone who thinks Jones can save broken stuck attacks using Manu A. Manu in front of St. Ross will think again.
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Oh, and whoever is considering (and rightly so) taking advantage of the team’s option on Jones for next season, but is convinced that he has in hand a first coordinator in a top team in the Euroleague? So let him think again. Chris Jones, probably in relation to his cost, can definitely contribute to Maccabi Tel Aviv next season. Assuming they put it in the right place and in the right position.
Three points to go
1. Elijah Bryant’s average efficiency index in the last five Euroleague games is 1.2 per game. Which is very bad.
2. The efficiency index The cumulative Of Othello Hunter in the last two Euroleague games is minus 2. which is very bad.
3. Angelo Cloiaro, the player who gets the most minutes of play in Maccabi Tel Aviv, scores an average of 4.1 points per game in the last seven Euroleague games. And he is still an anchor in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s top five. Strange and interesting.