You can describe Hapoel Tel Aviv’s 82-72 win last night in Munich over Bayern, in one word: nonchalant. You could also do it with two names: Elijah Bryant or Dan Oturu. But we won’t skimp on words when it comes to this team’s efficient performance, which once again proves that basketball doesn’t have to be played for 40 minutes as you can get the job done after a little more than 25 minutes and then enjoy an extended stretch of garbage time.

Much has been said, is being said and will be said about the depth Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis has on his roster, the luxury of bringing players like Blakeney, Tyler Ennis, Chris Jones, or Johnathan Motley off the bench and winning games through minutes of players from the bench. Tuesday night’s game may have featured the deepest rotation we’ve seen from the Greek coach this season, with double-digit minutes for Tomer Ginat and Tai Odiase, many minutes for Jones and also some for Guy Palatin and Tyler Ennis towards the end but those came for the opposite reason. Not because of the bench’s strength, but because of the no-less-than-amazing efficiency of the reds starting five that wore white last night.

It was obvious on the court, it screamed from the stat sheet that Hapoel Tel Aviv’s starting lineup worked perfectly. The plus/minus numbers testify: Madar (+21), Bryant (+21), Wainright (+21), Malcolm (+14) and above them all Dan Oturu (+29). This lineup ran together for most of the first three quarters and left the Bavarians far, far behind. It worked like a well-oiled machine, with every cog knowing exactly its role.

Offensively, the Bryant–Oturu game is something Europe simply doesn’t have an answer for right now. Bryant gets the ball from Madar and calls his big man up for a screen; from there, almost any possible sequence of events ended with the ball going through the rim. Bayern allowed switches and Elijah either got to the basket with ease or fed Oturu and sometimes both. Even without the switch, Bayern didn’t have defenders physical enough to slow down the tall guard and the athletic center, who also completely dominated the offensive glass with four rebounds each, even when the outside shots weren’t falling.

By halftime, the two had combined for 28 points on 16 shots. In the second half, the Germans tried to apply pressure on the ball after the screen with double teams, but Bryant and Oturu found the open man beyond the arc, first Jones, then Antonio Blakeney with a three and a foul that ended the story after just 27 minutes.

Alongside them on the floor, Colin Malcolm and Ish Wainright played a completely different kind of game. They didn’t make a single field goal, didn’t record even one assist and finished 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Still, they logged the most minutes for Hapoel Tel Aviv last night, because they might be the two cogs who understand their roles in the machine better than anyone. These two forwards earn their paycheck on defense.

Malcolm, night after night, takes on the opponent’s top scorer and he made life difficult for the excellent Andreas Obst, who barely got good looks and still managed to sink a trio of 3-pointers. The man for special missions, Ish Wainright, can guard anyone, allowing Hapoel to switch defensively and still play with spacing on offense using just one big, without paying the price on the other end. Wainright is also one of the smartest foul-committers around: he committed four fouls last night, only one of which led to two free throws, both missed by Wenyen Gabriel. He and Malcolm also combined for five steals (three and two), giving Itoudis exactly what he needs from them.

If every player in the starting lineup had a unique contribution yesterday, Yam Madar brought the energy. The Israeli point guard has that very American trait of being the closer. The game was decided in the third quarter after a 16–0 run that opened a 23-point gap. Yes, Bryant scored, Oturu dunked, Blakeney sniped and Wainright defended but that run had Yam Madar’s signature all over it. He’s a momentum creator, with a defensive stop, a steal, or an and-one. He’s also a momentum keeper, with complete control over the tempo and flawless decision-making, without turning the ball over. That’s his job.

Bayern Munich does have some decent players on paper as Obst is an elite shooter, Spencer Dinwiddie just arrived from the NBA and Oscar da Silva less than a month ago was celebrating against the national team but it still isn’t one of the continent’s lions. So more than the expected result, it’s the manner of the win that sparks the imagination.

When every cog in the machine fulfills its role perfectly; when Elijah performs magic, Oturu dominates the paint, Blakeney does Blakeney things, Wainright does Wainright things and Yam Madar makes us proud, the ease with which the Reds expressed their superiority in talent also reflects their superiority in chemistry, coordination and coaching. Those are the things that turn a collection of athletes into a team that reaches special places, perhaps even nonchalantly.