Despite — and perhaps because of — Milano’s momentum, Hapoel Tel Aviv bounced back and blew out Milano 105–83, cruising to yet another week atop the EuroLeague.

Giorgio Armani, who passed away peacefully about two months ago, built his mega-brand Armani around the suit. He designed it to fit, flatter, and honor the person wearing it when they walked into one of his boutiques in his hometown, Milan. The city’s basketball team, which bears the fashion icon’s name, stitched together last night a performance very much in Armani’s spirit — a game that fit, flattered, and highlighted the strengths of Hapoel Tel Aviv, who came for a quick visit to the fashion capital and left looking like a million dollars after a dominant 105–83 display. Milano entered the game riding a convincing four-game winning streak and welcoming back Zach LeDay and Shavon Shields, its top scorers. Perhaps that Italian optimism made them skip their homework, because Milano showed up intending to play their game — one that fit like a silk haute-couture glove on the hot hands of Antonio Blakeney and company.

Hapoel arrived toughened after the loss to Fenerbahçe’s bulldogs, and this time met minimal resistance on its way to the rim. The first half was played at a high pace and high score, and the game remained close as long as the Reds in white operated in second gear while the Reds in red rode the energy and fire injected off the bench by the brilliant Leandro Bolmaro, who stole, ran, and scored in a different unconventional way each time against Hapoel’s not-quite-committed first-half defense. Once again Hapoel switched every screen on defense without hesitation, but Milano — mainly Brooks and Shields (pun intended) — chose to “exploit” those mismatches with tough threes that simply didn’t fall (5/24).

Photo Credit: Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv

Milano played fast — as they know how — but the problem was that Hapoel knows how to play fast even better. It was clear that at some point this would show. The sheer talent overload of the Tel Aviv side burst through once the tempo rose, defenses loosened, and the fistfight began. It started with a 12–0 run in the third quarter, during which Hapoel controlled the Italian paint like Michelangelo in his prime. From there, they never looked back in what became some of the highest-quality garbage time we’ve seen in the EuroLeague this season. Oturu, Micic, Bryant, Blakeney and Motley all reached double figures in turn, Chris Jones handed out a catalogue-worthy 10 assists, and Ish Wainright didn’t need more than 3 points and 1 rebound in 24 minutes to finish with a completely absurd +29 plus/minus. Hapoel washed over the court with all the talent they have, because Milano did nothing to stop them. How did it end? Everyone knows.

Itoudis started and spent most of the game with three guards, one of Wainright/Malcolm, and a single big — a lineup that created endless passing options and produced a season-high 23 assists. In Monday’s derby we saw Maccabi throw out a kind of pressing zone that complicated things and forced the Reds into contested late-clock shots. Last night in Milan, the game simply came to them. One action was enough — a screen, a dribble, or a cut without the ball — to make the Italian defense blink and crumble. From there, the path to an open three (10 of them at 45%) or a pass inside (Motley and Oturu combining for 37 points on 72% shooting) was shorter than the distance between Ofer Yannay and the end of Hapoel’s bench.

Photo Credit: Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv

Dan Oturu, who came out of the derby with a Roman Sorkin-shaped scar on his forehead, waited in the paint and received the ball again and again against Dunston — and calling him “veteran” is like calling Gordon Ramsay “a talented cook.” Hapoel’s center exploited his five-centimeter advantage and Dunston’s 13-year age gap, posting a season-high 20 points (71%) with 7 rebounds in just 22 minutes. The others (Tote and Ricci) couldn’t stop the athletic Tel Aviv center either — and didn’t really try, it seemed — as Oturu scored his 20 points and took all 14 of his shots inside the paint without reaching the free-throw line even once and without a single foul being committed on him (!) all night. That stat says everything about how soft and naïve Milano were, especially compared to Fener, who also lacked a world-class frontcourt but still didn’t let Hapoel get to its strengths — and clawed out a win over a superior team.

Milano came to win; Fener came to avoid losing — and that, in a nutshell, is the enormous difference between the results and form Itoudis’ crew has shown over the last two rounds. Any team that comes into a shootout with the Reds will eventually discover (likely in the third quarter) that it simply has fewer bullets than the team that brings Blakeney off the bench and gets 20 points on 11 shots from him, for example. Next week a different opera awaits against mighty Real Madrid, but for now, after yet another beautiful display of elite offensive basketball, Hapoel Tel Aviv stays atop the EuroLeague for another week — and does it in full Armani style.

Photo Credit: Euroleague