MACCABI EUROLEAGUE
Maccabi Tel Aviv who were dreaming of maintaining a small chance to make the playoffs went to Greece for an important game against Panathinaikos where they met a coach who they knew well and vice versa. During the Ioannis Sfairopoulos era Maccabi have two offensive elements that they rely on, the first is the running game and the second is quick and easy bursts which maximize the guards (primarily Scottie Wilbekin) play for themselves and their teammates. Oded Katash‘s defensive game plan was simple, right from the get go Panathinaikos played with a tall lineup that constantly switched eliminating Maccabi‘s small advantage which then led to many one on one plays and shots off the dribble at the end of the shot clock which led to low percentage shots and a pace of play that was perfect for the Greeks. Sfairopoulos used Wilbekin at the two with withe Chris Jones and John Dibartolomeo by his side which was in my opinion a good one which helped Maccabi and in particular Wilbekin to attack.
This past Tuesday, Maccabi played the best team in the Euroleague, Anadolu EFES. One can talk about what Maccabi could have done or not or what type of solutions they could have found for the game or not but I want to look at their opponents, who an almost perfect team scoring 92 points a game and dishing out 21 assists over the last 8 games. They play an optimal pick and roll and can phenomenally read plays as they have defended and ripped apart the opposition‘s offense by playing individual pr tam defense where they have held their rivals to under 71 points per game. Quite amazing.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
One of the most important parts of a basketball team, if not the biggest is the roster construction over the summer. Time and time again when a team builds the squad correctly they have been able to succeed and there are no better examples this season than Hapoel Eilat and Hapoel Haifa.
Let’s begin with the former, Hapoel Eilat who put together the roster with a lot of experience and intelligence. Ariel Beit Halachmi, a veteran coach in the league hit on all of his foreigners with three of them (Joe Ragland, Markel Brown, Casey Prather) coming in with a ton of talent and experience at the highest of levels, some of which have also won titles as well, while the fourth import Josh Nebo, is perfect for his style of play (pick and roll with Joe Ragland) and fits likes a glove together with Jonathan Skoljdebrand, Ben Carter, Tzuf Ben Moshe, Roie Huber and Joaquin Szuchman. There is experience at every parameter to go along with a calming sense as to the way he plays and where every player knows his role and ability which allows them to win close games. Eilat in my opinion can go very far.
Up north at Hapoel Holon we find a bit of a different story as Elad Hasin put together a team of players that have something to prove, that are hungry, tough and play a fast paced offense wording 90.6 points per game while shooting 41.6% from downtown. In my opinion Hasin hit on how to have both his imports and Israelis play really nicely together. The backcourt with Keenan Evans (the steal of the season) and Jason Siggers is potent and the team can play in a number of ways and has also won half of their games by 5 points or less which speaks highly of the coach’s work. This team will be a factor going forward.
RELEGATION BATTLE
There’s no question that Maccabi Haifa’s win brought positive energy and confidence. I had the privilege to coach Amit Ben David and it has taken very little time for him to show what he brings as a coach which was what he brought as a player – calm, confidence and stability. Professionally the one big move he has made was to move Chris Dowe to the 2 from the 1 which has helped stabilize things offensively. Another point to look at and enjoy is Roman Sorkin who has seen his average go up from 11.6 points and 14.5% from 3 to 21 points and 57% from downtown over the past 3 games.
On the other side of the court, the one which allows a team to win games is the fact that the team understands the importance of the situation and that they are showing aggressiveness, positive energy and fight as they are winning the 50/50 balls, the rebounds and only allowed Hapoel Tel Aviv to score 73 points. If the rumors are true that Gregory Vadrgas is returning to the club then they’ll be even better.
Hapoel Tel Aviv is going the opposite way as they have made many roster changes which hasn’t brought about any confidence within the squad and if you add to that the 3 losses after the team held large leads, the pressure is just going to continue to build.
Despite everything, I still believe that Hapoel Tel Aviv is a talented team, deep and athletic (especially with the addition of James Young and when JP Tokoto returns from injury) plus the level of experience that Danny Franco brings along with their fan base should help them reach their goals.
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