A habit is the “animal” inside us…

By  Jim Conway on 30 May 2017

November, the start of the 2016-17 season and Hoopfellas wonders if the decisive advantage of “emotional intelligence” has left OAKA and has gone a few miles south, to Olympiacos. A few months later, after game 1 of the Greek league finals, this transition looks like a done deal and the two teams are walking on the tight rope of habit. This series is far more important than just a title.

Hoopfellas 20 November 2016

“Emotional intelligence was for years the “stronghold” of Panathinaikos’ supremacy against Olympiacos and Hoopfellas wonders whether this decisive – for the “eternals” matchup – weapon has changed hands…

What we saw in the last matches of the two rivals lead us to the conclusion that the great weapon of emotional intelligence that was on Panathinaikos’ side in the Obradovic and Diamantidis years in the games against Olympiacos is slowly starting to change hands. This is a good question that remains to be answered, as Olympiacos looks to be more ready, more certain and more able to manage marginal situations in the court they used to think as their nightmare. After several years, they looked their fear in the eye and it appears that they beat it. The secret key of “emotional intelligence” makes its way south. It has long way to go still, as Olympiacos have not yet established their status against the Greens (as emphatically as they had for many years), but the advantage given by the presence of Vassilis Spanoulis and Giorgos Printezis in closed matches looks decisive against any opponent. There is a long way to go, though. Panathinaikos made a great effort in this match against all odds (for some they are responsible, for others they are not…) and Xavi Pascual’s mind (their new strong card) may reverse the situation. Have no doubt about that. The next day in the two “eternals” clash is very interesting.”

After all, history has made its plans for the instinctive direction of our thoughts today. Has anyone forgotten of the “Diamantidis Era”, when the Panathinaikos No13 and his ability to change every possible or impossible situation in the eternals matches looked out of this world in the eyes of the opponents…? The know-how of winning and mental manipulation of the opponents (which in these matches borderlines emotional torture…) rests now with the Reds. Reverend Spanoulis has in his possession the role held by the best, in my opinion, performer of this Greek rivalry, Dimitris Diamantidis. Olympiacos can say that they have made a habit out of winning games. The same way they used to lose them all these years. This is a situation from which their opponent, who experiences its negative side, cannot get out easy. Of course, Panathinaikos transferring new blood, and the results of January leave open the condition of “habit of winning” on the Reds side. When a person is worn down by everyday life, he avoids deeper concerns and thorough self-examination. Repetition and habit are a big part in the world of sports and especially the world we see today and is concerned with our sport…

Spanoulis’ “Cut Off” against Pascual’s ICE

I think that the ICE coach Pacual chooses against Spanoulis works, and it could work even better if the involved big man (by controlling the vertical dribble of the Reds captain) had better agility than Bouroussis, so he could respond better in recovering, when the ball would leave the hands of the opponent’s guard. When, of course, you have Gist or Singleton at the “5” position, truth is that you are tempted to be more aggressive there by taking advantage of your big man’s speed. After all, Calathes is excellent in this type of defence (as well) and his difference with the rest becomes obvious by the way Spanoulis acts when he is up against another defender. So, against the ICE coach Pascual chose, aiming at not allowing Spanoulis to be involved the final cooperation of the Reds offense, Olympiacos chose the so called Cut Off, which leads the ballhandler to bring his opponent to a point (not too close to the baseline), attack on the big man with vertical dribble and immediately (with crossover dribble, I even expect el latigo from Spanoulis in the series) change direction and dribble towards the heart of the defence. It’s really difficult even for quick big men to control a crossover (as opposed to a static) dribble in this situation against agile ballhandlers, with Olympiacos not aiming at going all the way with Spanoulis, but at baseline cuts (they are a very powerful ally for Spanoulis in the PnR offence) or the weak side.

Spanoulis was up against a clear-cut Switch when Gist was at the “5” position and his persistence in looking for the miss match down low helped Olympiacos a great deal. When Spanoulis (as the images in the last years of him constantly hitting a wall against the Greens defence…) wisely chose to be patient (and give an entry pass) by not keeping the ball (beating his ego at the same time) and directing it towards a favourable (unlike his own situation in the perimeter) one on one situation down low, he can beat these defences, which try to lock him down with the combination of size-strength & athleticism. Calathes defends quite well against him, but basketball is a complex sport and several times Spanoulis’ thought travels faster than the feet of an athletic big man… Spanoulis was off the mark, he understood that early on in the game and decided to play “wisely”. His AST/TO (10/2) ratio says it all. The character everyone in the Reds team show in these closed games rely on his mentality and his approach…

Coach Sfairopoulos used Flex cuts in the 1-3-1 for Green, as well as for Printezis and Milutinov along the baseline, looking to put the ball in spots for immediate execution with as less dribbling as possible. We saw again the Box offence that would end up in post ups by Papanikolaou (Papapetrou usually has more chances to be successful in the low post). The duo of Green-Waters (the coach tried to buy some time) looked easier to be controlled by the more physical and athletic guards of the Greens, with the former Virginia Tech SG having a poor night with 1/9 shots.

Fabrica

Last summer we talked about the prospect of Nikola Milutinov’s game developing within the season, as the player had devoted a lot of time to improve parts of his game. What we are seeing lately in the most important part of the season from the 22 year old Spurs draftee should make proud both him and the Olympiacos organisation; without giving anything away (and first of all his place in the European elite) they manage to develop new players, especially big men, and makes it easy for them to take the next step to the highest level of basketball in Europe. Olympiacos have created their own reputation, similar to the term “program” used in American highschool sports. All these years Brose had the label of the team that find and properly work with mobile big men. In Belgrade a strong Post presence and mainly a big body at the “5” position (this is why we named the city the European Georgetown) is used to the max. The Reds have created their own tradition by taking mainly big men to the next level. Vassilis Spanoulis plays a major part in their education…

We have mentioned before that if things go as planned and he stays with Olympiacos, he will be one of the pillars for the Reds offense in the new season, as their other pillars (Spanoulis and Printezis) will be a year older. The Serbian Center has soft hands (he can finish without lowering his hands, a great advantage for a player his height), good technique, he has improved his footwork, he is strong above the rim and he is more controlled this year (his positioning in both offense and defense is obvious), and he can take advantage of his experience in the Olympiacos environment. The Reds gave him the ball in the post when they wanted to break their opponents’ pressure on their backcourt players, and Milutinov was excellent on game 1 (12 points, 4/4 FG, 4/5 FT, 4 REB) and he scored in the final stretch of the game, verifying why he has won the trust of his coach. The Serbian big man has a long way to go, though… Route 66 in his career, but it is clear that he is in the right path by working both in the summer and in the winter with great guards and in teams with a winning culture in both his club and his national team.

Panathinaikos must run in the series…

I think that Panathinaikos must change their approach a bit and “risk”, meaning that they will need to play outside the context they built within the season. I am referring to their persistence in playing in the half court. The Greens must run and look for scoring in the open court, us they did at Faliro (16 points for just 2 from their opponents, who theoretically would look for the open court more). Olympiacos has a defence with a high degree of coherence and very good defensive cooperations in the half court. Bouroussis’ presence created good conditions for defensive rebounds, but on the other hand it does not allow for aggressive defences that lead to turnovers and the …open court. The path of the open court is dangerous for a team that is not used to it, although it can create situations and mainly it can activate self-preservation mechanisms in Panathinaikos and change things around in the series. Panathinaikos lost a match in which they got the rebounds, they produced 16 points from fast breaks, they cut the floor in half and saw their opponents shoot 5/25 three pointers and Printezis 3/10 two pointers… They lost because their defense did not make their opponents turn the ball over and mainly because their offense was very static, especially in the final stretch of the game…

James is a necessary unit for the “Clover”, if they want to make a run for the championship. These are the players with whom the entire team has learned how to play throughout the year in the final stretch of closed games. The aura of “I will score, whether you like it or not” is of vital importance for coach Pascual’s team. Both he and Calathes (the two main ballhandlers of the team) were unable not play on the middle lane of the Reds defense, which is very familiar ground for James. The American guard did not go for his midrange game, and, as we have pointed out from the start of the season, with him at the “1” position, the team changes its “skin” on its offense, as he is not the floor general that will include his teammates in the playbook and keep them “warm” on offense. James is one of the best one on one scorers today in European basketball, a very important asset in an era where one on one ability (in both sides of the court) is gold. This year he was the “constant” of Panathinaikos in scoring, even at nights when his teammates were having great difficulties in making baskets. However, he does not have the required playmaking to properly run the offensive playbook of the Greens, when it is expected for them to throw all their weapons and offensive firepower (which is significant) on the table. On Sunday, Panathinaikos relied more than what the circumstances allowed on the James-Bouroussis cooperation in the middle lane, when they should have used it as bait and look for Rivers…

I think that the Greens offense will put the Reds defense to the test more if they circulate the ball more (the Calathes-Feldein backcourt works better in this direction, the Dominican was completely off the day before yesterday) instead of sets with dribble overuse. Such an approach may do a better job rolling out the carpet of the final stretch for Panathinaikos, when the soloists really need to step up… It is characteristic that the same defense of Olympiacos chose to work on 2-2 situations in ball screens (the weapon of the Greens win in January) pushing their opponents to execute from a middle or close range with the three remaining defenders on Panathinaikos’ spot shooter who were waiting behind the arc (the Greens of 26.2 three-pointer attempts, Νο1 in Euroleague, had 18 with and only made 5 of them).

Bourousis fought a good deal and he and Rivers were the two constants of the Greens in half court. With his amazing ability to receive fouls at the low post, the veteran center wore down the opponents frontcourt from the beginning; however, he should be more disciplined in his defensive positions up high in the next games as an extra step from Bourousis in the perimeter equals a lay up. Unfortunately for Xavi Pascual, Gist isn’t in a really good shape (with him and Gabriel as the frontcourt pair, Panathinaikos loses significantly in rebounding) and his offensive weakness deprives his team of more minutes with the good defensive unit, which is comprised by himself and Singleton...

Rivers was once again excellent. He had “spirit” in both middle periods and he led his teammates into successive comebacks of the situation on the court. The decisive block he received from Papanikolaou at the end was one of the few times this year that the American loses from his Reds personal defenders, whom he appears to have won mind–wise. At the end, he also paid for the playmakers’ bad game in the Green offense. The ball didn’t get to him in the right timing or near his good spots so as to not to consume himself with many dribbles (and stamina, which is important from 37′ onwards) getting to them. Overall, the lack of movement of the Greens (along with the will and strength of their opponents in “breaking” the screens) deactivated the only player who could “close” the game in their favour on Sunday at Faliro. I don’t know if this Panathinaikos at this particular time is able to identify more to River’s composed game profile. If yes, there may be “a lot” to watch in this series..

Heading towards Game 2..

Olympiacos had a great victory in the first game, extremely dangerous for the host, and will now go to OAKA to put the pressure on their opponents. The feeling of missed opportunity (in this case, for Panathinaikos) often has the ability to blow out of proportion and… crash on you if you allow its remnants to crawl into your mind and psyche when entering game 2 of the finals, especially if your opponent starts playing good basketball. This is what the Reds will go for, with the momentum of the last close game’s victory on their side. Apart from managing the psychological part, Olympiacos will need some really good basketball on Thursday night at OAKA. Remember where they were last year before the second game in the final series…

Panathinaikos are in desperate need of an outburst. Too many things have piled up recently in the internal world of the team and the loss in a first final where, in the final stretch of the match, the Greens had brought around to suit them, puts additional pressure. An outburst that will primarily change the atmosphere inside the team is needed more than ever. A strong blow to confirm that the Greens are “here”. Thursday will have a lot of pressure. Great teams, however, have learned to transform pressure into creativity and “dope” for extra focus. The group of people who makes up this year’s Panathinaikos has an opportunity (maybe the last one…) to give some answers in front of their fans.

Seeing the confrontation coming, I dare say that we are heading towards a pretty emotionally intense game…

P.S.: DJ Cooper MVP of the French league…

P.S.1: Raymar Morgan MVP of the German league.. (according to the environment of his spokesman, Unicaja and Crvena Zvezda have approached the “Spartan”, Izzo’s former henchman).

P.S.2: Buyern Munich (swept by Broze precisely because they entered the series with an attitude bordering on audacity) are looking into Kyle Kuric while Uli Hoeneß promised an elite PG for the new season. Would he be American or.. Serbian?

P.S.3: To the offenses of the two “eternals”: Fast decision-making is a fundamental condition for proper, effective spacing.

The only thing you must not allow is to lose the advantage already made..

Translated by: George-Orestis Zoumpos

Jim Katsionis