By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Bayern Munich coach Andrea Trinchieri doesn’t plan to even beginning to think about the 10 games that are left for his team in a hectic December calendar.
Because, if he does, he’ll need a good bottle of wine for company. Or two, if the situation calls for that.
“If I think about the schedule, I’ll take a good bottle of wine, maybe two and then maybe you’ll see me in one week,” Trinchieri said in the post-game presser of the win of his team over Khimki Moscow for Round 12 of the EuroLeague regular season. “Better that I don’t think about the schedule.”
Trinchieri and his players will give five matches for EuroLeague, including two in a double-round week, and five more for the German BBL League. “I don’t know anything. I only know about the game on Sunday,” the Italian coach said.
Bayern made a comeback from down 15 to beat Khimki and bounce back from two straight losses (to CSKA Moscow and Panathinaikos). Despite the win, Trinchieri was far from satisfied.
“We didn’t play good defense,” Trinchieri said. “We were horrible in pick n’ roll defense. We didn’t use the fouls in the first half. And if you don’t defend, you have problems.”
It was Nick Weiler-Babb and his four straight free throws that wrote the last lines of the game’s script. He first made the go-ahead shots from the line and then hit the other pair with 1.5 seconds remaining after he grabbed the offensive rebound.
That last free throw going in gave Khimki the opportunity for a timeout and the sideline play that could potentially lead to a game-winner.
“This paper says some things but doesn’t say everything,” Trinchieri said while picking up the stats sheet and showing it. “There are a lot of things, little things that it’s a matter of half a second. A step right or left. Know who you guard. Know where you can spend the foul. And know when to miss a free throw,” he added, a probable reference to Weiler-Babb not sending the ball out in his last free throw.