By Panos Katsiroumpas / info@eurohoops.net
We have already watched 2 games in each playoff series and now is time to conclude what we have seen in this 1st week of the road to Madrid games.
Fenerbahce vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
In this series we have seen 2 totally different games. In the 1st game Maccabi was in control for 30 minutes, but Fenerbahce came back. In the 2nd game, it was total domination for the Turkish team from the beginning to the end.
Fenerbahce plays much better defense and control the rebounds totally. Coach Obradovic is getting help from almost every player that steps in the court. In the 1st game it was Sipahi and Zoric and in the 2nd game was Erden. Maccabi manage to stop Goudelock in the 1st game, but he found rhythm in the 2nd and he executed perfectly.
The biggest difference although is the rebounding. Fenerbahce won this battle in both games (39-29 in game 1) and (43-29 in game 2). They are getting many 2nd chance opportunities and transform it to points and psychological advantage. Vesely, Zoric and Erden are giving their team huge help in both ends, while in the other side Maccabi is taking too little from this big guys.
What Maccabi has to do?
1. They have to put Sofo back in the series. In the first 2 games Schortsanitis is totally out of the game and Maccabi needs him in despair. They have to find looks and passes to him, and open the spaces in order to play in isolations. With the way he plays he gives energy and open the spaces for better execution for his teammates. In 2 games he has 2 points in 20 minutes.
2. REBOUND! Maccabi has to take the defensive rebounds. If they manage to achieve that, they will not give too much 2nd chance points, and they will have better conditions to run and score in transition.
3. Stop Goudelock. In the first 30 minutes of the 1st game they manage to stop him and they were very close to get the away win. In the 2nd game Goudelock scored from everywhere. If they stop him they have chances to return for a 5th game in Istanbul.
Key point
The key point in this series, was the presence of Sipahi and the great defense he plays against Pargo. In the 1st game he came from the bench with his team behind and force Pargo to remain scoreless. In the 2nd game he was in the starting line-up and with his defense he kept Pargo again in zero points early on and help his team create a 16-point lead in the 1st quarter.