Stephanos Makris analyzes Panathinaikos Aktor's huge win in Madrid against Real Madrid with the help of Hudl Instat. Sluka's 64 points, I destroyed Madrid's pick-and-roll defense, Lazer's runs and Real's 2nd period “wound”.
The Panathinaikos A.K.T.R Showed his teeth in Madrid and won the quadruple, Real won 97-86.
The “Greens” were consistent in their plan, hurt the weaknesses of the Madrid players and won a well-deserved victory, looking to the future with even more optimism.
The Sports 24 Panathinaikos AKTOR analyzes the win with the help of Hudl Instat.
Slokas and Nunn dismantled the true defense in the pick-and-roll
The presence of Eddie Tavares and Vincent Poirier (often) means that Real's pick-and-roll defense comes into conflict when the ball-handler shoots: Madrid are the team that concedes more points than any other EuroLeague team in such situations, according to HudlInstat. (16.67 per game), but they give up just 0.91 points per possession, the 4th best defense.
However, there is an explanation for this inconsistency: Madrid forces their opponents to play pick-and-rolls more than they prefer. With Tavares and Poirier playing drop defense (standing back, giving the shot) and the rest of the players sticking to their players, many times Madrid's opponents have no choice but to make attempts by the ball handlers. Tavares' shadow has a definite impact on this.
For a team to beat Real Madrid, they need players who know how to screen in the pick-and-roll and shoot well (not well) off the dribble. Panathinaikos AKTOR has two players: Kendrick Nan and Kostas Slokas. Both broke through the Madrid defense in the pick and roll.
According to Hudl Instat, Panathinaikos AKTOR scored 26 points on 16 possessions in a pick-and-roll situation (1.63 per possession), a shot taken by a legendary ball-handler. Slukas scored 11 of them (in 6 possessions) and I scored 10 (in 5 possessions), constantly punishing the Madrid defense, shooting off the dribble.
Here is an example.
Slukas sets up the pick-and-roll with Lesser almost in the middle of the court, while Tavares is at shooting height.
Slukas comes up unmolested and shoots a three-pointer, Tavares steps back.
Slukas finished the game with 16 points and 7 assists, while Panathinaikos AKTOR scored another 14 points.
*Well-aimed sights, with a circle, “x” false
I, for his part, had 17 points and 8 assists, which gave another 17 points.
*Well-aimed sights, with a circle, “x” false
Neither guard helped the other because the priority was finding their own shot or a high one that rolled to the basket. Together, the two were responsible for 64 of their team's 97 points. The plan was clear: the Ataman assigned the results to his two best guards. When they found gaps, they fired. If they broke through Madrid's defence, they went to the perimeter.
Tenant runs and second innings party
The Matias Lessor had a career night with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 steal in 29 minutes against Real., added 9 more points with his assist. The Frenchman is a true beast, putting them on par with the brutal Poirier and Tavares. And he did it in a different way.
The French center is smaller in size. But excels at speed. That's why he constantly ran into the open field and tried to expose Real's centers – and succeeded. Lesor knew how Tavares and Poirier couldn't follow, and his teammates were instructed to constantly find him and run at every opportunity.
At the same time, he was completely dominant against Poirier. French was the lead pick-and-roll screener with Nan. With the American threatening in the pick-and-roll – and Poirier not having enough Tavares to follow up – the loanee took the balls he needed and finished the phases perfectly, giving Panathinaikos AKTOR room to breathe.
However, at the same time, one cannot mention the incredible second quarter of “Clover”, where the individual score was “Greens” 12-27. Chus Mateo chose to throw Sergio Yule and Sergio Rodriguez on the ground together, Panathinaikos was the butter on AKTOR's bread. “Greens” mercilessly beat the two veteran Spaniards in the pick and roll, pushing them on defense and finding points in the open. According to Hudl Instat, the five of Yule, Rodriguez (along with Moussa, Hessonia and Poirier) was -10 in 4 minutes, 46 seconds. Ergin Ataman's side saw momentum from this and they pressed throughout the game.
A character success
Panathinaikos AKTOR scored a big win, one of the biggest of the season (with a double at home to Monaco, but also in SEF against Olympiakos). It is a character victory. It came through various goals with many protagonists and many adjustments on Ataman's part.
(valuable against Real) Papapetrou's performance gave the “Greens” measure against a team with the most quality forwards in the competition. The Turkish coach has kept Papapetrou in a screener position (from the small forward position), showing the variety of options he has with the international forward on the roster. He received supplies from Hernangomet in the open. Targeted in specific situations, Poirier got runs from Lesser. He put Grikonis in sniper custody to get the measure. All these belong to him.
Panathinaikos AKTOR came back strong from the break. He showed what he could do when all the gears in the machine started moving. He seems to be rolling at the right time during the regular season. Home field advantage in the playoffs seems more realistic than ever. But for that to come, “Green” must continue at the same tempo.
