So anyone who nods to Yannis in the chair will have to hold back.
The Greek coach tightened the rotation (at the expense of the Israelis, see a separate paragraph at the end), arranged the back line positions, and especially got Nanelli in a fine all-around game with (finally) threes coming in, and an attack based on penetration and dedication inside, and swept Maccabi to crazy percentages From the field (75%).
Under an improved Reynolds basket and a connected ban create a good problem for Žižić when he returns.
Maccabi also won because the statistics are straightening, and the teams have returned to their natural size.
Wheelerban is not as good as 0: 3 including a win over zero, Maccabi is not as bad as its recent results, and the first double Euroleague week demands sacrifices, because it is difficult to win two games in two days.
And that was enough even though Maccabi's defense is still not very connected, and the coordinator's problem has not really been solved yet.
My generation grew up on Maccabi of 77, below is the generation of Virton.
The structure of the quintet and the roles we learned at the time were: Motti Aroasti the coordinator, a half-corner Miki, two corners (Jimbo and Silver), and a pivot named Ulsie Perry.
Life was simple and clear.
But the role of the coordinator changed, and Magic Johnson changed it completely, and they started calling it Point Guard, and there was also Shooting Guard, and Combo Guard, and Op Guard and Skin Guard.
Since Doron Sheffer took over the role, Ariel MacDonald has focused it, Sharas has brought it to a climax, Tyrese Rice has officered it.
But in all of Maccabi's European Championships there was a real coordinator.
So it is true that today these are no longer "classic centers" that sacrifice everything and themselves for the team, like Itamar Marzel, Avigdor Moskowitz and Moti Aroasti, but the coordinator has always been the most important player.
Because it's supposed to be someone who connects the team, moves the coach's game plan to the field, and mostly makes the others better.
Wilbkin.
Sapropolus did not use it by force,
And Maccabi does not have such a player.
Maybe there are athletes like Wilbkin and Evans, who are able to dribble, move half and pass aside, but they are not pure coordinators.
Despite the history, Maccabi has not brought in a senior European coordinator for years, and even releases those who can be (Walters, Jones).
In the current structure, it has a composition of two guards / scenes, but not ones that improve others.
The great Michael Jordan also won championships with Phil Jackson next to him as an absolute coordinator / scorer (Jim Jackson and Steve Carr as an example).
And in this role, as long as Scotty Wilbkin is on Maccabi's Jordan standard, the most suitable next to him is John Dibertolomeo, thanks to game wisdom, absolute shooting, wonderful defensive ability and four years of experience with the coach and team in the Euroleague.
But he did not step on the field, in contrast Di Evans was burned near Wilbkin and should be his replacement and not his assistant.
The moment of redemption came a minute and a half before the end of the first quarter.
Evans came back in place of Wilbkin and not next to him, scored a first three and the engine opened for him.
Yannis saw that well and left Scotty on the bench, Evans scored another three and started to feel adrenaline in his blood, and Maccabi started to look like a team.
Credit to Yannis for the courage to bring the Savior to the bench.
He did return, and mostly with Evans, but in the video it will look clear, and slowly it will get better.
⭐ pic.twitter.com/eXbR94xBQ3
- Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) October 14, 2021
Maccabi Passing Game has long been required to create situations for everyone.
But for that you need whole players, who can dribble, play inside and out, and mostly deliver.
One of Maccabi's shortcomings is the delivery ability, which is the key to making others better.
And yet in this game there were improvements in the coordination of doubles and threes, a game with a back to Nanley's basket, and a lot of good dedication to the tall ones.
Definitely in line for improvement, and it is still important to mention that all the mistakes were supposed to be corrected in Maccabi's pre-season, which was not.
And the sad Israeli angle: Yiftach Ziv's six seconds summed up all the Israeli game minutes (including citizens), and this is unofficially the all-time low. The tightening of the rotation filtered the least good to the bottom, and the Israelis who did not prove themselves in the ancient games remained in training. Jake Cohen continues not to even dress. Now, Yannis does not have to run a game through an ID card, certainly not. But two questions are asked here: who represents Israeli basketball here, which justifies the excessive foreign rules in the local league (four foreigners on the court, five on the form, and ten on the register).
So now, at the height of the Israelis' boom, with the most talented team in the last decade, no one can play for Maccabi?
Sussman and Blatt are flourishing in Berlin, Madar in Belgrade, and their decisions to leave for Europe suddenly seem brilliant.
How will Maccabi succeed with ten foreigners?
Also, will Maccabi Tel Aviv be able to justify the non-release of the Israelis to the national team games next month?
There will be an interesting struggle.
Let's hope that with the pressure drop, we will see more than six Israeli seconds later.