Matter of Flow: Sapropoulos Signed for Pantheon Game | Israel today

Did we say the Euroleague gifts are over?

So not exactly.

Barcelona is also a kind of gift.

More expensive, more demanding, but also more rewarding.

How is Group 1 in Europe a gift?

The timing and background.

Barça arrived after three away games against Zenit, Malaga and Fenerbahce.

Northern Russia, back to Spain, and again U-turn to Istanbul.

They did not sleep in their beds for a week, boarded at least seven flights.

We see stars and think they are superhuman.

But it is exhausting and impairs the physical and mental abilities.

In contrast, Maccabi has not been on a plane for two weeks.

The difference in freshness and sharpness as a result is abysmal.

And when you have a perfect balance (13: 0 to Maccabi) that weighs on the soul, a coach who eats your ear 100 percent of the time, someday you will fall apart.

So Barça broke up, snatched 31 points in the first quarter, and Maccabi took, and it is not a shame to take advantage of opportunities.

This is a feature of a proud group.     

Yannis Sapropoulos.

Rhythm sign, Photo: Alan Schieber

A good team gets you a better game.

And what else pushed Maccabi are the challenge, the adrenaline and the crowd.

Forgive me Yannis but I do not give him credit for the prey of the players.

It happened alone.

But the big credit that Yannis deserves is for the management of the game, his sense of the pace of the game and the appropriate players in every situation, and his ability to release the attack to flow alone and work only on defense.

To win two games in a double Euroleague week it is important to make small changes between games.

This time Taylor went up in the top five to stop Koric.

A small but significant change.

Yannis 'substitutions were timed, and the significant moment was in the opening of the third quarter when Barça came back, and the coach responded with the return of Reynolds and Nanelli who immediately stopped Sharas' hopes.

Nikola Mirotic is unhappy with his defense, Photo: Alan Schieber

Sapropoulos is still sitting on the defensive coach's ticket, and for the first time this season he can be given that title with a stamp.

Maccabi's attacking game started with the defense.

Every Spanish ball was barely delivered and attacked.

Every spare was aggressive.

Each delivery line became a Magino line.

Maccabi tried to snatch every ball, both from dedication and from the hands.

Everything is aggressive.

And when the defense is so offensive there is no need for an orderly game on offense.

With the energy that Maccabi has in the arena, and with the physical superiority, Maccabi went to a typical streetball game based only on the instincts of the players.

A lot of cuts and movement without a ball, and after a long time, Maccabi also has good morals.

Who needs exercises?

Especially in basketball of 24, and usually 14 seconds to attack.

It seems that not a single exercise is played throughout the game.

It was a bit lacking in the second half and it is still important to improve the standing game, but the energetic, aggressive and fast game is the kind of game that Maccabi Tel Aviv must become its nature and determine its character, in order to join the European top.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is celebrating in the arena.

Huge victory, Photo: Alan Schieber

The second half started with “normal” basketball from the very drop in tension and the natural inability to recover the energy from the opening of the game.

Maccabi should have continued to attack on defense but only fell for a moment to the game at the pace of Barcelona.

But Barcelona did not have the strength to return even to a single-digit difference, and as mentioned Yannis corrected quickly.

Maccabi will have to build some exercises for a standing game, there will not always be such a physical and mental difference, connected with such insane energy.

Scotty Wilbkin becomes a rotation player and not omnipotent and without him, which is great for Maccabi.

It is mandatory to limit his balls - a maximum of three balls, and if there is no shooting you will surrender.

Every time Maccabi delivered, it came to better shooting.

Angelo Cloiaro goes out dancing, Photo: Alan Schieber

Such games connect the players to the team.

They feed on each other’s enthusiasm, improve self-confidence, begin to see themselves as winners.

Seven players scored already in the first quarter, nine throughout the game, and they shared the load and responsibility offensively and defensively.

Everyone feels donated and donated.

Unfortunately, the Israelis are only represented by Sorkin and only for four minutes, but the pre-season during the season allowed Yannis to finally arrange a clear and tight rotation.

There are five, there are known substitutions, there is a sixth player - Nanley - who comes off the bench and changes the game.

He is the most important player in Maccabi.

And Yannis uses it as Sasha Gomelsky did with Sergei in Libya in the great Ceska.

Reynolds is also better off the bench than Zizic in the top five.

The rotation plays naturally and connections are built between the players.

These are sporty magic moments, which allow the construction and tightening to continue.

And it's much easier to work on what's missing in the 5: 2 balance and after a game to the Pantheon.