Euroleague Top16: Week5

[sambaras]

Panathinaikos will not play to win Unics. If they lose they will avoid CSKA in the semifinals (and anything can happen in the final !!!). They will prefer to play vs Barca at top8 instead of having CSKA in semifinals. Sorry but Fener will not qualify due to this. Just my opinion - wait and see

Do you really think that they will risk their Final 4 chances only for not having CSKA in semifinals?Man,if you won't eliminate Barca you won't even be in Istanbul,which is really probable.You think everything can happen in the final,that's valid for semifinals tooThe chances are equal in Final 4.
Btw i'm really annoyed with this Greek mentality of losing in order to have better path.Go and try to win.

[maccabeo]

Papas' signing made sense but Blatt chose to go with a higher tempo. In all games, Papas has got PT worth of mentioning, he has performed very well, being the best or one of the best players of his team.
Today he and Smith brought the team to the win, a turnover or a missed shot here or there. Papas guided MTA with the best of am and Smith was phenomenal on defense, hitting two crucial threes.
Overall, Papas got too much money to play such an insignificant role throughout the whole season. But he was there today, when it counted most and neither Mallet nor Ohayon could find their game.



You mean a playmaker. Mallet has never recorded many assists. There are only a few PGs in the EL that can actually make their teammates better. Mallet was signed because Maccabi needed an additional ballhandler who could score. What else should he play? Power forward? Scheyer is stuck behind players who are more physical, more athletic, more experienced and whom Blatt considers more fitting. Scheyer has never been a pure shooter. He has always been a smart playmaker who could score and involve his teammates. In Maccabi, hen ever dribbles the ball. Even in extended PT. I guess, it'S not Blatt's fault that he acts so passively in any situation. In a weaker team, Scheyer would play another role. He is the biggest diappointment since many years in yellow uniform.



Why not? Apparently, most teams try to score from the outside against Barca, since this team is just too long under the basket. After all, who cares from where you are scoring your points as long as you score enough to win? Maccabi is scoring more than Cantu, Maccabi is conceding less than Cantu, Maccabi has a better record than Cantu. That says enough for me.



Cantu is #3 in made treys and #7 in 3PT%. But it is shitty under the basket and scores 5.5 pts. less, while giving up more. "Attractive basketball" that can't buy much.



In modern basketball - as in vintage baskeball - a team has just to win its games. If it can excite basketball fans along the way, even better. Clearly, Maccabi doesn't excite anybody that much but as long as it keeps on winning, I'm fine with it. This is no beauty competition and Maccabi is not playing for consolation prices.
Yes, I dislike several stuff in Maccabi's play. I dislike some players losing self-confidence, I dislike the lack of plays for three-point shooters, since Scheyer and Mallet could both run around the screens to get threes. Blu and Pnini are more of spot up shooters but those two could contribute more that way. I dislike not having used James along with Hendrix or Sofo, since he could cover Sofo's ass on defense, could catch alley-oops and draw away his defender but shooting from midrange, sth. Eliyahu doesn't. I dislike not using Papas to play pick'n rolls. I dislike Langford holding the ball too long. I dislike Pnini never finding into the season. I dislike the stubbornness of Blatt who is clearly searching for options, yet never tries the obvoius ones. Apparently, not evne in practice. He doesn't react to Sofo's problems by getting his shooters more into the action. He still wants to bring the ball more under the basket, which results in a lot of isolations for Langford. Yes, he delivers but too many players seem not to be in groove right now.

But I still support them, don't talk about the negative stuff only and celebrate every win. Almost every week I have positive things to say about Ohayon and Hendrix because Hendrix has turned into a very solid player, while Ohayon is giving team play and excitement, surpasses my expectations and is a domestic player, which is important for me. I can always point out to the great defensive work Smith does. To several other things on occassions. But I also see the negative stuff I have described above. I don't discuss signings that late in a season because it's useless. I discuss how players are used but not in order to make them feel more comfortable and the team less competitive.



That's BS. Maccabi has always closely followed Perkins but since he was bound to return only in 2012, it didn't sign him. There was no specualtion. They just needed its PG earlier. Also, kinda tough to imagine Langford and Perkins together, both being slashers, both needing the ball in their hands in order to be productive.



No. Papas is there since September. Perkins joined the EL in mid-February. Mallet came before the Top 16. Perkins wasn't ready yet and not exactly the right player. There is a small difference between September and February, right? Ohayon was signed as MTA's third PG and... ah, I feel no need to repeat it for the 100th time. Ohayon was a good signing and a good investment.



No? I thought, better basketball lets you win more games or at least score more points or at least be better defensively. Being more spectacular. What else? Obviously, Cantu wasn't playing better basketball. It was fighting to win in every game. It wasn't able to win games just by playing "attractive basketball". If Cantu would be a more household name in modern era EL basketball, no one would be mentioning them. They are newcomers, who put up a decent season, that's why we keep mentioning them.
Again, not that Maccabi is playing great and highly attractive basketball. We are used to see sth. different from this club. But it's laughable to put Cantu in front of it,s while it is losing out in any of the mentioned categories.

i'm all myself with team and coach from the first minute to the last minute of every game. after the match and writing here, i have to underling things arent going. is the only way to improve in life. imagine having a son who have great marks in all field but a bad mark in mathematic. do u underling his good marks or u underling the bad one, to get better in that field? also, yes, this is actually the roster but mta can stil improve his basketball, mainly giving his shooters more chances to vae confortable shoot, that means designing a different organization on field, actually even more because of sofo's problems. in this way u'll have something more by mallet and scheyer for example. in case we ll face pana, we will be in need to play a less rational basketball. a so huge difference can besolved just playing a "crazy" basket. exactly what for example made yesterday zalgiris with us. the more a team is stronger the more u can have chances to win playing a istint basket. a kind of basket i dont like, but somethimes is the only way. we have shooters to play this basket. playing defense and paint with pana it means to loose three match by 20 points. over unics , we have chances even with our basket. last but not least, i'm starting to consider that blatt is a better coach when he can manage 8 players. that is what happened last year, that's what happened with russia. the more he has players, the more he has difficult to find the perfect chemistry. i think is something we coult think of next season hoping we ll not play the aba league

[goga78]

i'm all myself with team and coach from the first minute to the last minute of every game.

So, telling before each game that Maccabi is a weak team and will lose the match, and after the game (that is most usually being won) that Maccabi is still a bad team counts as "being with team and coach"? Strange definition.

after the match and writing here, i have to underling things arent going. is the only way to improve in life.

Beofr and after the match you write how shitty Maccabi is. It can win the game (66,7% of games won) but you will still write negative stuff only. Never positive words, never being positive about players you don't like, even though they might have had a very good game.
Improving in life is understanding mistakes. Apparently, you are not understanding your mistakes. What is more important? Shooting more threes or winning games?

imagine having a son who have great marks in all field but a bad mark in mathematic. do u underling his good marks or u underling the bad one, to get better in that field?

How about looking at the whole picture? If everything else but one subject is perfect, then it's rather about trying to work on one fault but underlining the positive things. Otherwise, how is the kid supposed to feel, if you are downing him everyday, not acknowledging his achievements?

also, yes, this is actually the roster but mta can stil improve his basketball, mainly giving his shooters more chances to vae confortable shoot, that means designing a different organization on field, actually even more because of sofo's problems. in this way u'll have something more by mallet and scheyer for example.

Absolutely. That is what the rest of Maccabi fans is doing. You are complaining about players, constantly questioning, whether any EL team would want them. Go and pick players on every team, including CSKA, and ask yourself who'd else sign them in the EL.

in case we ll face pana, we will be in need to play a less rational basketball.

Absolutely. But it isn't like PAO has already lost a lot of games to inferior teams this season and surrendered all games to a superior team.

[maccabeo]

i'm all myself with team and coach from the first minute to the last minute of every game. after the match and writing here, i have to underling things arent going. is the only way to improve in life. imagine having a son who have great marks in all field but a bad mark in mathematic. do u underling his good marks or u underling the bad one, to get better in that field? also, yes, this is actually the roster but mta can stil improve his basketball, mainly giving his shooters more chances to vae confortable shoot, that means designing a different organization on field, actually even more because of sofo's problems. in this way u'll have something more by mallet and scheyer for example. in case we ll face pana, we will be in need to play a less rational basketball. a so huge difference can besolved just playing a "crazy" basket. exactly what for example made yesterday zalgiris with us. the more a team is stronger the more u can have chances to win playing a istint basket. a kind of basket i dont like, but somethimes is the only way. we have shooters to play this basket. playing defense and paint with pana it means to loose three match by 20 points. over unics , we have chances even with our basket. last but not least, i'm starting to consider that blatt is a better coach when he can manage 8 players. that is what happened last year, that's what happened with russia. the more he has players, the more he has difficult to find the perfect chemistry. i think is something we coult think of next season hoping we ll not play the aba league

the whole picture...well mta hasn just a bad mark in mathmatics. has bad marks in some fields. c position, pg, failed market, one only way of offense.enough to consider mta a team that has many to improve and get better? some of those things a coach shold work to improve, but will not happen. number? numbers dont say the KIND of game u played over patizan (home and on the road games) norm the yesterday night game, nor the one in cantu, nor 3/4 of game with cantu(in nokia), nor the game in milan and so and so. but anyay u consider just certain numbers ,not all numbers. again , why mta is the lonely euroleagu team that doesnt consider the arch as a solution,but jus as an individual choise? no team in eurpe actually consider the arch as blatt, who in fact doesnt allow mallet or scheyer to play. why mta is the team that mnore suffer three point shoot ? did u asked to yourself it? well, the more a team misconsider the arch in offense, the more misconsider the arch when in defense.
choises: who chooe papa, james ,scheyer,smith? who choose mallet , learning later something that was a certainty since the day he born: that he is not a driver!
arent this fact? so this is not just one bad mark. u cancel everything because of one last shoot on the rim by cantu ysterday. well i prefere to see things misconsidering the espisode. today what did u wrote if cantu scored the last shoot yesterday? for me is the same. i cant consider this team and our euroleague as a grea el because of one failed shoot by cantu. i use to see games ,not episodes.
goga do u follow soccer? i guess so. well i'm lazio fan("your" klose's team. we are third actually, that is a great position for a team who as no money as we are. well , we have a coach who is really mediocre, knowing just a defensive soccer. i hate him. when i see lazio s matches i am for lazio, but after 90 minutes, after win or after a loose i always underling the bad soccer we play. i mean , why do u see basket matches? for u is absolutely an option, since u are happy when mta win and sad when mta lost. for me is not like this. i think a team can always improve things that a coach can train on.
pana could loose at home vs milan being already qualified. pana never fail crucial matches.never

[Victorious]

Panathinaikos will not play to win Unics. If they lose they will avoid CSKA in the semifinals (and anything can happen in the final !!!). They will prefer to play vs Barca at top8 instead of having CSKA in semifinals. Sorry but Fener will not qualify due to this. Just my opinion - wait and see

There's no way Pao can risk the final four like that. Barca is on par with Pao, so there's no point in running around the bush. If you ask me, we can beat CSKA in the first game of the Final Four, because that's where surprises happen and favorites can loose games. CSKA beat Pao twice this year and I want to see if they can do it three times in a row. If they pull it off, they can be the new Euroleague champions.

Don't worry about CSKA. I would rather focus on beating Kazan and Maccabi which is difficult enough as it is.

[Bay Ekyqnc]

Do you really think that they will risk their Final 4 chances only for not having CSKA in semifinals?Man,if you won't eliminate Barca you won't even be in Istanbul,which is really probable.You think everything can happen in the final,that's valid for semifinals tooThe chances are equal in Final 4.
Btw i'm really annoyed with this Greek mentality of losing in order to have better path.Go and try to win.

Greeks always getting away from Spaniards and its teams. They will force their limits for taking a win in Kazan.

So, don't worry be happy

[goga78]

the whole picture...well mta hasn just a bad mark in mathmatics. has bad marks in some fields. c position, pg, failed market, one only way of offense.enough to consider mta a team that has many to improve and get better? some of those things a coach shold work to improve, but will not happen. number? numbers dont say the KIND of game u played over patizan (home and on the road games) norm the yesterday night game, nor the one in cantu, nor 3/4 of game with cantu(in nokia), nor the game in milan and so and so. but anyay u consider just certain numbers ,not all numbers.

Blablabla. For the last time. No Maccabi fan considers Maccabi playing great basketball at the moment. Maccabi fans are used sth. else. But the results speak for themselves. Maccabi is winning. Everyone knows the things to improve in the game. But at the end of the day, they take a W gladly. You don't.

again , why mta is the lonely euroleagu team that doesnt consider the arch as a solution,but jus as an individual choise? no team in eurpe actually consider the arch as blatt, who in fact doesnt allow mallet or scheyer to play. why mta is the team that mnore suffer three point shoot ? did u asked to yourself it? well, the more a team misconsider the arch in offense, the more misconsider the arch when in defense.

BS as always. Blatt's teams are know to drive its opponents out of the lane to the three-point line. "Try to beat us from there". Maccabi's record and the numbers of each individual game prove that this strategy with this team is good. And it's not like Maccabi is not defending on the perimeter. This is your own very personal fairy tale.
So, Blatt rather considers Sofo, Eliyahu, Langford, Hendrix scoring down low is more secure than letting players shoot from outside who have more weaknesses in their games. Numbers prove him right. Those players have very good percentages down low, almost always exploiting mismatches vs. their opponents. Mallet is not a mismatch, nor is Scheyer. He sees other players more valuable than them overall, on O and on D. Yes, I'd like him to use both guys coming off the picks. But MTA is standing 10-5 now and I'll take it over what I could consider as more variable. This team isn't great, so considering this record as not satisfying has nothing to do with reality.

choises: who chooe papa, james ,scheyer,smith? who choose mallet , learning later something that was a certainty since the day he born: that he is not a driver!
arent this fact? so this is not just one bad mark.

Well, who choses lots of players on other teams in the EL? Remember that Maccabi wanted to play in three leagues and some players weren't supposed to get EL minutes?

u cancel everything because of one last shoot on the rim by cantu ysterday. well i prefere to see things misconsidering the espisode. today what did u wrote if cantu scored the last shoot yesterday? for me is the same. i cant consider this team and our euroleague as a grea el because of one failed shoot by cantu. i use to see games ,not episodes.

Great? No. But good enough. Cantu is not good enough and their record shows it. Besides, they still have to play in Kaunas and I'm positive, Cantu will lose there. They luckily beat Zalgiris by one at home... talking about a single shot.

goga do u follow soccer? i guess so. well i'm lazio fan("your" klose's team. we are third actually, that is a great position for a team who as no money as we are. well , we have a coach who is really mediocre, knowing just a defensive soccer. i hate him. when i see lazio s matches i am for lazio, but after 90 minutes, after win or after a loose i always underling the bad soccer we play. i mean , why do u see basket matches? for u is absolutely an option, since u are happy when mta win and sad when mta lost. for me is not like this. i think a team can always improve things that a coach can train on.
pana could loose at home vs milan being already qualified. pana never fail crucial matches.never

From a general fan's point-of-view, you're right. But if you're a fan of Lazio and this is the only way to be successful for your team, take its defensive style. Or chose another team. You can only work with your resources as a coach. Last season, Maccabi has defined itself as a scrappy killer on defense and was able to score many points because of many fast breaks and intelligent and athletic guards that were basically among three best on their positions in the whole EL. This season, Maccabi has to play a defensive stlye again with even more isolations because Sofo and Langford are always better than their vis-a-vis on offense. Blatt's teams don't have many plays but the ones they have, they execute. This is why Maccabi is still scoring enough points and winning most games. But you don't get it. You want a flashy top-scoring team with players who are glad to forego 1,5 mio EUR at Barcelona in order to play for 500.000 USD at Maccabi.

[INTEGRAL]

Pao will win and so will Fenerbahce...

Fenerbahce will play against Barça...

[Roy M]

Pao will win and so will Fenerbahce...

Fenerbahce will play against Barça...

I'm not sure that Milano will give Fener the win easely.

[HikenNoAce]

I'm not sure that Milano will give Fener the win easely.

Why not? They have no chance^^ We were exactly at same situation vs Cantu.. we did it... its easier to do against EA7 if u ask me

[KWSN-Men]

Greeks always getting away from Spaniards and its teams. They will force their limits for taking a win in Kazan.

So, don't worry be happy

Yeah, remember last year, they lost to Lietuvos Rytas just to avoid Barcelona...

Oh wait...

[INTEGRAL]

If Fenerbahce Ulker doesnt win against EA Milano, I will cut my hand

It will be a very easy game for us...

[Bay Ekyqnc]

Yeah, remember last year, they lost to Lietuvos Rytas just to avoid Barcelona...

Oh wait...

There is always a possibility to lose a game and Pana just had an accident in that game. Btw it is normal to think avoiding you are in a struggle against Barca just before the f4. But the point is, as i mean, Greeks just more sensitive against Spaniards and have mentality doing something on purpose.

If Fenerbahce Ulker doesnt win against EA Milano, I will cut my hand

It will be a very easy game for us...

EA7 as a team is in an overall upward trend recently. Last week FBU showed great resistance and comeback in an incredible way. If they can manage to keep going the team spirit then they will have more chance against EA7. Imo, saying easily would be too much.

[trevan]

Panathinaikos will not play to win Unics. If they lose they will avoid CSKA in the semifinals (and anything can happen in the final !!!). They will prefer to play vs Barca at top8 instead of having CSKA in semifinals. Sorry but Fener will not qualify due to this. Just my opinion - wait and see

Sorry but this is completely unrealistic. Ofcourse Pana will do anything to win and to become group leader to get final 4 !