betprepare.com

Maljkovic: Defense is the only way to win this one

During preparations those two teams played a game in a rhythm comparable to NBA games, but today a completely different game is to be expected because Maljkovic knowes that defense is the only way to get this win. Italija was carried by its supporters in Capodistria, but today a different atmosphere is awaiting them with 13 000 Slovenian supporters and it remains to be seen how will they handle that

After three wins in a row at the beginning of the Eurobasket, the euphoria in Slovenia was at its peak. But one unfortunate defeat against Croatia has thrown to the winds everything they have achieved up to that point, and obviously that shock was carried over to the last match of the group, when Slovenia was defeated by the weakest team in Celje, Poland. Truth to tell, that match was unimportant to the Slovenians and the defeat is not as painful as the one against the Croats which has whisked away two points that were transferred to the next round. But even in such a game coach Maljkovic expected more from his team, and got almost nothing:

- We were without energy. We did not play defense at all. Although the result of that match was not important we played below an acceptable level. We had just three players who were at the top of their game, and that is not the way to go on.

Still, after sleeping on it Maljkovic calmed down and had a realistic view of that Poland match:

- The players were already in Ljubljana in their minds and it is logical that they did not want to overspend themselves or risk an injury.

Domen Lorbek, perhaps the most positive surprise of the Eurobasket where Slovenia is concerned, added a couple of sentences on the subject:

- There was a will, but that was not enough. We had no assists, our rebounds were not there, we lost some possessions.... This defeat is unimportant, but we have to be very careful not to repeat such a performance in the second round.

Loss of will or energy, to quote the coach, was caused by weariness. The Slovenians play a defence on the brink of foul all 40 minutes and such a rhythm it is not easy to hold in such a packed schedule. Moreover since Slovenia played 12 preparatory games before this tournament, playing in that tempo in all of them, it's no wonder that players said they can barely stand on their feet.

- I am sorry for the audience, but we were too tired to play anything meaningful. We all urgently need a rest. Our legs are heavy and it is great that we have a couple of days of rest before the match with Italy - said Bostjan Nachbar.

The Slovenians really needed those days of rest and there's no doubt that they will be ready to the max. To recuperate better they even used oxygen chambers, and coach Maljkovic said that his team is on-form again:

- We had enough time to rest and prepare for the match against Italy. I must say that I'm glad to play the first game with them, since we are rested now and it's better to play like that against your best opponent.

Slovenia has so far shown some shortcomings, chief among them being playing against the zone defence which Croatia used to great effect against them, and just looking at the Italian roster makes it obvious that at least a part of the game they will use that same defence. Maljkovic is not worried and claims that Slovenia knows how to attack a zone defence:

- When you have a system and on each offence you get an open shot at the basket, which is then missed, it's not a matter of playing against zone but of individual quality of a player.

However Maljkovic explains it, it's obvious that the zone is the right recipe for playing against the Slovenians. And speaking about his own recipe for playing, Maljkovic emphasises one thing only:

- Maximum spending. We need that from each of the players during the whole match. The defence is the only way to win this. We must not allow ourselves to have a single weak spot in the team because the Italians will use it.

So, what awaits us is another game to Maljkovic's taste, with a lot of "fighting", the struggle for each possession and number of points in the low figures. It will be the exact opposite of the preparatory game those two teams played in Capodistria three weeks ago. Then, the result was 92:84 for Slovenia, in an NBA-styled game with constant running in the opponent's back. Even Goran Dragic, who lives by such a rhythm, said:

- There were a bit too much fast breaks on both sides. We will have to strengthen our defence and lower the number of turnovers, but we have enough time to improve those things.

Judging from that statement, today's game should look a bit more "normal" because the stakes are enormous and Slovenia with a hall packed by their supporters has just one way to win that game, and that is defence on the brink of foul, through all 40 minutes. Maljkovic surely knows how to win such a game.

Italy had it all in Capodistria. Their ideal solution was the starting victory over Russians, where they gained the audience's support, and than that support carried them through the next four wins. Although, truth to tell, there is quite a lot of high quality in there, it's not just the audience support.

They came to Ljubljana with a 2-0 score, the only undefeated team. But Italians are aware that a different tournament is starting now; today they will, for the first time, face the situation where the whole hall is against them.

- We will have 13 000 people against as and a very aggressive opponent, who plays in a mad rhythm. It is very nice to be in the Top 12, but I don't think we got here by accident - said Pianigiani.

Against Finland he was resting Belinelli, and other key players also had reduced court time, but at the end they snatched the victory.

- Slovenians are wery strong in offensive rebounding, they play with a great uplift from the audience and we have to deaden that down. This will be a real derby match.

Pianigiani has probably lost Diener, "we'll have a training session in the morning, I'll see how much shooting he's capable of, but if he's not ready for at least 15-20 minutes, he probably won't play", so a lot of it will depend on Cincarini and Poeta, they will probably handle Dragic, it's not too much of a handicap. Although Diener is a great offensive player, very creative, his problem is that he is weaker in the defence and Cincarini will be a great help there.

They played a match in Capodistria before the championship, Slovenia won, but mostly due to a furious second quarter; that match, despite the defeat, Pianigiani regards as their best match of the preparations.

- We won three quarters, played good basketball. We lost some possessions to their aggresivity, gave them some easy points, and we lost it there. Tonight it will be different - says Pianigiani.

The key to victory is obvious for both sides - if they force Slovenia to play 5-on-5, their chances will be good. On the other side, Slovenians have to aggressively defend the perimeter, Italians are the top shooting team of the whole tournament, but they are spread pretty thinly in the paint. Although credit is due to great playing by Melli (in the offence) and partly to Cusino (in the defence).

Slovenians have pretty good defence players on positions 2 and 3. Blazic, Muric and Z. Dragic will have their hands full with Belinelli, Aradori and Gentile who support each other. They are fine shooters, but also good in coming inside for layups, and when you widen the field like the Italians do, you have a very good choice of options.

Bargnani also said his piece, he is euphoric, and so is the whole Italian public. He is especially delighted by Aradori and Datome. Those two are mostly not well.known to the general basketball public, but that duo played a great season in Lega A, especially in the finish, and continued here in the same rhythm. A duel between Datome and Nachbar could decide the match - both teams depend heavily on points made by their position-4 men.

This may be a strange decision, to pick Slovenia after two defeats and against Italy who are on 5-0. This is the situation, Slovenians are in a situation that this might be a key game for them, with this win thy are very close to the quarterfinals. I will not talk about FIBA conspiracies here, about an unwritten rule that the host has to play in the final rounds because of the profit, but it should be kept in mind. Two and a half days of rest were really good for Slovenia, I am not so sure how the Italy will respond to the rest, have they been thrown out of the rhythm. Besides, Italy is, from a practically home team atmosphere in Koper, coming to full Stozice, a completely different atmosphere. We have an example of a game in Koper before Eurobasket, Slovenia won in a less competitive match. I am mentioning this because Slovenia created a big difference in the second quarter in which they played agressively, the Italians were unable to setup an offense. This is the Slovenia I expect to see today, maximally agressive, fast and eager to win. They have strong players in defense in positions 2 and 3, exactly where the Italians are the strongest offensively. All this combined makes me take this pick.