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Maccabi looking to improve defense urgently

The offensive end will never be a problem for such a team but new coach Hadar insists that they start improving on the defensive end. Zalgiris already limited Baskonia to 80 points here and they will now try and do the same with Maccabi

As expected, Zalgiris recorded a defeat two days ago in Istanbul. The Lithuanians managed to slow the game down but they failed to play a good enough defense. On the offensive end, due to a lack of quality, they had to push shooting from the three point range because Usoh and Vesely dominated in the paint. That is not how you win Euroleague games.

 - Playing Fener is tough because they have huge and powerful players in the paint. I think that was the biggest difference in this game and that is what made the difference - coach Jasikevicius said.


His team should have it a bit easier today since Iverson and Zirbes aren't nearly as good in defending the rim, which could help Zalgiris to get depth in offense. But their performance on the defensive end is much more important:


- Maccabi have a great team and great ambition this season. They changed the coach, which is always an additional impulse. They are very aggressive, have a lot of solutions at every position. It will be a tough task for us - Jasikevicius said. 


Saras didn't point this out but it's very clear that Zalgiris need to slow this game down. The team he has at his disposal with Kavaliauskas, Javtokas, Lima, Motum and Jankunas cannot outrun Maccabi. Only if they make this a slow-paced tough game will they stand a chance.


Position 4 will be the greatest problems. Smith and Rudd play that at Maccabi. Since they are basically forwards, they can hit points from distance. Zalgiris know that this could be a problem:
- The have fast and athletic forwards. We know Weems as well from back when he played at Zalgiris. They are very fast and I hope we will be able to respond despite the lack of time for preparation. 


No one has time to prepare at the moment. It's just 48 hours since Maccabi beat Galatasaray in another NBA-like game. No one in Europe is as fast-paced and plays games as attractive as Maccabi. If they get better on the defensive end soon, they could turn into very tough opponents for everyone. The new coach Rami Hadar confirmed that:


- We need to improve defense and we need to do it fast. We need to analyze how they get uncontested shots and why that keeps on happening. Sadly, there isn't much time for preparation. We need to sort things out as we go.


Until the defense improves Maccabi will keep on playing a very fast-paced game, using their massive attacking talent. All of their three previous games went over 170 points and we can expect fast pace today as well. Zalgiris are very tough opponents home. They limited Baskonia to under 80 points.


Maik Zirbes played very little so far because he doesn't fit in the run-and-gun game style but he could get some more time on the floor today. There will be a chance for him against Zalgiris' tall and strong 5s.