The referees propelled Baskonia past Maccabi
“You can lead, but you can’t win!” that’s the best phrase to describe the subtlety of the hostile referees. What it looked like an easy victory for Maccabi Tel-Aviv against Baskonia was, actually, not at all possible. They led all the game long, but it was not enough, because in the last minutes they were on the court without their main 2 centers, eliminated each with 5 fouls.
Who is so stupid to believe that a strong center like Tarik Black, who played on the highest NBA level could not defend Shengelia and Poirier? From the beginning, Tarik Black was hunted by the referees and had to sit down almost the entire game. He came back in, during the 4th quarter and quickly he picked up his 5th foul, being eliminated. He resisted on the court a total of almost 9 minutes. He could defend the opponents, but not the referees, who were more “skilled” in the paint.
For the disaster to be complete, the other center of Maccabi, Johnny O’Bryant was also eliminated with fouls. So, in the last minutes of the game, the Israeli powerhouse had to defend Shengelia with Alex Tyus, an undersized center who is perfect for pick and roll and to go for rebounds, but he has any chance on one on one defense against big men.
With this kind of referees and a decent roster, Baskonia is ready for the Final 4 and, who knows, maybe for the Euroleague title!
Gratian Cormos, info@brainbasketball.net
