Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade started the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with a 1-6 record, which caused the team to make a change. To the surprise of many, head coach Vladimir Jovanovic was fired and the experienced Dusko Ivanovic came in to replace him. Less than a month later, Zvezda is on a four-game winning streak and back in the playoff race with a 5-6 record. What did Ivanovic change to make Zvezda so competitive so quickly?
Zvezda's turnaround under Coach Ivanovic continues
First, Ivanovic handed the team's reins to Luca Vildoza, a player he knows well. Vildoza not only played under Ivanovic at Cazoo Baskobia Vitoria-Gasteiz, but he made one of the most important shots of Baskonia's 2020 season. Vildoza's go-ahead backdoor against FC Barcelona in the championship game lifted the team to that season's Spanish League crown. Vildoza was playing well this season and has been even more confident under Coach Ivanovic's guidance with 21 points against ALBA Berlin, 12 against LDLC ASVEL and 16 against Virtus Segafredo Bologna.
Zvezda has also improved its defense, allowing just 70.0 points in regulation: the game against ALBA went to overtime and Zvezda prevailed 84-88 following a 75-75 tie after 40 minutes. Before that, Zvezda gave up an average of 80.5 points in the previous seven games. Ivanovic is well-known for making his teams play with high intensity and a special focus on defense, and it has paid off.
Finding new go-to guys in different games has also been important, as it has made Zvezda's offense more unpredictable. Nikola Ivanovic had 16 points to lead Zvezda to a 71-67 victory in Round 8. In Berlin, Vildoza led the way with 21 points, followed by 17 from Nemanja Nedovic. Two days later, Zvezda beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 69-68 and Hassan Martin led the team with a PIR of 13.
On Friday against Virtus, Ivanovic was sidelined, but Coach Ivanovic pulled another magic trick, surprising Virtus with not one but two X-factors. Ognjen Dobric scored 14 of his 20 points in the final 13 minutes of the game, while Stefan Markovic finished the game with 2 points but added a career-high 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 17. He totaled 9 rebounds, 3 steals and a PIR of 15 in his seven previous games this season.
"Most importantly, it was a big win for us. We continue this trip which started when Coach [Ivanovic] arrived, so we are happy about that," Markovic said after the game.
Game Videos
Coach Ivanovic has put Zvezda back on track just one week before one of the most important games in the club's history: its first-ever EuroLeague showdown against archrival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, which hosts this Round 12 game at Stark Arena. Asked about it right after the win against Virtus, Coach Ivanovic was not yet ready to focus on the explosive rivalry.
"This is far [away], we have time for this," he said of the Belgrade derby.
Expect Zvezda to be at its best in this must-watch showdown.