The Spanish team overturned a double-digit deficit to take a crucial victory
Valencia turned to inside game as Sako soared to down Maccabi
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 25 of 38
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
9483
Maccabi Rapyd Tel AvivMTA
Overview
w
l
w
l
l
l
w
l
w
l
For a long time, it looked as though Valencia Basket’s midseason stumble was set to continue against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv at Roig Arena on Thursday night.
The Spanish team’s hugely promising season had been threatening to turn into a disappointing anticlimax, with Pedro Martinez’s men losing three of their last four games heading into this week’s encounter.
Was the team’s famously fast-paced style starting to take its toll? Had the recent loss of momentum shown that Valencia was running out of steam, and that the final weeks of the season would see a gradual slide down the standings?
When Maccabi came out with real intent to outrun, outrebound and outshoot Valencia and take a double-digit lead, 35-47, towards the end of the first half, those doubts were only intensifying.
But the question marks did not exist in the minds of the home team players, who grew stronger and stronger as the game went on. The fourth quarter was particularly decisive, 28-15, and by the final buzzer, it was clear that Maccabi had nothing left to give… whereas Valencia – mocking the theory that its energy reserves were running low – looked like it could continue playing all night as the final buzzer confirmed a 94-83 victory.
Crucially, that second-half upturn came courtesy of a dramatic shift in strategy. Valencia only attempted 11 two-point attempts in the first half compared to 21 three-point shots – nothing particularly surprising for the team that takes on more three-point shots than any other in the league.
But that script was totally flipped around after the break, as the host finished the game with 33 shots from inside the arc against 32 long-range efforts – a 22 to 11 split in the third and fourth quarters.
And it was a very profitable change in approach as Valencia converted a highly impressive 24 of those 33 two-pointers (72.7%), with the fourth quarter proving particularly fruitful. During those final 10 minutes, Valencia netted 7 two-point shots on 9 attempts, the key factor to surge into a lead that Maccabi could not challenge as its own offense ran out of energy.
Neal Sako scored three of those baskets in the space of less than 4 minutes, and the French big man finished the game with 12 points and 8 rebounds, along with 2 assists and 1 blocked shot for a game-high PIR of 24. Crucially, he also spent more than 20 minutes on the floor – his highest total since Round 2 – to help compensate for the absence of injured big man Matt Costello.
Victorious coach Martinez hailed the physical improvement shown by his players, noting: “We improved our rebounding in the second half, our defense in the second half was much better, and we found our bigs better.”
And shooter Kam Taylor – who contributed 17 points – agreed as he said: “I think the key was that we didn’t doubt ourselves. Sometimes we get a little shaky and second-guess ourselves, but it the last minutes, especially with Neal Sako, we just went to the basket and didn’t doubt ourselves.
“I’m glad to get another win. The EuroLeague is getting tougher and tougher as the season goes on, and it’s just good to get a win each game.”
More than strategy, however, Martinez believed that the physical and mental effort exerted by his players was the key. “The most important thing is the mental situation, to understand that these kinds of games are very physical but you need to be concentrated for 40 minutes,” the Valencia play-caller said.
“In the bad moments, we don’t have to lose our heads, and play together.”
The host’s ability to keep pushing throughout the game was also highlighted by defeated coach Oded Kattash, who admitted there were no excuses after seeing his team score just 33 second-half points.
“They kept with the same tempo, like they always do,” he said. “We knew that in the second half, it was not going to be easy. You have to be concentrated for 40 minutes against Valencia, but we were short on that.”
Valencia, in contrast, was short of nothing in the second half – certainly not energy, and the Spanish team’s spirited comeback will have silenced a few doubters about its prospects for the rest of the season.
