FC Bayern Munich is thriving under the trophy-laden 56-year-old coach.
Sweet homecoming for evergreen Pablo Laso
Članak
4 Min čitanja
Pablo Laso could not have asked for a more enjoyable visit to his hometown of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country. On Tuesday night, his new FC Bayern Munich side showed a winning mentality to flip the script and defeat Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 68-76 at Buesa Arena in Round 3 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
It was only Bayern’s second win at Baskonia and its first under former Real Madrid head coach Laso, who filled his trophy cabinet during a glorious 11-year stint with the Spanish giant. Laso arrived in Munich boasting six Spanish league and cup titles apiece, as well as two EuroLeague trophies.
Turning the game on its head
The winning mentality he has been tasked with instilling at Bayern was everywhere to be seen on Tuesday night in Vitoria-Gasteiz as the German outfit erased a 62-52 deficit late in the third quarter with a 6-24 run. The victory was made all the more impressive due to the absence of NBA acquisition Serge Ibaka, who was rested.
With all due credit to the players, who never lost faith they could turn the game around, Laso was at the heart of the success as he steered the ship with the aplomb and experience of a battle-hardened master making all the right moves.
Although Bayern trailed through the opening three quarters, Laso kept his men afloat with timely substitutions and timeouts, having led the charge in a calm and composed manner akin to only the best coaches European club basketball can offer.
Showing a fighting spirit
Fittingly, Laso applauded his team for a gritty performance against a team he represented as a player between 1984 and 1995. “I am very happy for the victory, and I told the guys I am very proud of how they fought to win this game,” Laso said during the post-game press conference.
“Rebounds were the key to winning the game. In the end it was a team effort, and we know just how difficult it is to win here.”
Getting the best out of Carsen Edwards
Laso’s arrival has also signaled a change in fortune for some of the players, most of all Carsen Edwards, who is enjoying a new lease of life at Bayern after a difficult season at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
Edwards shined against Baskonia as he pulled all the strings on offense, having racked up a game-high 14 points, 3 rebounds and as many assists to go with just 1 turnover. More importantly, Edwards ran the show and provided so many options when Bayern were playing catch up, enabling his teammates to step up to the plate at crunch time.
Laso also praised Germany’s World Cup-winning guard Andreas Obst despite a poor shooting night, as the 27-year-old netted only 4 points on 1-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
“He did a lot of good things,” said Laso. “Defending [Markus] Howard, rebounding, boxing out, passing the ball.”
If the early exploits are anything to go by, few pundits are likely to write off Bayern’s chances of making the postseason in a competition stacked with more heralded teams, some of them representing the royalty of European club basketball. It may just be Round 3, but one thing is clear to see: the Coach Laso effect is already paying off.