He Crab ended their winning streak of seven consecutive games in the Eurocup with an unmitigated defeat in their visit to Hapoel Tel Aviv (92-70). The Claretians had not tasted the bitter taste of defeat since November 30, when they fell against all odds in their visit to Energia Dolomiti Trento (75-72).
There are several causes that explain the third defeat of the yellow course in the continental competition and who leave the episode lived in Tel Aviv as a simple bad day at the office for the disciples of Jaka Lakovic.
Granca landed in Hebrew territory with the vitola of being the best team in the Eurocup, leading group B with an iron hand with two more victories ahead of Joventut, leader of group A.
The team had very little fluidity in their game: they only generated 16 assists in the entire game
The people from Gran Canaria never found the rhythm or the success shown throughout the competition, showing statistics below their average for the season in the Eurocup in all areas, starting with scoring. The team showed a worrying lack of accuracy from all distances. In shots of two they showed a very poor 44% accuracy, well below the 57.6% that they have as an average in the competition. The same happened in the foreign throw, with a 29.4% very far from its average for the season, set at 34.7%. Not even from the penalty line were the yellows successful, with a 73.7% accuracy compared to their usual 76.6% during the course.
The battle for the rebound also took its toll on Jaka Lakovic’s men, who already warned during the preview of the importance of winning this game, also warning of the dangers of Chinanu Onuaku, who more than met expectations, becoming a nightmare in Claretian painting –15 points and 9 rebounds–. As a consequence, the poor baggage of the yellows was reduced to 24 rebounds –nine offensive and 15 defensive– a figure far removed from their average sacks of 35.4 –11.4 offensive and 24.1 defensive–.
Much of the lack of efficiency was also due to the lack of fluidity in the game of a Granca who only generated 16 assists throughout the game, a figure well below his average of 20.4 basket passes per game.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Granca lost, but their rival had little or nothing to do with their last executioner, Trento. On this occasion, Danny Franco’s team showed its candidacy for the title.
Hapoel was about to surprise the yellows in the Arena during the first round, where Lakovic’s team prevailed by a narrow 85-83, despite the fact that Onuaku, recently signed at that time, only stepped on the floor for nine inconsequential minutes.
Onuaku, a nightmare for those of Lakovic in the paint, also key in the downturn of the Claretians
The Israelites grew up in a small pavilion, filled to the brim with 3,500 faithful who never stopped cheering, with an excessive passion for their team, creating an atmosphere that also took its toll on the yellows, whom perhaps leaving Nico Brussino on the Island to reserve him for Sunday’s clash against Valencia, could have sent the wrong message to the team about the importance of the clash and the potential of his rival.
