How Lithuanian Dennis Rodman stole spotlight from EuroLeague's block king / News - Basketnews.com

Edy Tavares became the EuroLeague all-time leader in blocked shots, but Zalgiris forward Arnas Butkevicius overshadowed a historical night for Real Madrid's center.

Credit: ZUMAPRESS/Scanpix/GettyImages Credit ZUMAPRESS/Scanpix/GettyImages

Rolands Smits beat Dzanan Musa on the closeout and was ready to take off for a hammer. There was just one big problem below the rim. Its name was Edy Tavares.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Keenan Evans Points 20 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 5 Assists 2

Real Madrid's big man made history just minutes ago, becoming the all-time leader in blocked shots in the EuroLeague.

Since 2017, the 2.20m tower has recorded 321 blocks in 176 games, surpassing Bryant Dunston, who previously held the record with 317 blocks in 278 games.

Tavares achieved this feat in just 3919 minutes on the floor, while it took Dunston 6386 minutes to reach his record.

Kyle Hines rounds out the top three with 296 blocks in 371 games and 8009 minutes.

"I didn't jump as I should," Smits smiled, recalling the play against Tavares when he was stopped at the rim with no mercy. "But when you see somebody like Tavares, you just need to go for a dunk. Because if you go soft, it will be a blocked shot. It's hard to score over him because he touches the rim when he straights his arms. He is the best shot blocker."

"You want to know how to get blocked?" Zalgiris' big man Laurynas Birutis smiled before the post-game interview started.

"Well, let's say how not to get blocked," I responded.

"I don't know... You saw it by yourself. That's very hard," he laughed.

On Thursday night, Birutis became the first player to fall victim to Tavares' impressive defense. Tavares recorded his 318th career blocked shot, solidifying his spot as the all-time leader.

Despite Birutis' attempts to create space with his non-shooting arm and protect his layup, Tavares was able to get to the ball and block the shot.

"Tuti [Zalgiris assistant coach Tautvydas Sabonis] showed me the film how Johnathan Motley was handling him very well. You have to work hard with him, forcing him to play in contact and not letting him bounce off the floor for a jump," Birutis tried to learn from Fenerbahce's game vs. Madrid. "But today, it didn't work."

Walter Tavares

Team:Real MadridPosition:CAge:30Height:221 cmWeight:120 kgBirth place:Cabo VerdeProfileNewsStatistics

Tavares swatted away four shots in Zalgirio arena, tying for the second-best mark this season.

Just 48 hours ago, he recorded a career-high six blocks in a 68-64 win in Munich.

Tavares, a hidden gem from Cape Verde, is also the all-time EuroLeague leader in blocks per game (1.8 BPG).

"When you drive, deep in your mind, you know that he is somewhere swinging his hands. He disturbs you not only by blocking shots but just by his presence in the paint. You're forced to change the trajectory of your shot. You hesitate to shoot or pass," Zalgiris captain Edgaras Ulanovas praised Tavares' impact inside the paint.

"Now he even started to pass the ball better," Ulanovas, who scored 19, smiled. "No, honestly, we're talking about a great player. His name will make the EuroLeague history."

Despite facing tough challenges from both Tavares and Real Madrid, Zalgiris was able to find a way to come out on top, 81-72.

It wasn't easy, as Tavares' presence on the floor always makes things difficult. In order to secure the win, Keenan Evans had to channel his inner Mike James and sink a 3-pointer over Tavares' hand at the end of the third quarter."

"It's about confidence," Evans, a top-scorer with 20 points, explained. "If you're a shooter, you have the advantage because he has to come up. So you have to go past him because he is slower and try to get something. With that shot, he backed up too much. He's tall, and he thought he could get a contest. It still was a good contest, but I was just able to make a tough shot. But either is tough to try to create the advantage over him."

It was also about the mammoth effort.

Arnas Butkevicius grabbed several crucial rebounds, including a jump ball and three offensive boards in the fourth quarter, helping Zalgiris secure the win.

Two of those offensive boards were nearly going out of bounds, but Butkevicius used some impressive Dennis Rodman-like moves to keep the ball in play for Zalgiris. These three rebounds led to 7 second-chance points for Zalgiris.

"He has that Dennis Rodman hustle," Evans smiled.

Butkevicius finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds (4 ORB), and two assists in 28 minutes.

"He comes up with some clutch rebounds, and no matter what you need him to do, he'll get it done. He's like Kawhi said: 'Board man gets paid.' He's doing it all," Zalgiris' guard said.

Credit Erikas Ovčarenko

As Birutis noticed, Butkevicius' hustle illustrates the Zalgiris team this season, with the team ranking second in the EuroLeague in offensive rebound percentage (33.6 OR%).

It also keeps them in the playoff race, with seven wins in 14 games.

"Every team has their Rembo, who is just in here and comes out with the rebound. I'm sure the other team is like, 'Where did he even come from?' It's just great to see him doing it in every game, whether rebounding or getting some really good steals," Evans recalled. "It's something we definitely need him to do. Him doing that will rub off on everybody, and we're all going to be able to do plays like that. We really appreciate his big fight for the team."

Though he may only be the ninth-highest scorer on his team, with an average of 5.3 points per game, Butkevicius has gained recognition for his hustle and defensive prowess.

According to BBallytics, when Butkevicius is on the floor, Zalgiris allows 109.4 points per 100 possessions, compared to 117.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the bench.

He may not put up big scoring numbers, but Butkevicius is always there to have your back on defense.

"It's great to have such a teammate who was a key figure at the end of the game. Rolands Smits soaking Tavares' elbow. Offensive rebounds and initiated jump ball out of nowhere by Butkevicius. These plays were key in the end," Ulanovas said.

"Those are not the sexiest plays. Not everybody talks about them. But those who understand basketball want players like them on their teams," Ulanovas praised his teammates.

"Dennis Rodman? No, he's Arnas Butkevicius," Ulanovas smiled.

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