The epitome of resilience: Armani Exchange remain alive but for how long? / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

A night we witnessed in Milan was filled with strong emotions. AX Armani Exchange Milan conquered Game 2 of the EuroLeague playoff series against Anadolu Efes clawing and scratching until the very end.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Sergio Rodriguez Points 17 Accuracy 6-10 Rebounds 5 Assists 5

The Italian club had already lost Nicolo Melli for the rest of the series. Last night, both Malcolm Delaney and Sergio Rodriguez, who were having a fantastic performance, went down with injuries that might keep them out of the rest the playoff series too.

However, Shavon Shields took over in the final quarter, creating a performance for the ages, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the final quarter, and establishing an impressive connection with the fans in the arena, who went absolutely bonkers for the American/Danish forward.

The energy inside the Mediolanum Forum was completely different from Game 1, although the arena wasn't completely full even this time. The crowd did an incredible job in motivating Armani Exchange and supporting them even in the most difficult moments.

Even coach Ettore Messina praised the atmosphere created by the fans in Mediolanum Forum.

"We want to thank our fans, it was one of the best nights that we lived here. They were cheering and encouraging our players from the get going", the coach and president of the basketball operations of the Italian team said in the post-game press conference. "Milan fans are difficult to please because they're used to the wins, so it's not easy to get their love, but there was a special atmosphere tonight."

For a team that looked completely flat in Game 1, Milan did a complete turnaround last night.

They played with pride and intensity from the very beginning of the game. On one of the first few plays, Shavon Shields forced Vasilije Micic to a jump ball and then started to trash talk a little bit with the Serbian player, igniting Milan fans.

Free throws this season

82%13,1Points made:13,1Accuracy:81,7%Place in standings:7Record max:28Record min:3Most made FTs:Vasilije MicicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

That play immediately set the tone, and from the very first minute, Efes knew that this was going to be a very different game compared to the first one.

"In Game 1, we didn't show any character or desire", Shields confessed after the game. "We got punked in the second half then. But tonight we regrouped, fought a lot harder, and got a win. Hats off to everybody in the locker room".

Shields became completely unstoppable in the final quarter, providing for the absences of Rodriguez and Delaney and becoming the central focus of Milan's offense.

The former Baskonia forward still believes that this series can be turned over, and he's not scared by all the injuries his team went through so far.

"We have to have a 'next man up mentality," Shields said after the game. "We have been unlucky with injuries throughout the year, but we're still a team, and like our motto says 'Insieme' (the Italian version of Together), we need to be everybody together. We need to get at least one win in Istanbul and come back here".

At the end of the game, though, coach Ettore Messina looked way less confident about the possibility of winning the series against Efes, especially under the current circumstances.

"This series is over, we need a miracle," coach Messina confessed in the post-game press conference. "All the odds are against us, and every day it looks like there's a new injury."

Armani Exchange Milan's head coach looked so convinced about the end of the series that he started to talk about next season and how Milan wants to go back to the playoffs.

"The growth of players like Shavon Shields and Devon Hall are key aspects for us because we want to come back here and do even better next season," the Italian coach said, implying that there's basically no hope of winning against Efes in Istanbul.

And while there's an element of 'mind games' to these statements, it's hard not to see coach Messina's point.

Armani Exchange Milan already lost Nicolò Melli for the rest of the series after a thigh injury. In Game 2, both Malcolm Delaney and Sergio Rodriguez were forced to leave the court before the end of the game.

Delaney suffered an abdominal strain, and it's highly unlikely that he'll be able to play in Game 3, while Sergio Rodriguez suffered a sprained ankle. The severity of these injuries still needs to be assessed with further tests, but it's clear that Milan won't be able to play in Istanbul at their full power.

There might be a surprise, though. During the post-game press conference, coach Messina revealed that Gigi Datome might be part of the trip to Turkey. The veteran forward underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee at the beginning of April, and the original plan was for the player to be re-evaluated in three weeks.

"Tomorrow Gigi will try to train, and if he is able to play 5-10 minutes in the game against Reggio Emilia, he might be a part of the trip to Istanbul", coach Messina revealed. "Then maybe a miracle might happen."

Even as a decoy, Datome's veteran presence around the team could be a key factor for Milan and shine a bit of light on a sky that has been particularly cloudy for the Italian team recently.

After a terrible offensive performance in Game 1, it was important for Armani Exchange to find again some groove offensively, but the defensive performance made by the team was equally important.

The team coached by Ettore Messina kept Efes again under 70 points, and differently from Game 1, their interior defense was much better. Kyle Hines did a fantastic job, switching many times on Larkin, Beaubois, and Micic and always being super effective in limiting their drives to the basket, forcing them to take very difficult and contested shots.

His masterpiece last night was a block at the rim with around 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Vasilije Micic was going for a layup after a drive to the basket, but Hines had different ideas and swatted away the shot, sending the fans to another planet and basically sealing the win for his team.

At 35, the way in which Kyle Hines still impacts the game is absolutely outstanding. He remains one of the most dominant frontcourt players to ever play the game here in Europe, and last night was another proof of how his legacy will remain unscathed for a very long time.

On the other hand, Ergin Ataman looked calm despite the loss. He kept his composure for most of the game, he didn't argue too much with the referees, and at the end of the game, he praised Milan's performance, especially in the last few minutes.

"Congratulations to Milan, they played better than us in the last 2-3 minutes. Shields did a great job down the stretch, and we couldn't stop him. I saw that there's a nice atmosphere here, but now they'll see the Istanbul atmosphere, it'll be much better than this".

The Turkish head coach knows that his team has every possible advantage right now: they'll play at home against a very depleted team and with a strong will to finish the series and advance to the Final Four to defend the title that they won last season.

They remain the team to beat in this playoff series, especially after all the injuries that Milan is going through right now.

But last night, coach Ataman and his players learned in the hard way that Armani Exchange Milan never die.

They're the epitome of resilience. Every single time they're down on the ground, suffering, considered dead by many, they find energy and resources to get back on track, showing an amazing character.

"As a club, we're extremely proud of what the players did tonight," Messina said after the game. "Everybody played hard, they were amazing."

After the loss in Game 1, coach Messina said that everyone inside the team needed to look in the mirror and react after such a poor performance.

The reaction arrived from the entire environment. Armani Exchange are a wounded animal right now, bleeding and suffering but still fighting for their lives.

They keep breathing, they remain alive but for how long? Only time will tell.

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