Defense vs Offense: Armani Exchange and Anadolu Efes battle between two very different philosophies / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Aykut Akici, Roberto Finizio/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Aykut Akici, Roberto Finizio/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

We had to wait a little bit more than expected, but in the end, we will have one of the most intriguing playoffs series in the recent history of the EuroLeague.

2-pointers this season

52%17,9Points made:17,9Accuracy:51,5%Place in standings:17Record max:25Record min:12Most made 2FGs:Shavon ShieldsTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Armani Exchange Milan (3) will face reigning champions Anadolu Efes (6) in what could be the most balanced matchup of the playoffs.

Milan won both games against Efes during the regular season, but playoffs are a different beast, and everything looks set for a great show. Ettore Messina vs Ergin Ataman, the best defense in the competition against the second-best offensive team, probably the best backcourt duo in Europe against a veteran frontcourt ready to build a wall.

So this looks like the best time to dig deeper into the two teams and try to understand how they will prepare for this playoffs series and what type of games we can expect from them.

Armani Exchange Milan

The team coached by Ettore Messina is at the second playoff appearance in a row. Before reaching the postseason last year, Milan had missed the EuroLeague playoffs for six years in a row.

The goal, of course, remains the same: reaching the Final Four once again, and maybe this time trying to get to the final after losing at the last shot against Barcelona in last year's semifinal.

They’ve been hands down the best defensive team in the EuroLeague this season, allowing only 71.1 points per game. This type of lockdown defense will be a key in limiting Anadolu Efes’ offense which is among the best in the competition.

In order to do that, Milan will heavily rely on the performances of Nicolò Melli and Kyle Hines, the two key pieces of the frontcourt.

Hines is playing his twelfth season in EuroLeague and has been to the Final Four for nine times during his career. He’s the American player with the most games played in EuroLeague, and despite his age, he hasn’t missed a single game this season.

AX Armani Exchange Milan / Schedule

AX Armani Exchange Milan Anadolu Efes IstanbulTue17:00 AX Armani Exchange Milan Anadolu Efes IstanbulThu18:30

His record in the EuroLeague playoffs is perfect so far: 9 series played, 9 wins (2 with Olympiacos, 6 with CSKA Moscow, and 1 with Milan), and now he’ll look for the tenth.

Melli returned to Milan six years after he left the club to go to Germany and began his process to become one of the best big men in Europe. After his return, he was immediately named co-captain of the team, a clear signal of the key role he was going to play for Messina’s side this season.

The Italian power forward gave Milan an even more pronounced defensive identity, forming with Hines probably the best couple of switch-all defensive bigs in the competition.

Milan won the two matches against Efes during the regular season, so Messina’s side already knows how to exploit Efes’ defensive struggles. The key will be to recover all the players that have been missing in the last few weeks.

Armani Exchange recently saw multiple Covid cases inside the team, but all the players that tested positive are expected to be available for Game 1 of the playoff series. Ben Bentil and Tommaso Baldasso picked up minor injuries against Cremona, but they should be good to go for Game 1, sources told BasketNews.

That leaves Armani Exchange with two absences: Gigi Datome, who underwent minor knee surgery at the beginning of the month, and Trey Kell, who has also been dealing with a recurring injury.

Dinos Mitoglou, of course, will be out after testing positive for an anti-doping test. There haven’t been any major updates on his situation, but it’s pretty sure that his season is over and that his long-term future with the club is now in serious doubt.

Armani Exchange wants to reach the second Final Four in a row, the ambition is clear. Since the arrival of coach Ettore Messina, the growth has been steady and evident. The matchup against Efes, though, is a tough one.

But coach Messina and his players are not the ones looking for excuses. They know what is expected from them, and they’re ready to deliver, no matter what.

Anadolu Efes

The EuroLeague season of the reigning champions Anadolu Efes didn’t start under the best circumstances. The Turkish side lost 7 of their first 10 games in the competition, and at some point, doubts started to pile up about their possibility of reaching the post-season.

The prolonged absence of Krunoslav Simon, a key player in Ataman’s system, left a difficult hole to fill for the team, and, at least at first, the addition of Elijah Bryant didn’t pay immediate dividends for the team.

They bounced back, not as good as last season, but they were able to put things in a better perspective and secured a playoff spot, although they won’t have the home-court advantage.

There's no doubt that the situation improved compared to the beginning of the season, but concerns remain about the ability of this team to play solid defense on a constant basis. This year’s version of Anadolu Efes, in fact, has been a double-faced team.

They have the best offensive rating in EuroLeague with 117.2 points per 100 possessions but also one of the worst defensive ratings in the competition with 113.7.

The Turkish powerhouse is also one of the worst rebounding teams in the competition, and they do a poor job in protecting the 3-point line, allowing almost 27 shots from outside every game with a 37% conversion rate.

During the EuroLeague regular season, Efes averaged 83.1 points per game, but in both previous games with Milan, they scored less than 80 points (71 and 77), so the Italian team knows how to get in the way of Efes' offense.

If the reigning champions want to reach the Final Four, they’ll need to do a much better job defensively, showing the type of hardness that they often missed this season.

Aside from the Vasilije Micic-Shane Larkin duo, a key factor for Efes will be French forward Adrien Moerman. He’s averaging 9.3 points per game with 5.3 rebounds while shooting almost 44% from 3-point.

His double role as a threat on the perimeter and as an enforcer close to the basket makes him a fundamental piece in coach Ataman’s rotations.

All the main rotations men for coach Ataman should be good to go for Game 1 of the series, although, due to the current Covid’s situation, it’s not impossible that some things might change even at the very last minute.

If there’s a team that can overcome Milan’s solidity, that’s definitely Anadolu Efes. But will the Turkish club find the consistency they lacked this season? That remains the most difficult question to answer for Efes.

Will the real Anadolu Efes show up, or will this series represent the ‘Last Dance’ for this group of players?

Schedule

Game 1: Armani Exchange Milan - Anadolu Efes, April 19 at 19.00 CET Game 2: Armani Exchange Milan - Anadolu Efes, April 21 at 20.30 CET Game 3: Anadolu Efes - Armani Exchange Milan, April 26 at 19.30 CET Game 4: Anadolu Efes - Armani Exchange Milan, April 28 at 19.30 CET (if needed) Game 5: Armani Exchange Milan - Anadolu Efes TBD (if needed) Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.