3x3 EuroLeague: no room for mistakes for Zalgiris and one-horse race for MVP award / News - Basketnews.com

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BasketNewscontinues the 3x3 EuroLeague edition, and as usual, three of our colleagues will discuss the three most relevant topics before the upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague round.

This week, BasketNews' journalists Orazio Cauchi, Uygar Karaca, and Giorgos Kyriakidis discussed the upcoming battle between Olympiacos Piraeus and FC Barcelona, Nikola Mirotic being EuroLeague's MVP & Zalgiris' decision of hiring Kazys Maksvytis.

Predictions for Olympiacos game vs Barcelona?

Orazio: Barcelona already secured first place in the regular season, and with a couple of absences, including Brandon Davies, who'll miss the final games of the regular season, I see Olympiacos as the favorite to win this match.

So far, coach Bartzokas' team has lost only one game at home this season, and they've been one of the strongest teams in front of their home crowd. In addition to that, Olympiacos are still fighting to secure a potential third place in the regular season. Hence, at the moment, they probably have some extra motivation compared to Barcelona.

It's definitely going to be the game to watch for this week, and I expect a close game, but if I have to pick a team, I'd go with Olympiacos.

Uygar: As Barcelona secured top place, the incentive will be stronger for Olympiacos.

Well, Barcelona players are perhaps the least likely ones to let themselves into a loose mode because of the club and Jasikevicius, but still, it happens no matter what, unwittingly. The season is long, and if you have the luxury to lose a game, there is nothing more precious than that.

Barcelona's key player, Brandon Davies, is injured as well. He is important because he is touching the ball in maybe a third of offensive possessions, posting up, or coming to the top for a pick and roll.

Against Olympiacos, who are relentless in defense and urgently seeking a win to ensure the Top 4 finish, that is a liability. Bartzokas and his team will surely tighten the screws as much as they can.

Giorgos:It's simple. There are two factors capable of impacting the outcome. First comes motivation and incentive.

Barcelona have secured first place in the regular season and aim to finish strong.On the other hand, Olympiacos will probably count on an almost full house for the first time since the pandemic broke out in 2020.

This season, the Reds have made great strides, gaining the coveted homecourt advantage in the playoffs. But their mission is far from over. They're still in the hunt for third place while also looking over their shoulders at what Armani Milan and Anadolu Efes are doing in their last games. The quest for a better position makes them the team with the strongest motivation in this pair, at least on paper.

However, there's also another, an equally important factor - absences. For Barca, Corey Higgins, Pierre Oriola, Rokas Jokubaitis, Sertac Sanli, and Brandon Davies are unable to help at the moment and will most likely not play in Piraeus.

With a short roster and rotation, Barcelona lost to Joventut Badalona and marginally won in Murcia. It will be somewhat surprising if they pull it off against one of the strongest European teams in a hostile environment.

But right now, Olympiacos are dealing with their own problems. As Giorgos Bartzokas said, Kostas Sloukas and Moustapha Fall haven't practiced for several days due to illness (not COVID-related), while Tyler Dorsey and Shaquielle McKissic didn't make Tuesday's practice experiencing stomach problems.

It goes without saying that if Olympiacos were to appear without these four players or if the abovementioned athletes joined the squad without a single practice, Barcelona would have the upper hand.

In case the Greeks present a full and healthy roster, they are the frontrunners to win this one.

Is Nikola Mirotic a lock for the MVP trophy?

Orazio:Nikola Mirotic is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season while shooting almost 48% from deep for the team that has already secured first place for the playoffs.

I believe that this will be the real difference-maker in the MVP run. Mirotic is having a good season, and he did it for the best team in the competition so far.

Although other candidates like Vasilije Micic or Sasha Vezenkov could have a role in the discussion, I think that individually Mirotic had a better season overall and for a team that rarely suffered from poor performances. In the end, I believe Mirotic will get the award.

Uygar:Well, if we look at the other candidates, then yes.

Honestly, I am still not convinced whether Mirotic actually could carry the regular-season effort to the playoffs and Final Four.

Still, look at the other players: Walter Tavares, Shane Larkin, Vasilje Micic, or Sasha Vezenkov. Either their teams are not going so well nowadays (Real Madrid and Efes) or are clearly less likely to be seen ahead of Barcelona for the regular season performance (Olympiacos).

Usually, the team of the candidates is pretty important for the decision, and I don't see anybody else taking the award.

Giorgos: Yes, any way you look at it. He's by far the best player on the best team of the EuroLeague regular season - and that should be enough to garner him the award without further ado. Judging by past MVPs, that's all it takes to win.

I acknowledge that sometimes, like in Jan Vesely's case in 2019, the result has been a bit lazy and merely stats-driven. But Mirotic will be a worthy winner by all means since he has been producing excellent numbers. He's been consistent and also very influential in Barca's games.

As an alternative to the Montenegrin forward, the cases of Walter Tavares, Sasha Vezenkov, and Vasilije Micic could arise, but their chances are very slim.

Tavares remains a cheat code in the paint. Guerschon Yabusele impressively started the season, granting himself a contract extension, but the big man from Capo Verde is the real difference-maker.

Vezenkov is a player without whose contribution Olympiacos's homecourt advantage would have been simply unthinkable. Tyler Dorsey and Kostas Sloukas have also come up big on several occasions, but the Bulgarian forward is the most solid presence on the court.

Vasilije Micic, last season's MVP, has not been as dominant this year. However, he's still the offensive barometer for Anadolu Efes, especially when Shane Larkin meets double and triple-teams and needs to pass the ball.

Consequently, Mirotic has no reason to worry about this year's MVP. Nor should the other three gentlemen lose sleep, as their splendid season will most certainly not go unnoticed.

Thoughts on Zalgiris' decision to part ways with Jure Zdovc after the season and hire Kazys Maksvytis?

Orazio: I think that from the start, Jure Zdovc's solution for Zalgiris Kaunas was a temporary one more than a long-term plan.

Although he improved the team, especially in the last few months, and the Lithuanian powerhouse was able to obtain some important wins in the regular season, the feeling that his experience on the bench wouldn't have lasted beyond this season was always there.

Coach Maksvytis is well respected in Lithuania. He did an amazing job at the youth level for the national team, and in the last couple of seasons, he was doing well in Russia with Parma Perm.

Of course, Euroleague is a whole different level, and he won't be able to do miracles without some help from the management of Zalgiris.

The roster needs reinforcements, but without a very big budget, Zalgiris need to nail every single move. They cannot afford costly mistakes like the ones they had this season.

Uygar: Regarding Jure Zdovc's departure, it is understandable. Despite the late surge, the results were less than satisfactory, which calls for too late, too little.

What I did not understand is why they chose Jure Zdovc as a replacement for Martin Schiller in the first place. The latter was a completely different step in terms of long-term aims; a coach who made a name himself in the G-League and offers a different brand of building a team and a game style that needed a process.

The decision to hire Zdovc was the exact opposite step. Recalling more of the traditional connotations; discipline, hard defense, and all that. After one year, there is a fresh start again, and Zalgiris lost time out of this zig-zag move.

I am not very familiar with the type of basketball that Kazys Maksvytis implemented in Perm, but I assume it was not extraordinarily spectacular; otherwise, it should have taken more attention.

Besides, the EuroLeague level will be way different from the VTB League or FIBA Europe Cup level, so that is something to be tracked down. However, one part of this makes sense: as he is the head coach of Lithuanian NT, the Zalgiris position provides him to be in a more commanding position with the player setup and overall organisation.

In developmental terms, this organic connection could be helpful and makes sense. But today's Euroleague basketball needs more than that, especially regarding on-court level.

Giorgos: It's very awkward for any coach, including Jure Zdovc, to not only learn about his imminent substitution at the end of the season but also be aware of the fact that his successor has already been found.

I assume that the Slovenian specialist saw his last chances of remaining on the bench fade away, as Zalgiris were unable to continue their late EuroLeague winning streak.

In contrast to what happened in Monaco with Sasa Obradovic and in Maccabi with Avi Even, who turned things around, Zalgiris' fate seemed pretty much predestined. Zdovc won the Lithuanian Cup with flying colors but didn't change the team's course, regardless of whether he was the right man to be held accountable for it.

Kazys Maksvytis will take over Zalgiris while retaining his position with the Lithuanian national team. Jonas Kazlauskas and Antanas Sireika, the two coaches who had done it before, won the EuroLeague and the EuroBasket, respectively.

I don't know if that makes good precedence, but the real bet for Zalgiris will be Maksvytis' multi-year contract. After a highly turbulent season, where the EuroLeague playoffs were gone before Christmas, the last thing Zalgiris would hope for is another coaching change.

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