3x3 EuroLeague: long waited Napier's debut and controversial call on Priftis / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: D.Repečka | BasketNews illustration Credit D.Repečka | BasketNews illustration

After taking a break last week, the BasketNews3x3 EuroLeague edition returns.

This week, BasketNews' journalists Orazio Cauchi, Uygar Karaca, and Miguel Lois Vidal discussed the referees' decision to give a technical foul to Dimitris Priftis, shared the predictions for the Real Madrid-AS Monaco game, and expectations for Shabazz Napier's season debut.

Was the technical foul on Priftis a game-changing call? Do you agree with such referees' decision?

Orazio: Knowing the moment of the call, it was definitely a game-changer for Anadolu Efes.

Panathinaikos was up by 1, and the call clearly shifted the momentum of the game. From a textbook standpoint, it was a correct call because the coach has to remain on the sideline and cannot step into the court, and Priftis put a foot inside the court.

At the same time, I think that the referees should be a little flexible with these types of calls. Considering the moment and the fact that Priftis had only one foot inside the court, and he did that just to communicate with his players, it was probably the right move not to make a call on that particular occasion.

Uygar:Of course, the official rule is clear: "You cannot step into the court as a coach".

But I think there is a certain level of exemption to this rule otherwise, many teams would finish the games without coaches. Look at Sarunas Jasikevicius, for instance. I remember at least 5-6 instances when he is on the court and almost next to his players.

Priftis was called that technical because of an allegedly repetitive act. He said that he was warned, and it seems to be not a wrong decision in technical terms. Footage shows that he was in, in fact.

However, I think a decision like that needs a little bit more discretion than other non-sporting calls (like technicals or flagrant). The key thing here is the intention: if the coach is doing the enrichment just to disrupt the game rhythm or distract the referee, a technical foul should be called. But as far as I can see, Priftis did not have such an aim.

He just wanted to win an away game finally and got carried away a little bit. That's very natural. EuroLeague needs close games, and those games should not be diluted with calls like this. This call surely determined the game's final result, even though Efes got only 1 point out of it.

Basketball is all about rhythm and momentum. All in all, it was an awkward decision, and I deeply suspect that it would not have been called for some other coach, like Pablo Laso, Jasikevicius, or Dimitris Itoudis?

Miguel: If we look at the rules, the technical foul was the right decision by Daniel Hierrezuelo.

Priftis encroached the court with his shoe. It is not the first time a coach does this, but the Spanish referee warned him just a few seconds before not to cross the line. It could have been a game-changing call, but in the end, we all know what happened with Moerman's clutch shot.

The technical foul destabilized the Greeks somehow, but they did not lose for that reason. In my opinion, although the rules are clear, referees should try to understand the game's contexts better. Priftis' shoe did not disturb Anadolu Efes' possession at all.

Prediction for Real - Monaco game?

Orazio: Since the arrival of Sasa Obradovic, Monaco have won 5 of their last 7 games, and their offense has been the best in the competition.

Mike James and Donatas Motiejunas have been unstoppable, so Real Madrid will face a really tough opponent. Real have won the last three games comfortably against Baskonia, ALBA Berlin, and UNICS, and they only lost three games so far in the EuroLeague this season.

Despite Monaco's great moment of form, I still see Real Madrid as the favorite to win the game.

Uygar: Real Madrid are my favorite nowadays, but they are more of a playoff team rather than a regular-season one, in my opinion.

Pablo Laso uses little tweaks and adjustments for those moments that matter the most, so I won't be surprised with some away losses against lower-ranked teams. On the other hand, Monaco's recuperation is obvious after Sasa Obradovic arrived.

You can sense the feeling of a team having a dialogue with its coach. The players are much more receptive and play at a higher level of discipline. With Mitrovic, that contact was broken. Based on these two aspects, I expect a Monaco win, to be honest.

Not because Monaco plays great, as I observe many defects in their offensive structure (still depends on individual effort), and their defense is now at an OK level. At least, they are more engaging and have role support from Yakuba Ouattara, Alpha Diallo, and Paris Lee.

However, players like James loves these type of games. Monaco's own court has a different atmosphere than others in the league. Real have their lost pieces back as Anthony Randolph, Trey Thompkins, and Gabriel Deck returned.

You can beat Real now, but they will be the main contender for the title in two months.

Miguel:I think Real Madrid have a deeper roster with much more quality, so they are favorites this time.

But let's see what the plan is for Mike James. Maybe Jeff Taylor could be used as a stopper, as well as Alberto Abalde. It will be difficult to see a 25-6 run as it happened back in October.

What are your expectations for Shabazz Napier's season debut against Efes?

Orazio: I really can't wait to see Shabazz Napier on the court.

When the season was about to start, he was definitely one of the guys that I wanted to see more because he's a really entertaining player. I believe that his skillset can adapt really well to European basketball.

Unfortunately, the injury in the VTB Supercup sidelined him for several months. Zenit have done a very good job even without him, but now his recovery might be the key to transforming them into a serious Final Four contender.

Of course, I don't have huge expectations for the first game, he has been out for a lot of time, as he'll need time to find his best condition. Still, Napier is a player with a really nice skillset, and I'm sure that we might already see a couple of really long 3-point attempts or some nasty crossover from him. He's definitely going to be one of the best things to see in the second half of the EuroLeague season.

Uygar: Hard to expect anything after such a long spell of absence. But one thing is for sure: Zenit needs him dearly right now.

This team is based on a rigid structure with clear-cut principles in offense and defense, and that scheme sometimes implodes to put Zenit in despair. They cannot find solutions and fail to compete when certain things are not working.

Napier could be their quick solution to the problems, especially in the offense. That out-of-the-box addition will also help to concentrate on the defensive tasks, relieving the demoralization that comes with failure after each time they got into the opponent's court.

Still, I expect a miracle from Napier. But Zenit won in Istanbul without him, and such an outcome won't be less likely with him. If really healthy, he can exploit the defects in Efes' 3-point defense.

On some days, Zenit can shoot 50% from deep, but on the other days, this percentage could drop to 30%. Napier can consolidate the accuracy rates a little bit, at least.

Miguel:Firstly, it is great news to have him back on the court.

He was one of the most exciting summer signings alongside Emmanuel Mudiay. We knew how he ended up at Kaunas. I hope Napier could have a huge impact on Zenit, especially to liberate Jordan Loyd and Billy Baron from the offensive tasks.

I expected a little bit more from Connor Frankamp, as he had a great start of the season. Napier can be a game-changer without a shadow of a doubt, but we must be realistic, he will need time to get in shape. I'm also interested in seeing what Xavi Pascual has prepared for him.

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