'Time to show up': How Isaiah Canaan came up big on Tyler Dorsey's worst night / News - Basketnews.com

Isaiah Canaan stole the show for Olympiacos in Game 1 vs. Fenerbahce, who saw Tyler Dorsey go scoreless. Coaches and players from both sides weigh in on how the two guards' performance influenced the outing.

Credit: Tolga Adanali; Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali; Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Wednesday night didn't start well for Tyler Dorsey. The Greek-American guard of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was strongly booed by Olympiacos Piraeus fans as soon as he appeared at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

Player of the Game EFF 20 Moustapha Fall Points 9 Accuracy 3-3 Rebounds 5 Assists 3

An indication that the local crowd probably did not appreciate the fact that the player didn't extend his contract with the Greek team last summer.

A few minutes later, when the teams showed up again for the match, Dorsey was honored for his contribution to Olympiacos by the club's general manager, Nikos Lepeniotis, while the boos had not decreased.

The truth is that Olympiacos fans had several Fenerbahce members in their sights: Dimitris Itoudis and Nick Calathes were old acquaintances and rivals in the derbies against Panathinaikos, while the presence of the Turkish team quite expectedly brought several Greek flags to the stadium as a reminder of the perennial political conflict between the two countries.

But when the first playoff match got underway, later than any other showdown this year in Piraeus (20:45 CET), none of that really mattered.

Olympiacos and Fenerbahce engaged for the first time in a best-of-five series, with the home side taking the first step (79-68) towards the Final Four in Kaunas (19-21 May).

Fener is not your ordinary 8th-placed team, which sooner or later, the easy or the hard way, would submit to its fate. They came to Greece and entered the arena determined and ready to deregulate the regular season winners.

Olympiacos, who score better than any other team in the EuroLeague averaging 60% from inside the arc, faced a well-organized defense, which held them down to only 38% (12/31).

There were times when Thomas Walkup and Kostas Sloukas were suffocating, which led the hosts to overdribble and also to a lack of off-ball movement.

Isaiah Canaan

MIN:15.53PTS:5.97 (40.29%)REB:0.94As:0.88ST:0.48BL:0.03TO:0.85GM:33ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

Slowing down the game tempo and attacking mainly from the low post, the Turkish champs took a small lead in the first half, preparing Olympiacos' fans for a long and agonizing evening.

On the other hand, Olympiacos' defense worked better than their offense. In the absence of Scottie Wilbekin and Dimitris Itoudis' lack of trust in Carsen Edwards in the last minutes of Game 1, Tyler Dorsey's performance was going to be pivotal.

But the Greek international was guarded closely, usually having one or several hands in front of him. Even when he didn't and managed to get some open looks, mostly after a fake, he wasted the opportunity.

The first half ended with Olympiacos going 6/13 from distance that didn't secure anything more than a precarious lead. Then came Isaiah Canaan.

The American guard had been left out of Olympiacos' Greek playoff roster in a decision that coach Giorgos Bartzokas explained talking to ERT one week ago.

"It was a very difficult decision. He had some really good games," Bartzokas said. "We have several players in his position. I was sad that I had to cut someone. But if I left out a center and another one got injured, we'd be left with only one big man," the Greek tactician argued.

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages

Bartzokas had reasons to be dissatisfied with the 31-year-old's lack of consistency, but on the other hand, Canaan was a starter in 29 of the 32 EuroLeague games he played this season.

And especially in the derbies against Panathinaikos, he had made some of his best games. In the EuroLeague game at OAKA, he scored 17 points, while in the Cup semi-final, he made the difference with his 3-pointers at the start of the second half.

So far, his highlight had been his 20-point performance on 6/9 from deep against Fenerbahce in Istanbul for the regular season. Canaan and Olympiacos were unstoppable that night, as the Reds cruised to an easy 93-73 win.

The playoffs are usually a different beast, but that didn't bother the former NBA guard. Canaan had hit only one 3-pointer before exploding in the third quarter of Game 1. He warmed up with a dagger before lighting up the arena.

There was a lot more to come for the Reds, whose fans were delighted to witness a unique show. Canaan buried five 3-pointers in the third quarter, changing the course and the tempo of the game, driving Olympiacos' fans crazy.

The hosts got the double-digit lead they were seeking, and Canaan's teammates got the message. Olympiacos' players understood that the Biloxi-born guard is on a big night, looking for him, making extra passes, and Canaan didn't let anyone down.

One of those extra passes came from Sasha Vezenkov, who had a great game with 19 points and 6 rebounds.

"We know he's an excellent shooter," the Bulgarian forward told NOVASPORTS.

"He scored six 3-pointers today, but he can score ten. We've seen him do that in practice. I knew he was going to make them. I felt like I needed to give him the ball. I did it, and the arena went crazy."

"Sasha gets a lot of opportunities, but he let Isaiah get confidence for the rest of the series," Shaquielle McKissic added. "That's going to be huge for us."

McKissic sank three daggers from behind the line in the fourth quarter, taking the torch from Canaan.

"It's all about the flow of the game. It's not that I'm not going to take the 3-pointer," he told NOVASPORTS.

"I and coach have a special relationship. I know what he wants at certain times. I was able to get out there in the fourth quarter and do a lot of damage. Teams can't guard me when they're so close to me, so they choose to stand under the hoop."

Canaan and McKissic combined for 9/11 in 3-point shooting. Olympiacos finished with 16/29, a slightly worse tally compared to their 17/29 in Istanbul last January. Fenerbahce's defense hasn't been up to par in that department, allowing their opponents to make an average of 38% of their attempts. In the third quarter alone, Olympiacos went 7/9, scoring 21 of their 26 overall points.

"First off, as a shooter, you want to take any open look you can get," Canaan told NOVASPORTS.

"Fener have a great coach and coaching schemes. In the beginning, I didn't have any space. When we started getting some stops in the second half, we got in transition a lot more and opened up the floor. I got a few open shots.

Once we get stops, our offense opens up for us. We can get out in the passing lanes, we can cut, run in transition, and the shooters are open. So, we just needed to get stops, and that's what we did in the third quarter."

Even though Canaan is known for being a sharpshooter, he has been struggling to get his groove back. He had gone 6/34 (17.6%) in his last 10 games, finishing the regular season on a low note. In fact, that negative streak had dropped his percentages to a total of 39/117 (33.3%).

But it seems that Fenerbahce provide a different setting for Canaan to showcase what he can do from the perimeter.

"They always catch me at a moment where I'm trying to get myself going. Every time we play them, it's a big moment," he commented on NOVASPORTS' camera.

"What other time to show up than the playoffs?" Canaan wondered.

"We've been working all season long to get to this moment. It's time to put everything together. It's playoff time; it's time to show what you can do. I live for those moments."

Life is not a straight line; it has its ups and downs. The second half of the season has been far below expectations for Canaan and his shooting.

After the birth of his second child, an unexpected disappointment came Canaan's way. He didn't expect to be cut from Olympiacos' Greek league roster, which means that he will only have a minimum of three and a maximum of six more games to prove that he deserves a contract extension.

"There were times when I was disappointed because I'm a competitor," the shooting guard told SPORT24 after being asked whether he plays with extra motivation.

"But that's the way it is; that's best for the team," Canaan commented on Bartzokas' decision.

"I will continue to support my teammates, push them in practice and celebrate like I'm playing. I have to stay totally focused for this kind of games, so I can't let that affect me."

Scoring his sixth three-pointer, Canaan engaged in high-fives with any Olympiacos fan he found on his way back to the other side of the court. His celebrations included him pointing to the veins or the wrists in his hands as if to show that there was ice running in there instead of blood, or that playoff time had finally come.

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

"I feed off the big moments in games. I love it when people are involved in the game, and I use that as an advantage. I will try to have the same energy in defense and offense for the rest of the season," Canaan promised.

After another 3-pointer, Canaan did a dancing move, shaking his shoulders in front of Fenerbahce's bench. His repertoire of celebrations seemed to be inexhaustible.

"The atmosphere with the fans was unbelievable. Gate 7 is always here for us; they show up. The whole city of Piraeus is coming out and supports us," he told NOVASPORTS.

After the game, it made sense that Canaan was getting praise from friends and opponents.

"He has a huge motivation to be in the Final Four and win something with the team. He's been very professional, very focused on the goal." Olympiacos' captain Kostas Papanikolaou told SPORT24. "He may not have had his best season, but we believe in him."

"We know he can give things to the team. We hope he will be playing well throughout the series to unlock the games for us," the Greek forward added.

"We lacked focus in the third quarter. When somebody makes six 3s, it's tough to match up," Dyshawn Pierre told BasketNews.

"He had a good percentage, and we have to prepare better against him in the next game."

His teammate, Tonye Jekiri, was more strict with how Fenerbahce allowed Canaan to steal the show.

Credit Roman Kruchinin/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

"We let some guys open, especially Isaiah Canaan. We just forgot about him. It's a mistake we can't allow to happen again. I think his making those shots in a row really changed the game for us," the big man, who had played alongside Canaan at UNICS Kazan, told BasketNews.

"We just have to try to maintain contact with him at all times. It's a pity because we showed that we can compete against them."

Coaches are used to deploying tricks before big games, and Dimitris Itoudis found his own way to discharge Fenerbahce players before the series against Olympiacos. Fenerbahce arrived in Athens on Monday afternoon and did not stay at the hotel but went immediately to the city's northern suburbs for lunch.

Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Players and staff visited a fish tavern, spending their first hours in Greece in a rather carefree manner. The same scene was repeated on Tuesday morning as they all went for brunch on the seafront near the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

But that way of getting players' minds off the upcoming contests didn't change much for Fenerbahce, who played Game 1 without Scottie Wilbekin, Nemanja Bjelica, and Devin Booker, leaving Itoudis with a seven-player rotation. Dyshawn Pierre, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Marko Guduric, and Johnathan Motley had good spurts, but it's clear that the Turkish team needs more than that.

And they certainly need to get more out of Tyler Dorsey, who returned to Piraeus as an opponent for the first time since leaving Olympiacos. The 27-year-old guard played a lot with the ball at the start of the game, trying to act as a creator, but could not help Fenerbahce, at least in the execution part.

He ended up scoreless on 0/3 from the field in 20 minutes, recording his third 'dry' game out of the eight he has played with Fener in the season.

In the previous three years (2019-22), he had had just one such game, with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv against Valencia Basket, where he only attempted one 3-pointer in four minutes on the court.

"We expect more from Dorsey and other players as well," Itoudis admitted in the presser.

"Tyler has given us good games; he's made good performances, regardless of wins or losses. Apparently, that wasn't the real Tyler. He was 20 minutes on the floor, and it cost us that he didn't score, but he will find a way to be more efficient," the Greek play-caller stressed.

Dorsey had plenty of interviews with Greek and international media before Game 1. However, he appeared much less talkative as soon as the outing had ended. The former Mavs guard wasn't in the mood to speak to any journalist who approached him for statements.

Upon exiting the locker room, he either turned down requests or talked on his phone to avoid unwanted contact. But he spent most of the time in the anti-doping control room.

At almost the same time, Giorgos Bartzokas mentioned his ex-player in the press conference room.

"It's been eight months since the debate about Dorsey's replacement began," the 57-year-old tactician said.

"He's a super offensive player, but without him, we scored more points and had better numbers," he added.

Bartzokas argued that teamwork is more important than whether Isaiah Canaan stepped into Tyler Dorsey's shoes.

"Ask Canaan if he was more motivated tonight," Bartzokas told the media in attendance with reference to his decision to leave Canaan off the roster.

"I think we gave him open shots. All of them were good and came off extra passes, except for a very long-distance one that he took. I think that's how he can show his talent."

It remains to be seen whether that talent can shine just as bright in the games to come.

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