Crvena Zvezda shot 50 percent from three in Madrid. Fourteen makes on 28 attempts. And they still lost to Real Madrid by 21 points. That tells you just about everything you need to know about the rest of their performance.
Madrid hasn’t been a particularly happy hunting ground for Zvezda in recent years. This visit was no exception.
The visitors were last within single digits late in the first half, while the final 15 minutes or so were little more than a formality. The pace and intensity of the game reflected that.
A Nightmare Start
It’s hardly the first time this season that Zvezda have started a game poorly. Quite the opposite.
Despite their poor defense and the staggering 38 points they conceded in the first quarter, perhaps the clearest illustration of their lack of energy and concentration came from two turnovers near midcourt, neither of them forced by any particular pressure from Real.
First, Chris Jones telegraphed a pass so badly that Real were gifted an uncontested fast break. Not long afterward, Nick Weiler-Babb threw the ball out of bounds, two meters away from Dejan Davidovac.
The visitors struggled to defend the pick-and-roll, Real found open looks relatively easily and quickly grew in confidence.
Last week, Olympiacos missed shots that players of that caliber don’t usually miss quite so often. In Madrid, the opposite happened – Luwawu, Procida and the rest knocked down plenty of shots even against excellent defense.
And on the rare occasions they missed, Real were there to clean up the glass. In the opening ten minutes, Real grabbed four offensive rebounds. Zvezda had one rebound – total.
Zvezda Fight Back
Led by Tyson Carter, Zvezda managed to cut a 24-point deficit to just seven. But as so often happens after a team digs itself such a deep hole, the comeback took too much out of them. Navarro’s team couldn’t get to halftime with a single-digit deficit, instead trailing by 15.
First, Chima Moneke overhelped on defense, leaving Pradilla wide open for three. Then he shot an air ball that sparked a Real fast break.
In the blink of an eye, Pedro Martinez’s team had pulled away again. This time, for good.
The Butler and Weiler-Babb Problem
Even with Carter on three personal fouls, it’s difficult to understand why Navarro left him on the bench to start the second half. Down 15, there was no time left to wait.
Navarro went with Butler and Weiler-Babb in the backcourt to start the second half. What followed was a series of ill-advised three-point attempts and badly missed shots. Real needed no second invitation to put the game away.
Zvezda fans had every reason to celebrate Butler staying with the club over the summer, but a quarter of the way into the season, he hasn’t delivered what was expected of him. There have been flashes, sure, but also too many shaky moments with the ball in his hands – and far too many misses.
So far this season, Butler is shooting 36.7 percent on two-pointers (18-of-49) and 37 percent from three (17-of-46), averaging 9 points in 16 minutes on the floor.
Weiler-Babb, meanwhile, was brought in as a defensive specialist and a steady, sensible playmaker. He has fulfilled those roles, particularly the first one, largely as expected.
But at Bayern and Efes, Weiler-Babb also showed he could step up offensively when needed, take a big shot and knock it down.
Now, through the first 11 rounds, he is shooting 9-of-41 from the field.
Not a Costly Defeat
Few teams can realistically count on winning in Madrid, even when Campazzo and Maledon aren’t playing.
Pedro Martinez’s players have clearly bought into what their new coach is building. And they have the quality and versatility to compete in the EuroLeague.
For Zvezda, the importance of that victory in Athens is only becoming clearer now. Navarro will once again have to “remind” his players that in the EuroLeague, starting a game without maximum intensity rarely goes unpunished.
The Red and Whites have two more road games next week.
First comes a wounded Olimpia Milano side that have recently shown small signs of improvement and found fresh energy following the arrival of new head coach Luca Banchi. Then it’s Barcelona, who have performed above expectations so far but are also more than capable of wild fluctuations in form.
One win would be more than welcome.
