Games within games: Lenovo Tenerife vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem

MIES (Switzerland) - When Txus Vidorreta's Lenovo Tenerife overcame Ilias Kantzouris's Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem on Wednesday night, we saw what was almost certainly the highest-level game of the season. 

The difference between this week's contest and the first game between the two teams, on February 7, was dramatic for the scorelines, yet also incredibly slim when it came to the adjustments made on the floor.

The first game saw Jerusalem provide us with one of the most dominant single-game defensive displays we have ever seen in the BCL.

In return, Tenerife received that backhand slap and responded with a forehand of equally destructive offense in their own arena. 

 Games within games

The stark statistical contrast between the two games was especially apparent in certain categories, giving us an insight into the games within games that go on as teams adjust and adapt to playing each other:

In game one, Jerusalem held the lead for over 36 minutes of the 40 and held Tenerife to just 8 assists, whilst forcing 12 turnovers. For context, Txus Vidorreta's team averages 20 assists per game across the season.

It's almost unheard of for a team to completely shut down the free-flowing Tenerife Basketball TM as successfully, 

Whereas in game two, the Canarians were almost back to their usual self with 17 assists and put on a shooting clinic (shooting 60 percent from inside the arc and 52.4 percent from the outside), with Marcelinho Huertas and Joan Sastre both posting BCL career-highs in points. Sastre had 22 off the bench, while Huertas counted to 24 with 6 assists.

The stats that tell us perhaps the most about where adjustments were made by Tenerife are sourced from their most potent weapon, the pick-and-roll.

If you have watched Vidorreta's Tenerife play, you will know that all the incredible ball movement and lethal spot-up shooting almost exclusively comes from an advantage created in the pick-and-roll.

Jerusalem's defensive masterclass

In the first game, Jerusalem held Tenerife to just 0.68 points per possession when they used the pick-and-roll, including possessions where the ball was passed.

The knock-on effect from stunting the effectiveness of their pick-and-roll game was also passed on to their spot-up shooting.

Jerusalem were able to kill advantages, rotate to contest shots, and held the Aurinegros to just 0.35 points per play on spot-up possessions. 

Jerusalem's main weapon against the Tenerife ball screen was pressure. In the clip above, #22 JaCorey Williams steps out to hedge hard at the ball, stopping Bruno Fitipaldo from turning the corner for Tenerife.

When defenses hedge like this, they are essentially throwing two defenders at the ball, so the intuitive offensive counter is to quickly look for a pass out to a free man, usually the screener on the short-roll.

Fitipaldo looked for the short-roll pass but Speedy Smith was able to position himself in the passing lane and steal the telegraphed pass. 

In the clip below, we see how stopping the pick-and-roll also helped Jerusalem to shut down the spot-shooting.

After an offensive rebound, Tenerife set another ball screen. We see the same hedge coverage and this time the pass makes it to the short-roll, but Jerusalem were able to help early on the roller and then 'X Out ' and rotate to the shooter.

Yovel Zoosman (#50,) eventually blocks the jump shot after an incredible team effort from the men in red. 

Tenerife strikes back

The turnaround in game two was abrupt and substantial.

Coach Vidorreta tweaked his roster into almost doubling their output from the pick-and-roll. From 0.68 points per play (PPP), they bumped that up to 1.26 points PPP, and from 0.35 PPP on spot-up possessions, they jumped all the way up to 1.6 points PPP. So, what did that look like?

In the clip above, Kyle Guy baits the hedge on the ball screen from Jerusalem and then pulls back to maintain the angle and passing lane to the short roll.

Then finally, when the defense rotates watch how Fitipaldo takes a dribble to attack the first closeout and draw a step back in from the defender rotating to the corner. The resulting spot-up shot is that much more open and less contested.

Once they had found the key and opened the door, Tenerife were able to walk through and break down this Jerusalem defensive scheme, almost at will.

In the two clips below we see Tenerife finding each time that early angle and lane open to hit the pass to the short roll, followed by ruthless punishment of a rotating defense playing catch up. 

 
When you contrast these clips from the two games and notice that the difference in executions is literally a matter of split seconds and slight changes in geometry, the old adage of fine margins making the difference in elite sports really starts to come to life.

We don't know yet if these two teams will meet again in a Final Four but what these two games show us is that, if they do, we already have a good idea of where one of the key battle grounds will be.