Day 3 Eurocup

Alba Berlin - Khimki Moscow

* Ivanovic's game plan was simple and efficient: a pick'n'roll of the big guy to the guard, while a third player is moving to the corner. Since Alba's guards are not defending well, the pick'n'roll ends up either with easy two in the paint, or with a three from the corner when the defence is sagging. Khimki played that simple move the whole evening, one posession after another. Berlin had no solution.

* Alba tried the same thing in offence, but their players were not that coordinated. It lead to though shots or turnovers. In those things one can notice the quality difference between the two coaches: Ivanovic's players know what they want, Caki's players don't.

* The first quarter already sealed the deal. Khimki finished it with 12 assists (!), and with a 49-7 knockout in the ranking.

* How bad was Alba's defence? Moscow had 100% from the 2pt field in the first quarter. The German team sent them to the free throw line only twice in the first 10 minutes. That's called a soft defence.

* Alba tried a small ball formation with Gaffney as a center, it worked well for about two minutes in the second quarter. Moscow had most of the time three guards on the court (and Shved playing the entire time as a SF), which allowed them to run the floor and make easy baskets. Not to mention the fact that penetrating Alba's paint was easier than penetrating Berlin at the end of the second world war.