Real Madrid began their journey to the Euroleague Final Four in Athens with an 86-82 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first game of the quarterfinals, played at the Movistar Arena. Despite the early injury of their key center, Walter Tavares, the white team dominated the match from the start, showing defensive solidity and good team play.
The void in the paint: how to replace a 2.20-meter giant 🏀
Tavares' absence forced Chus Mateo to readjust the defensive system. Without the reference in the paint, the team resorted to a more aggressive perimeter defense and quick rotations to prevent Hapoel from finding easy shots. On offense, the responsibility fell on the guards, who generated advantages in the pick and roll. The use of small forwards as makeshift bigs allowed them to maintain the pace, although the lack of intimidation on defensive rebounds was noticeable during stretches of the second quarter.
Tavares gets injured and Madrid decides to play without a center (like at home) 😅
When Tavares hit the floor, more than a few at the Movistar Arena thought Madrid had lost the ladder to reach the basket. But the team showed that sometimes playing without a giant is like going to the supermarket without a cart: you have to carry everything by hand. The guards started rebounding as if they were centers, and the forwards defended as if they were 2.20 meters tall. In the end, they won without their tower, proving that in basketball, as in life, what matters is not height, but knowing when to jump.