Gazeta stands by Kostas Sluka’s goal against Maccabi in Game 4 with Hudlinstad’s help.
The Panathinayakas The EuroLeague was alive and well in the hunt to qualify for the Final Four. His team Ataman 95-88 in its 4th game Maccabi Everything will now be decided in Belgrade on Tuesday 7/5 in OAKA.
The Kostas Slokas Finished the game with a career-high 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists in Game 2 (29 points) and … 0 in the third game of the series. The magazine Standing in the big match of the Greek guard with the help of Hudlinstad, he showed his quality and his… metal at the most important moment.
Pick n Roll with Lesser and Isolation
Kostas Slokas scored 5 points in the match off a screen he took off the top of the racket after a pick n’ roll. He took a screen from Lesser and executed at 22′ to make it 50-55. He almost made the same point at the most crucial stage of the tournament. With Panathinaikos up 88-91, he again took a screen shot by Lesser a minute before the end of the 4th period. Only this time he took a left lane and stopped to hit a mid-range shot to make it 88-93. So in both collaborations implemented after a screen, the filmmaker was the lesser.
The Greek guard, who always dictates the pace of the game for Glover, also had 4 points from isolation. Midway through the second period, he went one-on-one with Platt, passed him, and with a great mid-air switch, he scored a layup on a big move. With a minute to go in the first period, he again opted for the isolation against the slower and taller Sorkin. He outsprinted him with ease, took the right lane and made a goal-bowl, giving Glover 6 points at a crucial juncture. A total of 9 of his 20 points in the game came from pick and rolls and iso.
Various aids
Kostas Slukas provided a key assist in the build-up department as he finished with 6 assists (now tied for the most assists in playoff history with 192!). Helped me break away midway through the first period for a 3-pointer. Read Mitoglou’s … cut and move without the ball, giving him an easy basket under the racket. After a rebound he found Lesser under the basket, forcing the opponent to foul and send for shots.
He took advantage of an off ball screen that allowed Grikonis to get the ball and execute, giving him the ball at the right time in the 3rd quarter. Early in the 3rd period, he drew 3 opponents on him on a pass and made a pass for a corner 3 outside Papapetrou. He took a tally from Lesser to cap off a flurry of assists in the 29th. And a wonderful diagonal pass to Mitoglou in another corner for 3. He has variety in the way he makes his teammates look stupid.
Experience makes the difference and… Westbrook
Sluggy Luke is a player who ate Euroleague bases with a spoon. He knows very well how to face big matches and competitions without tomorrow. Being against Maccabi, he knew that with a loss, his team would go home empty-handed. He will be excluded from the continuation of the show. But he himself was unscathed. Maccabi is cool, composed and ready to exploit any weakness in the opponent’s defense. Variety in execution and creativity with different ways of attack. You cannot underestimate Sluka. Because he has many weapons at his disposal and it is no coincidence that he has been one of Europe’s top keepers in recent years.
But of course, we should focus on the 8 rebounds he collected. He is Panathinaikos’ first returner and has shown that he has potential on both sides of the floor. He struggled to protect Trefoil’s possession and didn’t allow Maccabi second chances. Those 8 rebounds were a great performance by a guard in such an important contest. Westbrook would have been proud of the Greek guard’s performance in his NBA rebounding prime. His dedication to the part is the highlight of Sluka’s outstanding performance. And it gets more value after Game 3, which doesn’t have it. He came back strong and proved that Panathinaikos’ game mostly depended on him and me.
