Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Real Madrid trashing Barcelona at the Supercopa final was how ordinary it felt. This was an exhilarating performance – to the tune of 99 points, 57% shooting from beyond the arc and a 21-point win against the reigning Spanish champions – that somehow felt familiar, almost to be expected. Even on the defensive end, Madrid’s ability to generate twenty points off their opponents’ turnovers was noteworthy but not that surprising for a team that posted the second-highest steals percentage last Euroleague season.

Then again, Sunday’s triumph represented a major upgrade in the defensive efficiency of the Supercopa winners compared to the second half of last season, when on most possessions it seemed that they would either get a steal or get scored on. Containing Barcelona’s pick and roll game was key. Madrid did not appear to introduce any new defensive principles, but they were definitely more determined to meet the ball handler as far away from the basket as possible, in order to eliminate the mid-range threat posed by Huertas shots off one leg, Navarro bombitas and Tomic short rolls:

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Shocking as Spain’s loss against France may have been, it can be explained by a pretty straightforward narrative. The seemingly formidable Spanish front line had one major weakness: they lacked a shooter that would spread the floor and allow his teammates to make the most of the Gasol brothers’ creativity from the low block and the high post. The French defense, anchored by Rudy Gobert, took away scoring opportunities inside and Spain’s struggles from the perimeter made life easier for Vincent Collet. On the other end, Diaw provided everything Spain missed from the power forward position and Thomas Heurtel made his hardcore fans proud.

Personally, I have no problem with this narrative, as long as we are looking for an answer about the end result. To find out the root causes of yesterday’s upset, though, we need to dig deeper. A closer look at the numbers reveals a couple of extra issues for Spain. Their post up offense was quite inefficient (6 points on 11 plays) and it failed to act as the starting point of the beautiful ball movement we have come to expect from Orenga’s team. Again, the lack of perimeter shooting partly explains Spain’s shortcomings, but France did not really flood the strong side with help defenders. In many cases, rushed shots and a lack of counter actions was the real issue:

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We’re talking about controlling the game – defensively and offensively. But in order to control the game, offense is always more important.

This is Dusan Ivkovic’s two cents on the debate about control in basketball. Duda said this in his trademark broken Greek during a press session back in December of 2010, eighteen months before his crowning achievement as a coach. Olympiacos’ triumph at the Istanbul final four was based on a monster defensive performance, but the Serbian legend thinks that control of the game is gained or lost on the other end of the floor. All this may explain his decision to sign Nenad Krstic at Anadolu Efes. Despite indications that he is moving past his prime (last season his per minute scoring and field goal percentage dropped sharply, while his reliance on assisted baskets increased), the former CSKA center remains an elite offensive player. His versatility as a scorer (pick and roll finisher, post up threat, spot up shooter from mid-range) could help ease the growing pains of a team going through a major rebuilding phase. Efes have a lot of things to figure out. Control is not easy to maintain under such circumstances. Krstic’s efficient scoring could help in this area.

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Pablo Laso and Xavi Pascual may come across as polar opposites when it comes to coaching philosophies, but it could be argued that the styles of Ettore Messina and David Blatt are just as different. The Italian favourite and the American underdog seem to hold contrasting views in most aspects of the game – size, pace, offensive principles, defensive flexibility and so on. This is why the less hyped of the two semifinals in Mian, between CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv, could be just as intriguing as the clásico that everyone has been waiting for.

Then again you wouldn’t know that judging from the two top – 16 game between the two powerhouses. CSKA destroyed Maccabi in Moscow and pulled off a gutsy win at Tel Aviv despite  - or thanks to, if you are one of those people – the absence of Milos Teodosic (Maccabi were also without a key player in Devin Smith). This why the Russians should be treated as the favorites, even after two embarrassing homes losses on the eve of the final four against Lokomotiv Kuban, which had Messina exploring the depths of human nature. However, CSKA’s VTB League struggles have served as reminders about certain holes which can be exploited by Maccabi.

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May 16th will mark the fourth time this season that Real Madrid face Barcelona. The stakes will be higher, the game will take place outside of Spain and a couple of injuries could alter the rotations of both teams. However, the first three versions of this season’s clásico offer plenty of material for a Euroleague semifinal preview.

Numbers indicate that the two Spanish giants find it difficult to stop each other from scoring.  Madrid’s triumph against the blaugrana at the London final four was based on an inspired defensive performance in the closing minutes of the game, but the Spanish champs have not been able  to reproduce it this season. Barcelona scored a little over 106 points per a hundred possessions in their three meetings with the second-best defense in Euroleague. This number could have easily been a lot more impressive had they not missed 12 free throws – not to mention a few great looks from behind the arc – at the Copa Del Rey final. The main reason for Barcelona’s success on the offensive end is their pick and roll execution:

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