English – Ugly Sister

The importance of narrative in fight sports

Heavyweight clash between WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO World Champion Anthony Joshua and WBC World Champion Tyson Fury is now on.

Two fights to be scheduled in 2021 that will crown a new Undisputed Champion since Lennox Lewis back in 1999, when he defeated Evander Holyfield in back-to-back fights.

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Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sport and Joshua’s manager, immediately told ESPN: “One of the fascinations about this fight will be the buildup because they’re two totally different characters, two totally different personalities. The mind games will be on another level for this fight. Tyson is very good at that. Anthony is excited by that. … He’s so pumped, so focused, he hasn’t stopped training since the [Kubrat] Pulev fight [in December]. He’s like a caged lion. The buildup is going to be epic”.

Neither Joshua or Fury are Cinderella Men, both of them are champions, both of them are great fighters, both of them represents an amazing fan base such as British boxing’s one.

Still, they NEED this fight to be put in the right perspective in terms of narrative in order to be SOLD.

Every contest, every sports match or fight has to mean for something great. People have no more time to waste (or let’s say, less time) to watch something which isn’t worth their time.

If I don’t see a new champion or something really important to change at the end of the fight/match/game, why should I watch?

That’s why so many titles came in boxing: a long list of new federations, belts, a great display of fantasy in order to crown fighters here and there to promote any kind of meaning to the fights.

In Joshua vs Fury case, this is not necessary because ALL the belts are there on the line. Still, it’s necessary to convince people that this is FINALLY the fight we all wanted and needed to happen.

Was it the same with the Wladimir Klitschko’s fights against Fury and Joshua, which he lost by the way? Yes, but…

World Boxing Council (WBC) belt wasn’t there. For some years, Wladimir’s brother Vitali Klitschko held that title and there was no way they would step into the ring to fight each other. So, as strong as they were, as different as they were (Vitali was believed to be “tougher” than Wladimir), we missed a unified, recognized, unanimous World Heavyweight Champion.

This time, all the titles are in contention. This time is for REAL and it has to be sold this way. This time there will be no opinions, just facts. Two fights to determine who’s the man, who’s the best, who’s the unified, recognized, unanimous World Heavyweight Champion, the most important title in fight sports because of its story, its legacy and its drama.

Several generations grew up watching the Rocky saga in theater, home video or tv. We still are influenced by the 70s legends such as Muhammad Alì, Joe Frazier, George Foreman.

Here in Italy, despite a good number of World Champions in all weight classes, nobody is even close to Primo Carnera’s legendary aura. Not even Francesco Damiani, who held the WBO title in the same years as Mike Tyson wore the WBC, WBA, IBF titles as the Undisputed World Champion.

Why Primo? Because of that Heavyweight mystique.

That’s why these upcoming fights are made to set a new standard in boxing narrative. It lasted 22 years since the Undisputed Champion was crowned: too much, hopefully not too late to return to the boxing prime among fans and media all over the world.

Pietro

Pandemic vs. Entertainment: Now and Then

The global spread of the SARS–CoV–2 infection has forced all of our activities to adjust, which also means to just stop and close indefinitely. As for sports and entertainment industry, all of the activities are made behind close doors since last year and it affected all the organizations and people involved, including fans of course. Lots of questions have been made, lots of topics have been discusses, lots more have to be. There is a time, now, when the pandemic is leading the way sports/shows/concerts/events (you choose the order) have to be “played” and how (as fans, viewers, workers) we have to be involved.

The modern technology, streaming services, social media and other tools are making it easier on an individual standpoint but it looks like we are all considering this a transition: at some point pandemic will be the past, but we don’t know when and we don’t know how.

Fans, more specifically, will be the key to reshape the sports and entertainment in the near future and the process will consider what we’ve done during the infamous lockdown era to still live our passion. What will we keep from that experience?

Virtuality has become the only reality to fans/customers, for now. We all miss packed venues, we all miss that energy, we all miss that way of life and we all want to have it back.

However, will we really be back to life as it was? How long will the transition period in between be? Will we have to adapt to some sort of “new normal”? I have a few questions, and no, I don’t have the ultimate answers. Do you?

As a sports and entertainment professional: I want to discuss with you if what we do now is still right/will still be right and if our profession will still be required in the near future.

As a sports and entertainment fan: I want to question my options, my views and my wishes on how I enjoy now and how I would in the future.

Please find a few questions below. Feel free to answer, comment, send more.

NOW

How can we be fans?
Are Social Media the only way to do it?

How can we be there?
Are “Virtual Arenas” be enjoyable in the sense of togetherness?

How can we support financially?
How much and how long are we paying subscriptions to get some merchandise and services without attending any game/event/show?

How can we encourage?
Do the “likes”, “emoticons” and comments are the right way?

How can we share?
Without high fives, hugs, any other form of physical enthusiasm, how are we sharing our passion?

THEN/WHEN?

How will we be fans?
On-Site Events will be back: which of these are you waiting for besides live games/events/shows?

How will we be there?
Are we going to get sellout crowds again with actual capacities?
Will the venues (stadiums, arenas, theaters) be transformed to welcome less people, trading bigger attendance with more security and comfort?

How will we support financially?
Will ticketing be as important as it was in terms of rates?
Will tickets be cheaper?
Will tickets be implemented with online services from now on?
Will “virtual” tickets help to have a larger attendance thanks to technology and tools?

How will we encourage?
Will we be ready/allowed to get ourselves into large crowds again to just cheer our favorite star?

How will we share?
How long it will take before physicality will be back for good into fans reactions?

Pietro

How the 2014 @NBA Champions have been drafted (@spurs)

The San Antonio Spurs won their 5th NBA title in a 15 years span. That’s huge.

Now, everybody is thinking about the next NBA Draft.

Let’s see how the 2014 champions have been drafted (those players that you find in the last boxscore): four of five members of the starting five (Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, Splitter) have been selected by the team.

Ok, the Brazilian center lost his starting spot during the Finals as Gregg Popovich promoted the versatile Boris Diaw to adapt his team to the Miami Heat. It may be a coincidence, but the San Antonio Spurs have DIRECTLY picked their leaders.

Tim Duncan, the 1st overall pick in 1997, is the only “Lottery Pick” player in the whole roster.

Drafted by the team (average: 28.6 – 9.8 seasons with the Spurs)

Tim Duncan #1 (1997) – 17 seasons
Tony Parker #28 (2001) – 13 seasons
Tiago Splitter #28 (2007, joined the team in 2010) – 4 seasons
Cory Joseph #29 (2011) – 3 seasons
Manu Ginobili #57 (1999, joined the team in 2002) – 12 seasons

Drafted via other teams

Kawhi Leonard #15 (via Pacers)

Drafted by other teams (average: #36 – 3.3 seasons with the Spurs)

Boris Diaw #21 (by the Atlanta Hawks, 2003) – 3 seasons
Danny Green #46 (by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2009) – 4 seasons
Matt Bonner #45 (by the Chicago Bulls, 2003) – 8 seasons
Jeff Ayres #31 (by the Sacramento Kings, 2009) – 1 season
Patty Mills #55 (by the Portland Trail Blazers, 2009) – 3 seasons
Marco Belinelli #18 (by the Golden State Warriors, 2007) – 1 season

Undrafted

Aaron Baynes – 2 seasons

Six of them have played Euroleague Basketball: Ginobili won it, Belinelli and Splitter made it to the championship game. Boris Diaw played it in two seasons with French Pau-Orthez, Danny Green with Slovenian Olimpija Ljubljana (scoring 8/32 on three-pointers in 7 games). Aron Baynes played there too, in the 2012-13 campaign, posting solid numbers (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds per game), and he also played with Lithuanian Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in 2009-10.

Pietro

How Samardo Samuels (@OlimpiaEA7Mi) is growin’ up

When I met Samardo Samuels for the first time, earlier this season, I din’t know what to expect from this guy.

Of course, I knew about his past basketball experiences (including the NBA), but I really wanted to meet him to know what kind of guy he was.

Funny, this is the first word I would associate to him. Samardo Samuels is definitely a funny guy: he’s talkative, he definitely embraced the “fashion mode” living in Milan, he’s genuine and I’d say he’s a naive, candid big boy. A football addicted (soccer, for US readers), who once dreamt to play in the Premier League for a top English club, who pretends that he cried when Roberto Baggio missed the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup Final and now he’s crazy for AC Milan and Mario Balotelli.

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Everybody recognized from the very first minute how important he had to be for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan: starting the season he was the only “center”, as Angelo Gigli (then loaned to Reggio Emilia) and CJ Wallace (who’s more a PF but he’s got size) where struggling with injuries and/or fitness.

Even after the arrival of Gani Lawal, Samardo is still the only one low-post big man in the team, where he can work either with his body (especially in the Italian League) than with his soft touch. But, during the season he also had his troubles to deal with.

A few games in Israel last season can’t be enough to say that he arrived in Milan experienced enough to know how to be consistent any given day, for practice or games. He was facing Euroleague Basketball, and a big role in a top European team for the first time of his life.

Entering EA7 practice facility, he saw that sign that welcomes everybody is coming in: “If you’re not here to win, you are in the wrong place”. Well, this is just a sign. But it reminds to everybody how bad this team needs to win. Milan is desperate to lift a trophy since 18 years now. In 1996, the “then-called” Stefanel Milan won the Italian League and Cup, coached by Euro legend Bogdan Tanjevic, led on the court by stars like Nando Gentile (Alessandro’s father), Dejan Bodiroga, Rolando Blackman, Gregor Fucka and specialists like the sharp-shooter Flavio Portaluppi, who’s currently in charge of the general manager position.

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Not easy to face it, especially when the team that has dominated the last 7 years in Italy lost a lot of its power (Siena), and there are no more reliable title contender if we think it on a playoffs situation. Pick a team of your choice between Sassari, Siena, Rome and tell me who could beat Milan on a 7 games series, on paper. Yes, you know the answer.

That’s a big pressure, and everybody understood how much the team was feeling it during the quarterfinal series against Pistoia, a newcomer in the Beko Serie A League with a very short rotation: still, they pushed Milan to the limit, even leading by 1 at the halftime in game-5. In that meanwhile, EA7 was dealing with struggles on their game, arguing with referees, losing that confidence that led them to with the last 19 games of the regular season (19-0 since Daniel Hackett came).

In this situation, Samardo Samuels had worked good enough to figure out how to become a reliable starting center even at Euroleague Basketball level, being there day in and day out in the domestic league, improving his consistency in defense and overcoming a big injury that occurred in late november (he broke his right hand, then he came back in January). “When you’re forced to sit out injured you can better understand how the things are going, when you’re playing you’re just focused on that few things you have to do, and it’s more complicated to observe the whole thing”, he told me a few months ago.

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His impact before and after that injury was totally different: some insiders from the team told me that Samuels was a “coachable” guy, willing to improve and showing it. Sometimes, at practice, I saw him doing things that he never showed during the games: great passing, most of all. Then he started putting all his pieces together: his usual low-post moves, mid-range and long-range shooting (he scored a 3 pointer in the last 3 playoffs games), great passing from the post to find cutters and spot-up shooters. It’s safe to say that he is now the best center in this League.

Here are his numbers in the playoffs (5 games vs. Pistoia, 1 game vs. Sassari), compared to the regular season: Samuels is averaging 14.0 points (+2.6), shooting 65.9% on 2FG (+12.1), 36.4% on 3FG (+1.1), 70% on FT (+0.8), grabbing 6.7 rebounds (+1.6), even doing better on blocks (+0.5), assists (+0.1), turnovers (-0.1), plus minus (+1.0) and minutes played (+4.6).

Samuels signed a 2 years deal last summer: now it’s easy to understand why. He brought good technique and an interesting body. They bet on those qualities to make him a legit Euroleague starter and a difference maker. This is not 100% done yet, but we all can see the mark of progression.

Pietro

Performing Under Pressure [feat. @ReseRice4, @MaccabiElectra, @Euroleague]

Did you ever think that Tyrese Rice would be that kind of player that can collect a Euroleague championship PLUS a Final Four MVP Trophy?

I didn’t, I admit. Also, I was pretty sure that Real Madrid would win the final on Sunday night, wondering how the Israeli side could even try to get close to Sergio Rodriguez and his teammates.

I was wrong, and I have no problem in saying that.

Now, just a couple of samples to discuss one point. Tyrese Rice was a killer during the playoffs series against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, he did it again in the Final Four. His layup that gave his team the victory in the semifinal against CSKA Moscow already was a play for the ages, due to the very particular moment of the game (and, I would say, in the history of both teams).

So, will Tyrese Rice be the player that everybody will try to sign in the offseason? Can he fit in any system with the same impact? Can he be the guy who runs a team all game long (all season long) or does he need to keep is current role of troublemaker coming off the bench (and then stay on the court to rely on is instinct)? How can you coach his instinct?

In this play, Rice runs a pick and roll with Alex Tyus: the point guard recognizes how the defense react. In this situation, Real Madrid center’s Ioannis Bourousis doesn’t want to let Tyus get enough space for an alley-oop dunk, maybe the trademark play of the Rice-Tyus duo. That’s why he didn’t switched on the pick and roll, but that gave to Rice the opportunity to go for a downtown shot. Can you criticize this choice? Sure, you can. Even knowing that Tyrese Rice is not a pure shooter. But in basketball all your choices can be right or wrong. The point is: the offense has the key. “Every time an offensive player has an advantage over the defense, so the most important thing for me is to not do the same thing all the time. Sometimes you need to change your rhythm, sometimes you need to change your direction, sometimes you need to change the side of the pick-and-roll. Everything is in how you read the defense”. That what Olympiacos’ king Vassilis Spanoulis told me last year. “Read the defense”. Has Rice learned that lesson?

In the second picture, we have the following offensive possession of Maccabi Electra: same play, same situation. Pick and roll between Alex Tyus and Tyrese Rice. Same positions, a different reaction from the defender. This time, Bourousis comes closer to Rice as Maccabi Electra’s point guard knocked down a three-pointer before. And Rice read the defense: no reason to force a “three” in front of a seven-footer, let Tyus fly with an alley-oop pass, as Bourousis defensive choice cleared all the space on the lane. Spanoulis was right in his sentence, and Rice proved it again. All you need to do is read the defense: yes, sure. But how many players can keep their focus to do it in a Euroleague final overtime?

Now, you’re a coach and you need a point guard to win the Euroleague: will Tyrese Rice be your man? And what will you ask him? Can he play better than he did? Would you bet on coaching his instinct and forcing him to play a different system? Sometimes players and coaches’ careers (and teams’ destinies) depends on the answer to that kind of questions. And, to be honest, you need some luck to make the right decision.

Pietro

@Euroleague: What’s next for @OlimpiaEA7Mi?

A good Euroleague season is over, for Milan. Not a one for the ages, in terms of titles won, but the 2013-14 campaign will be remembered for good reason. This is when Olimpia came back among the Top teams in Europe.

Milan’s fans waited 17 years before the team reached Euroleague’s quarterfinals. No matter if they were eliminated by Maccabi. My point is: gotta get there, gotta get consistent. One day, you’ll have all the right pieces to get it done and take the trophy. Not now.

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There are a few reasons. First, injuries: we cannot forget that EA7 played without forward Alessandro Gentile (class of ’92), who averaged 16.2 points in his last 4 Euroleague games. He was in his prime when he got injured against Cantù, and eventually missed the following weeks of competition. We cannot forget that Keith Langford came back from an injury a few days before the playoffs, after being sidelined for one month.

Then, David Blatt tactics (and his players’ execution) showed why Milan may belong to the Top 8 but not to the Top 4. They missed the experience to win game-1. They missed quick “game readers”, good passers and shooters to overcome struggles in game-3. They missed any offensive options in game-4, leaving all the responsibility to Langford (who did great before being exhausted), cutting all the big men out of the competition. Talking about defense, Ricky Hickman and Tyrese Rice destroyed them driving to the basket. And no one could even try to guard Big Sofo inside: for instance, EA7 won game-2, when Sofo played only 1’47 due to an injury).

Now, the team has to complete their work: winning the domestic title the club is waiting since 1996. But with all due respect to this, Euroleague Basketball is where the best teams and players are looking at. So, now that Milan is back on track, what will they do this summer?

Will they keep looking at “hungry” players (they mean: the best combination available of age, skills and € or $) or will they keep the best players they have and rebuild a system to plan reaching the Final Four within 1-2 seasons?

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We all heard about Keith Langford and his Turkish passport case: he’s earning big money in Milan, and he is free agent. What to do with him? He just won the Alphonso Ford Trophy which proves is individual value. The team is trying not to spend big money anymore on a player. Will they bet on continuity re-signing Langford to play a third season in a row in Milan? Or will they keep their money to invest it somewhere else? This will be a first, strategic, important decision to make.

Will Daniel Hackett be the starting point guard returning to Euroleague? If so, has he proved he can run a team to the Euroleague championship level? The answer, for what we’ve seen in Tel Aviv, is no. After game-3 he said: “I have to do a better job to guide my teammates”. In game-4, he didn’t. But two games won’t define his career. We have to wait a full season in Milan, with enormous expectations on him. Then we’ll know 100%.

Point guards: Hackett-Jerrells a good pair? Not to reach the highest level, probably. None of them is a natural playmaker in the “traditional” meaning. But a top Euroleague team need this, togheter with a natural born long range shooter, a tough, experienced and consistent big man to give his team a chance against aggressive set defenses and try to stop big bodies on the other end.

What about the rest of perimeter? All said about Langford, Gentile will be back unless the NBA is not drafting him high. Cerella is a great teammate, has a good body to put him for some defensive plays, but he’s not a Euroleague top caliber player. Langford or not, they will need a scorer. Maybe a scoring point guard, sharing his position (and the court) with Hackett, and a “Jaycee Carroll lookalike” guard.

One of the big problems of this season came from the power forward position: Milan signed CJ Wallace to buy his experience (two Final Four with Barcelona), his basketball IQ (Princeton), his personality (one of the funniest guys in the planet) and his “stretch-four” skills to be the most important player in this position. He’s having a disappointing season on many levels. And that increased Nicolò Melli’s duties. The 22 years old man played some consistent game but still miss “that” consistency to be a reliable starter at this level. Maybe it will come with experience, after all. Maybe he’s still dealing with the expectations he had on him since he was a teenager. He’s a free agent: last year he didn’t reached a deal with the team to extend his contract. We’ll see. What about Kristjan Kangur? He suffered a long injury, struggled in finding his own position in the team. Never been a major player, indeed.

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Centers: when the team signed Samardo Samuels to a two-years deal, there was a lot of cricitism. However, the big boy from Jamaica showed that he has top level skills. Needs to be tougher, but he has a great upside. Good move for now, let’s see how much he’s improving. But you need another type of center behind him. Gani Lawal is an unbelievable athlete, but he struggled all the year with Luca Banchi’s defensive system. And he’s not a great offensive player. That’s why his teammates almost ignore him down low. He never gets the ball back to the basket. Never. This is a problem not only because he’s not scoring: the team should need someone who can catch the ball forcing the defense to pay attention on him, leaving space on the perimeter. And someone who can “read” the game in defense, most of all.

I disagree with those (in Italy) that are criticizing the team for being out of he Final Four. Yes, it will be played in Milan. Yes, Maccabi is not that strong if you compare it to Real Madrid or CSKA on paper. But it doesn’t mean that a team that no one expected to be at this level HAS to win or it’s a screwup.

All that said, that step the team have to make from Euroleague Top 8 to Top 4 is one of the most difficult in basketball. That’s why EA7’s offseason will be very, very interesting.

Pietro

Tale of the Tape: EA7 Milan (@OlimpiaEA7Mi) vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv (@MaccabiElectra) #RoadToFinal4 @Euroleague

One last, meaningless Top 16 game will not change what EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv have done to qualify to the playoffs. They already know that their teams will square off in order to get a Final Four spot, and the Italian squad will also have the home court advantage.

Let’s talk about how they made it. They insist a lot on the concept of “being a team” (in Maccabi’s case, “being a nation”), that’s why I want to analyze their work as a team without putting individual stats on first.

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Can some numbers define their basketball style without mentioning the players? They can, imho.

What can you say about Milan, for example? One simple thing: they make the opponent playing bad. There is a number for that: the Performance Index Rating is now a common data (scouts, coaches and analysts rely more on the advanced stats), but in this situation it’s very useful (4th best in the Top 16, only 72.1 per game for their opponent).

EA7 is the 3rd best team in the Top 16 in terms of points allowed (average): 70.5. Only Panathinaikos (68.5) and Barcelona (70.2) did better than them. But Milano haven’t the Green’s athleticism or Blaugrana’s size in the paint.

Their defense comes from the backcourt, first: Daniel Hackett, Curtis Jerrells, Bruno Cerella and David Moss are the guys that can put an unbelievable pressure on you, no matter what’s your name. Just ask to Vassilis Spanoulis, who lost by 30 in Milan with the reigning champion Olympiacos.

Alessandro Gentile also has the body to do it (not the feet), Keith Langford “know he’s not Gary Payton” (using his words during an interview) but he can be very effective on the passing lines more than on 1vs1. Make the opponents uncomfortable in dribbling, calling plays, using screens will make them uncomfortable on passing inside, finding the right spots, and the fine timing to reach the big man.

All that work lead us to another number: the assist/turnovers ratio. Let’s stay on the defensive halfcourt. EA7 Milan is the only team in the Top 16 that allows a ratio under 100% (95.2%). Maccabi is 6th overall with 123.6%. Milan is also doing a tremendous job against the perimeter danger: they allow only 18.5 three-point goals per game, and only 30% three-point goals made. They also are among the best teams in the Top 16 in terms of Opponent True Shooting Percentage: 46.4% (4th). Maccabi is 9th with 47.6%. Another great stat for Milan: steals. They are 2nd in Top 16 with 7.5 (Maccabi 8th with 5.9). Athletes, big bodies and quick hands on the perimeter are factors.

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It will be a great test for Milan’s defense: Maccabi is the 5th team in the Top 16 for three-point goals attempted (23.1), but they allow the same number to their opponents (3rd). Keep in mind that we’re talking about two of the best three teams at this stage for three-point shooting percentage (EA7 is 2° with 40.7, Maccabi follow with 39.7%). The italian side is the 7th Top 16 team in “threes” attempted (22.3), Maccabi allows a 36% of three-pointers made (7th).

Switching to the offensive end, Milan has only 104.7% (15th) in assist-turnovers ratio, while Maccabi is 4th with 167.9%. That means one thing: they take care of the basketball. This is easier when you know your teammates (6 major Maccabi players were there last season, Blu and Schortsanitis played there in the past with the same coach), and Luca Banchi insists on this in every practice, every day with a team full of newcomers (only Gentile, Langford and Melli came back from 2012-13) that went into struggles and important changes during the season (a new point guard, Hackett, came in late December). But that tells a lot about the style: EA7 have a lot of dribblers, great (or fine) scorers in the backcourt, few playmakers, a lot of guys “making plays”, which is very different. Taking care of the ball also lead you to create more open looks. That’s why Maccabi is great (3rd) in True Shooting Percentage (49.8%), Milan is pretty good also with 48.3% (6th).

But if you ask to coaches around Europe, most of them will tell you that Milan has an unbelievable power on 1vs1 plays more than great shooters. For instance, there’s another number that could confirm that: EA7 is the second best team in the Top 16 in received fouls (21.8), Maccabi is 12th with (19.7).

One common point between those teams is on defensive rebounds: they are 11° and 12° (Milan 22.8, Maccabi 22.5), and both have to improve in boxing out and protect the paint. Maccabi is the 2° worst team in offensive rebounds allowed (11.4), Milan 8° with 10.3. The Italian are doing a better job in finding somewhere else those lost possessions.

The Israeli side has to do it if they want to win where only Real Madrid did in the whole season. But that in the first part of the season, before the decisive move of signing Hackett. Since then, they won all their home games (+12.8 margin in the Top 16, including the +30 vs Olympiacos and +28 against Barcelona).

Pietro