VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA
Cordinier rating 7 – Celebrated before the match for the silver medal won at the Olympics, he had problems with early fouls but in the second half he clearly improved his shots. 16 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, another loosing effort
Belinelli rating 5.5 – Complex start, unlocks in the last quarter. At the end he was put on the pitch and coolly made the triple which gave his team hope.
Pajola vote 5 – He tries with great determination, but tonight he struggles quite a bit.
Clyburn rating 7.5 – Sensational first quarter, 15 points. Then – understandably – it drops, but compared to other times it always seems connected, until the end. He closes on 25, with a triple in the final and his last hope which however doesn’t even reach the rim.
Shengelia vote 5 – Not an evening, evidently lacking oxygen after the double effort in the national team.
Hackett rating 5 – Twelve rather complex minutes.
Nice guy rating 5.5 – Quintet and ten minutes in which he scores a nice basket and the rest is practically invisible.
Morgan rating 5 – Not an easy evening. Only 4 points, 0/4 from three (various open ones) and notable defensive problems against opposing wingers.
Polonara rating 5 – You can see very little.
Diouf rating 6 – Lots of grit, important baskets, but in the end a 0/2 for very heavy free throws.
Zizic rating 6 – Fair performance, especially in the third quarter. Better than other times, he doesn’t shy away from counterattacks with long, decidedly rough opponents.
Tucker rating 4.5 – In 2’30 a block and a couple of things that make us wonder if he is a player from the team or someone picked up on the pitch a few minutes before the tap-off to make up the numbers. Truly a foreign body.
The words of Luca Banchi – Excellent start, then they returned, as we expected. In the second quarter there was a different level of intensity, and they took an advantage, because we lost our initial inspiration. It’s difficult to maintain the same level of intensity for 40 minutes, but we responded with an excellent effort, but towards the end – after an intense last quarter against a very talented team – we made mistakes, even after refereeing errors. We lost consistency at times, and we have regrets about the rebounds, about small details like free throws. But we still have to remain confident and believe in ourselves. We have proven once again that we can reverse the trend this season.
The reviews? They are part of the game, both coaches use them, if you have the opportunity to use technology it is right to do so. Then it’s true, there are many interruptions in the game and for the fans it’s not nice, we can talk about it.
The calendar? It’s hard for everyone. The French league is very competitive, like ours. Paris is living on a cloud, everything is fine, they have great confidence. The season is long, but to date they are a very dangerous team to face. We shouldn’t waste too much time celebrating victories or regretting defeats, unfortunately we are talking about defeats. A year ago we were experiencing more or less the same situation as Paris, and it’s a nice memory. But now we have to prove that we are able to react to adversity.
