Real Madrid falls to Anadolu Efes and still cannot find its game

On Thursday it was in Dubai, with Xavi Pascual as executor. This Tuesday in Istanbul, with Pablo Laso at the controls of the rival. This Real Madrid of Pedro Martínez is not taking off, trembling after the mirage that was the achievement of the Super Cup in Abu Dhabi. Two away games in the Euroleague, two defeats. In the Endesa League, thickness and suffering to win Unicaja at the Palace. And, above all, still no trace of what was promised. [94-84: Narration and statistics]

It is not a frenetic Madrid. Not even decided. Roles fluctuate, mechanisms have no consistency. Anadolu Efes dominated the entire night at the Turkcell Arena, penalizing the stormy losses (21) and the weak white defense. The night to forget for Luwawu-Cabarrot (minus 10 rating) and a Tavares still far from his best version. Madrid lost the wheel in a horrible second quarter and, although it fueled the fire in the second half, it did not even scare Laso's team, led by a sensational PJ Dozier and with Mike James, one of his reinforcements (from Monaco) as a permanent torment.

On Thursday in Sofia, against Hapoel Tel Aviv (the rival from last year's quarterfinals), he has the option to get even, since the pace does not stop. But, for now, no sign of the offensive team that the signing of Pedro Martínez predicted. Not a game even exceeding 100 points. This time they were 84 in Istanbul, getting ready with the triples in the second half, but it was not enough. Campazzo was the best in the whites and Nick Smith Jr. (10 points) left a good mark on his first day.

The American guard started as a starter in his debut. He is 22 years old and last year he played 30 games with Doncic in the Lakers jersey, in what was his third NBA season. Brushstrokes of an unbalanced player, although with so much to adapt (he was loaded with fouls very quickly, without understanding refereeing). The novelty did not change the face of Real Madrid too much, still on the way to finding itself. It was a first half like a slide, in which losses weighed down the white game.

The tie was broken at the end of the second quarter. Maledon and Campazzo's triples had held off Madrid, in contrast to an erratic Luwawu-Cabarrot. The local arreón coincided with the presence of Santi Yusta on the field. After a scoring season in Zaragoza, the white youth player was claimed by Laso in Istanbul. Although he swallowed a tremendous block from Tavares, he brought intensity on the court and a three-pointer from the corner, when the locals led by 13 (50-37).

The return was crazy, at the pace that suited Madrid. But that did not translate into an immediate comeback, because the hole at the back did not support: the white offensive step forward, the three-pointers at last, did not correspond to the defense. PJ Dozier was torture. And he didn't even give the whites anything to scare them on the finish line.