The Spanish coach is Juan Plata, hey, he wouldn’t betray the saints and faithful of his country…

He would not reveal, I mean the doctrine of Spanish basketball, founded and consolidated since… antiquity, based on the fast game…

This is of course relevant: Xavi Pascual is also Spanish, but his teams have never been known for their speed and their obsessive tendency to surprise…

But as Fotis Katsikaris once told me: “At the time, Barcelona played the fastest set pieces in the world thanks to their excellent ball movement and perfect spacing»!

I deliberately condensed it and reduced it to a universal level in order to build a bridge to the events at AEK, which also relate to another continent, another era, another coach…

The Seven Second Attack

From the first moment Platha appeared at the Ano Liosion Stadium and addressed his players, he declared fast basketball the team’s main goal…

The quick, not the hasty, based on defensive pressure and the development of surprises.

The Catalan coach’s tongue has become hairy and he is sucking out his players’ brains about the up-tempo game, that is, the game with high tempo, lots of possession and the open field, following in the footsteps of Mike D’Antoni!

It has been almost twenty years since the Italian-American coach invented and launched the infamous attack.Seven seconds or less“, whose follower is Platha.

In other words, the AEK coach insists on the attack lasting less than seven seconds, as D’Antoni imposed on the Phoenix Suns in 2004.

His rather groundbreaking tactics caused so much trouble that it inspired Sports Illustrated journalist Jack McCallum to turn it into a book entitled:07 SECONDS OR LESS: My season on the bench with the Runnin’ and Gunnin’ Phoenix Suns».

Sans’ Run and Gun

Omitting the obvious: Apparently a team that attacks in seven seconds has adopted the run and gun game as its banner, as was the case with the Nuggets in 1990-92, when their bench featured the…mad scientist (and champion ) sat with the Lakers in 1980) Paul Westhead.

Platha therefore wants attacks with a seven-second limit and first asks his players, especially the ball carriers, to pass the center before saying “Kümmel!”

Three seconds for the center and another four for the attack event, it’s that simple!

The exercise in AEK training

“He planned this tactic for us in the locker room and we even have a drill as part of our training routine“One player testified to me that Plathas’ demand for a rapid deployment of the attack whenever the conditions are met obviously applies not only to the playmakers, but also to the five players in each formation.”

“He wants us to be quick in attack, play at a high tempo and finish phases quickly. Of course, the prerequisite in these situations is that we have the ball in our hands after an effective defense, which also requires us to suffocate and try to intercept pick n’ rolls with hedge outs».

Three pointers and the “Free” option.

Additionally, Platha encourages his players to shoot 3-point shots while trusting their instincts by making attacks that he “Free“, i.e. free choice and execution.

The so-called one, who is a special person anyway He has no problems with logic and his approach to the game…

Obviously, the players under the most pressure are the team’s four point guards: Langston Hall, Chaison Randle, Dimitris Flionis and Zois Karabelas, but the sixty-year-old coach does not discriminate…

I mean that there are the same requirements for all players, regardless of position and size, so that the operators/creators and the rest of the players work in a coordinated and synchronized manner in the form of a trailer.

Of course, this particular style hasn’t paid off in friendly matches so far, but the fact that AEK has been completely renewed compared to last season also plays a role.

Kazlauskas’ three passes and the return of Steve Nash

Oh, lest I forget: Similar new demons, with the accompanying surprise of the players, were also conjured up by Jonas Kazlauskas, who, when he replaced Milan Minic (in October 2004) and broke SEF’s nose, asked the players to take the shot to execute the blow third round!

At the same time, D’Antoni was working on his own patent in Arizona…

The legendary Olympic playmaker joined the Suns coaching staff in 2002 and was partnered with Frank Johnson, whom he replaced at the end of the following season…

In the summer of 2004, Steve Nash returned to Phoenix after six years with the Mavericks, in whose person D’Antoni found the vehicle and spearhead of his idea.

They needed a quick and smart playmaker, a big man who could handle the pick-and-roll, and two straight-shooters lurking on the wings of the offense.

This system offered a whole range of options in the sense that the guard could attack, shoot off the dribble, feed the big center in the paint, or…feed the shooters.

The pick n’ roll, the No. 1 offense and the worst defense

Familiar with the run-and-gun game since his first stint with the Suns (1996-98) and his career in Dallas, the Canadian point guard appeared “as if he had been ready for a long time, so brave” (as Cavafy says) to support the pick n’ roll and the seven-second attack.

He would be the ideal show director, after all, D’Antoni still insists that “Nash is the best I’ve ever seen in my life at making the right decision at the right time».

In the 2004-05 season, the Suns were on a roll, winning 31 of their first 35 games and finishing No. 1 in the entire NBA with a record of 62-20. They had the best offense in the league (110.4 points), the worst defense (103.0), the most possessions per game (95.9), the second-best scoring and the most three-pointers with a rate of 39 .3%.

Spurs stopped them

In the playoffs they defeated the Grizzlies 4-0 and then overcame the obstacle of the Mavericks 4-1, while in the West Finals the Spurs managed to slow their vicious pace and eliminate them 4-1.

Joining Nash this season were Amare Stoudamire, “Matrix” Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, Joe Johnson, Jim Jackson, Leandro Barbosa and future Ari, Hercules and Pigeon player Smoos Parker.

The next season (2005-2006), when the seven-second offense was at its best and the team seemed even stronger and ready to take the throne, misfortune befell them mercilessly.

The hit with Stoudamire and the Guardian who became the Center!

Before the season even started, Stoudhamire injured his left knee, after which he only returned for three games and had to undergo another operation!

The result;

Boris Dio, who was declared a guard, even played center, but was named Most Improved Player of the Year!

With former Panathinaikos and Amarousi players Pat Burke and Kurt Thomas, the Suns finished the game with a record of 54-28 and again had the best offense (108.4), third-worst defense (102.8), fourth rating and first in terms of ball possession (95.8) and three-pointers.

In the playoffs they pulled off an epic upset of 1-3 to 4-3 against the Lakers, then also defeated the Clippers in seven games, but were eliminated 4-2 by the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.

D’Antoni’s “Seven Seconds or Less” offense, centered around a quick, good shot, was a groundbreaking tactic and a revolution ahead of its time that was later emulated by other teams in the NBA and beyond.

God bless you and now also in Ano Liosia!