Preview: This one ‘winnable’ (sort of)

Maroussi players celebrating in 2001

In 2007, when the Boston Celtics lost 18 consecutive games, they saw Milwaukee on the schedule, followed by a tough road trip. The Celtics beat the Bucks 117-97 and Paul Pierce said: “We definitely eyed this game.”

Peristeri is Maroussi’s Milwaukee. Peristeri is on a four-game losing streak and is 6-12 overall after starting the season 5-2. Like Maroussi, Peristeri is having financial problems. Three of its top players left the squad. Sound familiar?

Maroussi (0-18) visits its crosstown rival tomorrow night, hosts Panathinaikos (16-2) next week, followed by a trip to Rhodes to face Kolossus (13-5). Maroussi then finishes its season against three clubs in playoff contention.

Maroussi is winless but this is really only Game 2 for the reconfigured squad, playing without four veteran starters who left for greener pastures (i.e. steady paychecks). Their 17-year-old center, Lampros Tsontzos, played 32 minutes last week.

Meanwhile, the flu made its way through the lineup early this week, limiting coach Nikos Linardos‘ ability to prepare the black-and-yellow.

Still, this one is winnable. First, Peristeri doesn’t have a wide-body center the likes of Zisis Sarikopoulos, the muscular 7-footer for Panionios who scored 17 points (8 of 10) in 14 minutes against Maroussi two weeks ago. Peristeri’s Sotirios Manolopoulos, despite his size (6-foot-10), prefers launching 3-pointers (8 of 28 past four games) to grinding in the paint.

Peristeri has been out-rebounded in all four games of its current losing streak. Maroussi, despite losing last week, pulled down 30 rebounds to Rethymno’s 28.

Peristeri’s top scorer Charalampos Giannopoulos (12 ppg) can do a little of everything. The 22-year-old had a career game five weeks ago in an 81-69 victory. He scored 32 points (6 of 7 from 3-point range). He’s slowed down during the current skid. In the past two weeks, he’s 0 for 7 from downtown.

Connecticut alum Gavin Edwards (9.5 ppg, 5 rpg) is connecting on 64 percent of his shots. Giannopoulos and Edwards, 24, are capable of getting the the foul line if their jumpers aren’t falling.

Realistically, though, Maroussi will need continued stellar play from its back court of Lefteris Akepsimaidis (18 points, 7 assists last week) and Giannis Demertzis (16 points, 6 assists). And they’ll need help from newcomer Andreas Kanonidis, (15 points, 5 rebounds last week) and Vagel Sakellariou (15 points).

Wright, Christmas earn co-MVP weekly honor

Zack Wright looks over the Maroussi defense

Zack Wright and Dionte Christmas are this weekend’s co-MVPs after leading Rethymno to a 92-80 victory over Maroussi.

This is Wright’s sixth MVP award this season and it’s the third consecutive week he’s captured the honor — the Greek league’s version of player of the week. Christmas now has two MVP honors this season.

Temple alum Christmas recorded his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds against winless Maroussi. Wright also scored 21 points. He was 9 of 11 from the field, with four rebounds and three steals. Both players had performance ratings of 31.

The official announcement is expected later today or tomorrow. Last week, Wright shared the award with Jon Diebler of Panionios (which defeated Maroussi 97-57).

Can Maroussi stop Christmas?

Let’s see. Looks like engineers and lawyers are on strike (http://livingingreece.gr/strikes/), but not pilots and air traffic controllers. So, Maroussi’s opponent tomorrow — Rethymno — should arrive as planned in Athens sometime today from the island of Crete.

Maroussi players celebrating back in '01

That’s bad news for winless Maroussi, of course, because now they’ll have to face Dionte Christmas and Company tomorrow afternoon. Temple alum Christmas enters the game as the Greek league’s leading scorer (19.4 ppg). Maroussi’s Nestoras Kommatos (20.4 ppg) held that title until yesterday, when he signed with a team in Italy. Christmas, who played briefly in 2009 for the Philadelphia 76ers, scored a season high 41 points against league-leading Olympiakos.

The departure of Kommatos (see ‘Arrivederci’ post) means we won’t get to see what all of Athens — ok, me — has been buzzing about: a Larry Bird–Dominique Wilkins ’88 Game 7 style shootout between the league’s top scorers. (I just went to youtube and watched a 10-minute clip of that game. Good times, good times — and RIP Reggie Lewis and DJ).

Ok, so what will we see? Probably some insane dunks from Brent Petway of Michigan and Harlem Globetrotters fame. Christmas will hit some threes (he’s shooting 38 percent from out there), and point guard Zack Wright will do a little bit of everything. Wright’s efficient play has earned him five player of the week honors this season. The 6-2 Wright is the team’s leading rebounder (5.3 rpg) and he can throw down dunks, as well.

In a win last week, Christmas and Wright combined for 12 steals. Maroussi’s ball handlers, Lefteris Akepsimaidis and Giannis Demertzis, will need to be extra careful.

Since Kommatos left the building, cash-strapped Maroussi has just four professional players remaining on its roster.

The team had used teenagers from its junior squad to fill in gaps earlier this season, but now the kids are being asked to play significant minutes. Most of them are just 17 years old.

On the bright side, their two young centers Lampros Tsontzos and Dimitrios Agravanis are both 6-10. Realistically, Rethymno (10-7) should have the game wrapped up by halftime. What I would do, though, is start both Tsontzos and Agravanis, feed them the ball and encourage them to shoot literally every time they touch the ball. They’ve been playing pass-first with Kommatos on the floor.

If the two big kids can draw some attention, maybe 3-point specialist Prodromos Nikolaidis will find some room. Under pressure last week, Nikolaidis went 0-for-3.

Oh, and they should empty the bench to use up all of their fouls. Rethymno isn’t great from the foul line: Christmas and Petway, both 70 percent average, and Wright’s average is 59.4 percent.

Just thinking out loud.