PERISTERI (Greece) - For many, getting drawn into the Round of 16 group of death was meant to be the end of the road for Peristeri bwin.

The team coached by Greek legend Vassilis Spanoulis didn't get the memo though.

Peristeri not only fought through the group and into the Quarter-Finals, but they did it playing their best basketball of the season.

"We had in our group three teams that were favorites to go to the Final Four, that have four - five times bigger budget than us ,but we looked them in the eye and we played amazing basketball,"  a proud Spanoulis said after his team toppled Lenovo Tenerife on March 19 to clinch qualification. 

Even before the Round of 16, Peristeri went on a three-game streak to make it into and out of the Play-In tournament.

Then, after losing the first three games in the Round of 16, they just ripped through another three straight wins to reach the Quarter-Finals for the first time in club history.

A feat made even more impressive, as Spanoulis says, since those three victories were against Pinar Karsiyaka, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (on the road), and two-time champions Tenerife.

In fact, throughout March, Spanoulis and Peristeri have won five straight in all competitions. Put it all together and there is no question that Kill Bill was the best BCL coach this month.

Statistically, Peristeri were also very good in March. Across their three BCL games they had a Net Rating of +12.5 points per 100 possessions, mainly thanks to their high-flying offense.

They scored at a rate of 117 points per 100 possessions and if they maintained both of those rates across the whole season they'd comfortably rank top-5 in the BCL. 

Film Analysis

As we jump into the film, the first thing that jumps out is the drastic improvement in half-court execution since the start of the season.

More than 90 percent of Peristeri's scoring actions come in the half-court (per Synergy) - only Tenerife attack less in transition - but that's no bad thing when you can play team basketball the way they have been.

The first thing you probably notice in the clip above is the inch-perfect timing and accuracy of the pass to Trevor Thompson from Joe Ragland.

When you watch it for the second time though, pay attention to the movement of Peristeri's three other players on the floor.

Specifically, #14, Leonidas Kaselakis, cutting the 45-degree angle as soon as he recognizes that Ragland has created the 2v1 in the pick-and-roll.

The purpose of the cut isn't to get in the lane and clog things up, the idea is to exchange positions with #0, Elijah Mitrou-Long, and create indecision for any Tenerife defenders helping on the lob. 

Again in the two clips above we see how clinical Peristeri are when it comes to moving without the ball.

Anytime Ragland can get downhill in the pick-and-roll (usually from splitting it or rejecting it), the player in the weakside corner is on the lookout for their defender to allow their focus to stray for a split second and allow them to slice backdoor for an easy two. 

The last clip below is one of the easiest Peristeri sets to recognize, but that doesn't stop them scoring from it at a high rate.

The blur of movement off the ball and speed and precision of the on-ball actions leave the Tenerife defense in a complete scramble and the wide-open shot is inevitable.

This is exactly what Txus Vidorreta's players do to other teams, but on this rare occasion, they met their match when it comes to half-court basketball.

Spanoulis has coached this roster to a really good groove. The pieces of the puzzle fit together really well and everyone understands exactly what they need to do.

Up Next

The reigning champions, Telekom Baskets Bonn, await Peristeri and the crew in the Quarter-Finals.

And if that wasn't a tough enough proposition already, Spanoulis's teams  will have to overcome the Germans' homecourt advantage. If they do make it, expect this series to require all three games to reach a conclusion.