BEIRUT: Riyadi picked up an easy win in their first game in the Final Eight beating Hoops Club 90-64 in Manara.
Three days on from the violent scenes of jubilation following Riyadi’s win over Champville Sunday, the league leaders enjoyed a good workout by Hoops Club in a far less boisterous Saeb Salam arena thanks to the Federation’s decision to ban Riyadi fans from attending three games after Sunday’s disturbances.
The first quarter saw the rare sight of Ali Mahmoud getting hot from 3-point range, abandoning his big usage, speedy possession based game for a more spot up role in Riyadi’s motion heavy offense. The Lebanese point guard hit three straight 3-pointers as Riyadi spluttered into gear.
For all of Riyadi’s prowess going forward, they found themselves falling victim to the prevailing style of Lebanese teams; simply driving and kicking the ball to the perimeter until an open man is found.
A simple enough and often effective offense, it does however fall apart when the open man is found but then chooses to drive into a defender, something Amir Saoud and Jean Abdul Nour were both guilty of.
Riyadi’s offense clicked much better when point-forward Ismael Ahmad was used a pivot in the center – very similar to Marc Gasol’s role with the Memphis Grizzlies – using his height and passing ability to find cutters.
Ahmad’s form comes and goes, particularly this season, but his talents rarely desert him when he plays this role. Most of the first quarter acted a spot up floor spacer and it was no surprise that Hoops Club were only ever in the game when that tactic was used.
Riyadi’s first quarter lead of 21-15 was soon enlarged in the second quarter as they moved 11 point clear after five minutes.
Ali Kanaan’s improvement continues and it is no wonder that his development has accelerated with Ahmad’s decline. A highly skilled big man, Kanaan appears perfectly suited to Ahmad’s role as a facilitating center rather than a body in the paint.
The away side still looked like a team very much under construction. New signing William Damon has clearly taken on a leadership role within the team – he conducted Hoops’ shoot around warm up like a seasoned drill sergeant.
Hoops’ players have gamely bought into a new team ethic but it was only the live wire Hussein al-Khatib who consistently impressed in a team still mark out their spots in the coach’s new playbook – with new man Ketwana Ryman looking particularly unfamiliar in the team’s system.
The new coach Omar Hassino however does seem to have made a half-decent player of Hussein Kanso, something of a minor miracle.
A half time score of 41-29 somewhat flattered Riyadi. Hoops Club were clearly second best but while they created the chances to stay closer to Riyadi, they simply were unable to hit the open shots given to them.
Riyadi switched to a zone defense in the second half – a common trademark of coach Fouad Abou Chakra – that ground Hoops’ offense to halt. The home side forced more turnovers in the passing lanes allowing them to play the fast break game that they have become so proficient at.
Hoops Club only managed to muster 30 points during the third quarter as Riyadi took a 69-39 lead into a formality of a final quarter.