Get ready for a ride made of vibes. Markus Howard is the man for Baskonia as they prepare to take on Real Madrid in the Euroleague Basketball playoffs. Emmet Ryan on how Howard has made a connection like few others with fans in Vitoria-Gasteiz
When your key scorer goes 1 of 7 inside the arc in a must-win game, it normally spells doom. For Baskonia, it was just part of the wild ride that comes with Markus Howard.
His own man
Friday’s play-in final, the first ever in Euroleague Basketball history, was a glorious hot mess. Baskonia ended up defeating Virtus Bologna clearly in the end. It was all down to when Markus Howard got hot and he cooked up a weird one.
As mentioned above, Howard had a strange shooting night. While dire on 2 pointers, he went 8 of 19 from deep in a 28 point and 3 assist display that gave us the full Markus Howard experience.
When he was cooking he was unstoppable. Yet, like anyone good in the kitchen will tell you, a great meal often comes with a few missteps along the way. Howard’s ability to dominate from deep benefitted from him not being one dimensional. That may seem strange to read for a guy who took 19 three point attempts but the former Marquette man made Virtus adapt.
They couldn’t simply assume he was looking to unload from deep. Howard made sure he varied his play enough to force them to respect his driving, even though it wasn’t a good night inside for him. No matter, the errors created space for where he could truly shine.
A Real test ahead
Baskonia will Baskonia has become a common enough refrain over the last decade of Euroleague Basketball. This is a side that will get shocking road wins, often in dominant fashion, over title contending opponents. Similarly, they are prone to laying eggs against the basement sides in the Fernando Buesa Arena.
They already own a road win at Real Madrid this season and a home win over Panathinaikos. Those are the two top seeds in the playoffs. Similarly, there have been ugly losses at home to a so-so Valencia and a Zalgiris side long before the latter found form.
With Real Madrid, they are facing the cream of the crop. The defending champions have been the clear class of the competition this season. Markus Howard has shown he can compete with them but he’s going to need to do more this time.
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An all-too familiar story
Baskonia have a great history in Euroleague Basketball but there’s a reason they don’t make too many Final Fours. This is a club that is consistently there or thereabouts to make the playoffs but rarely enough on the roster to make a run to the final weekend of the season.
Markus Howard is the latest in a long line of players who will likely soon become too expensive for Baskonia. It’s the nature of the sport and the business. Baskonia need to catch lightning in a bottle to make the last dance, with the right combination of guys at the right stages of their careers to make that big run.
They had that with Ioannis Bourousis and Mike James when they made the run the last time the Final Four was in Berlin. In Markus Howard, Codi Miller McIntyre, and Chima Moneke, it looked like a potentially similar story. Moneke’s health going into this series is a big question and, again, they’re taking on Real Madrid.
With Howard, there’s a clear connection with the fanbase in Vitoria-Gasteiz. His combination of immense self-confidence and the workrate to back it up has endeared him to the locals. This may be his last big run with them before moving to greener pastures and he wants to make it special.
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Just ball
A simple competitor is easy to spot. For Markus Howard, there is a ball, a hoop, and an opponent, and he wants to see who is better. That spirit will be vital against the star studded Real Madrid roster.
Baskonia’s strength, which is one of the reasons a coach like Dusko Ivanovic suits them, has long been in its ability to allow individuals to express themselves within the team dynamic. The structure isn’t overly complex. Lean on the strengths. Then hope that’s enough to mask the weaknesses.
Considering how much of a mis-match this playoff series looks on paper, it’s a wise approach. Euroleague Basketball rarely has enormous upsets in the playoffs. When they happen, it’s often because of carefree fearlessness. The underdog forces the stress onto the favourite. Few players typify that style more than Markus Howard. This could be a fascinating series because of it.
