Goga Bitadze was frustrated when he came out of the game for his normal rest in the second quarter of Sunday's round of 16 game against France.
He was scoreless through the early part of the game with only an assist to his name. He was struggling to get involved, and it was clear to see that he was frustrated with the physicality and his lack of involvement.
He took things upon himself and tried to attack off the dribble off a closeout. He slipped on the logo at the free-throw circle and passed the ball toward midcourt, leaving it to dribble to no one for a turnover.
He came out of the game and kicked the scoreboard stanchion in front of Georgia's bench.
Bitadze has always been an emotional player. He wears them on his sleeve. In Bitadze's fight for consistency, it is as much about controlling his reactions and how it affects his play as much as it is bout providing the same statistics over and over again.
The frustration continued as he had a three-pointer blocked to open the second half. He exited the game one time and promptly took off his jersey in frustration.
Georgia would need Bitadze to advance to its first quarterfinal in EuroBasket. The ultimate lesson of these high-pressure games is learning to keep composure and give the team what it needs to win.
At this point in the tournament, it is survive and advance. Nothing else matters.
In a tie game with 2:30 to play, Bitadze made two plays that went a long way in Georgia's 70-60 win over France.
He hit a short roll to the free throw line, saw the defense closing in on him and sent a quick pass out to the perimeter to Tornike Shengelia. He drained the three to give Georgia a three-point lead and the lead for good.
Nearly a minute later, Bitadze stepped up to guard a pick and roll, leaving his man open underneath the basket. Bilal Coulibaly dropped it to Jaylen Hoard underneath the basket. He tried a reverse layup to get around Bitadze tracking back. But Bitadze blocked the layup attempt.
By the time Bitadze made an exclamation point dunk with 30 seconds left, it was clear what the result would be. Statistically, this was Bitadze's worst game of the tournament -- eight points, two rebounds and four assists. It was his worst game in terms of focus and staying disciplined to his spots. He was trying to do too much at times.
Yet, winning is all that matters. That is all that matters for Georgia at this stage of the tournament, just as it is all that matters for the Orlando Magic when their season begins in a month.
And in winning time, Bitadze made two critical plays that helped Georgia make history, advancing to play Finland in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
This is what is most important. Even in a poor game, Bitadze found a way to contribute and come through for his team -- even telling everyone to calm down after his dunk put Georgia up seven with 30 seconds to play.
And that is the most important lesson and development for Bitadze to make.
Bitadze seeking consistency
Goga Bitadze is still seeking consistency as he tries to crack the Orlando Magic's rotation.
Everyone knows Bitadze is good at rolling to the rim and giving the Magic a steady boost of stats. He will gobble up points and rebounds -- averaging 9.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a starter last year.
But Bitadze fell out of the rotation by the end of the season, even with Moe Wagner out with a torn ACL. He played in 17 of the team's final 18 games when Orlando dashed to the Playoffs, but averaged only 13.7 minutes per game.
During the Playoffs, Bitadze appeared in only three games for 11 total minutes. His most notable plays were the elbow he threw at Kristaps Porzingis that bloodied the big man in Game 2 and the emergency minutes with Paolo Banchero in foul trouble in Game 5.
His minutes were rough to say the least.
For Bitadze to get more consistent playing time, he needed to make a consistent impact. That means less about his stats and more about bringing consistent focus and attention. He cannot let his emotions get the better of him or chase after blocks.
Bitadze is a very capable shot blocker, but smart players use that against him. He will be overeager to slide over and try to block a shot, leaving his feet rather than keeping a consistent challenge.
France took advantage of that throughout the game on Sunday as Bitadze dug himself a deeper and deeper hole.
As the Magic try to compete for a championship, they need players who will make fewer of those mistakes. Bitadze has shown that he can be both kinds of players. When he is locked in, he is a true game-changer.
Georgia advances to keep growing
The good news then is that Goga Bitadze found those big plays at the exact right moment for his team. That is what was most important.
Georgia needed a big play at the rim and the right play to close the game. Bitadze showed the composure to shake off a bad game and deliver those plays for them. He played his part in helping Georgia advance to its first EuroBasket quarterfinal.
It is, indeed, survive-and-advance time in this tournament. Nobody cares how you win so long as you win.
That remains a big lesson for everyone playing in this tournament. You have to do whatever it takes to win. No matter what has happened previously in the game.
Bitadze found a way to center himself and shake that off to make big plays to help Georgia advance. What the Magic still want to see is him have that composure throughout the remainder of the game. That is his best ticket to carving out a role for the team.
It is the best ticket for Georgia to survive and advance again.