By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The second round of Euroleague’s regular season starts without a break and the 24 teams of the competition know that in the next month they have to do their best in order to get, or secure their Top16 tickets. Still, there is not traditional clash of powerhouses in the 6th gameday, nor any other really big game.
Still, every misstep counts, there are a lot of interesting games, so even the favorites in some case have to be extra careful, since the chances for an upset seem really high at this juncture.
Real Madrid, Olympiacos and Fenerbahce/ Ulker remain the three unbeaten teams and Strasbourg the only one still searching for its first win. That’s why Group D, with no unbeaten, or winless team, is the most unpredictable at this point and every one can still hope for the best.
Game of the week: EA7 Milano – Anadolu Efes
It’s a pretty important game for both teams as they have the same record (3-2) and the winner will make an important step towards the second place of the Group behind Real Madrid. The team of coach Banchi is a lot better with David Moss playing – he missed the first game of the season – and what the Italians need at this points is consistency.
Anadolu Efes despite cutting its budget, still is a more than competitive team and after losing badly by 46 points in Madrid, has to react. The best way to do it is to get a road win which will practically seal its Top16 spot. It’s not an easy game to predict and a lot depends on the back courts of the two opponents.
Still, Milan brings back good memories to Efes, not only because of its great tradition against the Italians (12-3 wins), but also because in the same city the Turkish club won back in 1996 Korac Cup against the same opponent.
Honorable mention: Unicaja Malaga – Olympiacos
It’s a key game for Juan Plaza’s team after losing two straight encounters and being at the moment in the fourth place of its group standings. Specially the last defeat on the buzzer by Siena created a lot of doubts about Unicaja and its quest to get a Top16 ticket could be in trouble with a third defeat in a row.
Malaga needs this win, while Olympiacos goes to Spain without any real pressure and with a 5-0 record. After all the Reds have produced their best basketball so far on the road and we expect a great game, preferably with a thrilling finish like last weeks duels between Unicaja and Siena and also Olympiacos versus Zielona Gora.
Tradition works in favor of Unicaja, as Olympiacos’ last road win in Malaga came back in the 2005-06 season. It was a crucial Top16 game with coach Jonas Kazlauskas being on the bench of the Greeks and on the same year Malaga led by Sergio Scariolo got the ACB league title.
The unpredictable: Maccabi T.A. – Laboral Kutxa
Maccabi started the season with a road loss in Vitoria and since then has a 4/4 record. Will the Israelis get their 5th consecutive win and also get revenge by Laboral Kutxa? On paper they are the favorites, they play better, they have the home crowd advantage and the guests will not have available their injured leader Andres Nocioni.
However the tradition between those two teams is a series of exciting, unpredictable and completely crazy games. In last year’s Top16 the Basques have won by a point (71-70) in Nokia Arena and now they have to get a road win in order to cover the lost ground from their home defeat by Crvena Zvezda.
The return: Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos returns to OAKA and will play for the first time this season in its home court, because of their punishment after last year’s Game 4 of the play offs against Barcelona. The Greens are coming from two straight defeats by Lokomotiv Kuban and Maccabi T.A., lost the first game in Vilnius and having a 2-3 record they can’t afford one more disappointment.
Lietuvos Rytas after beating Panathinaikos, has four losses and this game is their last true hope to stay in the Top16 race by completing a great upset. They have done it in the same gym, but in 2010-11 season with Khalid El Amin being the hero. However, Panathinaikos is stronger, plays in its home court and even without injured Stephan Lasme is the big favorite.
The question: Partizan
Despite having always a very limited budget, the Serbian club somehow manages to be a factor in Euroleague. That means producing young rising stars, getting big wins and even a spot in Top16. It’s a unique combination of local talent and great scouting that creates a hard to kill “vampire”.
This time they are at 1-4, sharing the last spot of their group with Budivelnyk. In the second round they will face the Ukrainian team in Belgrade and have the chance to cover the -5 points difference from their road defeat in Kiev. Still, in order to get to Top16 they will have to take out Nanterre, which has the advantage of the big win in Barcelona, and overcome the great absence of injured Leo Westermann.
Can Vujosevic and his boys produce a new miracle? The first answer will be given at home against Barcelona which, of course, after losing to Nanterre can’t give up any other game against teams with less wins. We have to remind you that in last season’s do or die game for the Top16 ticket, Partizan lost to Barcelona on the road just by one point (68-67). will history repeats itself?