By Panos Katsiroubas
The 6th week of Top16 was fill of games that consolidate the comebacks of some teams and also problems for others. It was an interesting gameday and now we can look inside the games to make some more detailed comments on what was important, impressive or curious. Let’s go deeper into week number six.
The energy is back!!
Olympiakos has a streak of three wins in the last 3 weeks and the thing that was common in these 3 games is that the Reds increased the level of their energy and this was evident in some categories. Olympiakos in these 3 games outrebounded their opponents, increased the numbers of blocked shots and played much better defense. Compared to the first 3 games where the Reds allowed their opponents to score an average of 81 points this number was decreased to 62 points in the 3 last wins. The x factor of this energetic comeback is Bryan Dunston. Having increased his points average to 13,3 points in the last 3 games compared to the 4 points averaged in the beginning of the Top 16 round and being unbelievable efficient with 17/18 field goals. Moreover he contributed with 6 blocks and very good personal and team defense, leading the comeback of the Reds. Good Dunston is very big advantage in order for Olympiakos to perform like they should.
Unbeaten!!
Barca continued its unbeaten run in the Top 16 with a tough win over Milano. For 35 minutes the Italians were up in the scoreboard and it seemed that the night will be very difficult for the Catalans. At that time Brad Oleson appeared in the Palau, he scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter by missing only one shoot and gave a much needed boost to Barca for the win. Another observation from this game is the quality and the depth of the roster for the Spanish team. Abrines, Sada, Dorsey, and Oleson are not among the stars, but they can contribute in tough games, giving an extra solution to Barca and coach Pasqual for the rest of the competition.
Malaga is back
As we said two weeks ago Malaga is the most improved team in the second round of Euroleague. After the parenthesis of the game against Olympiakos, they proved again against Panathinaikos that they can be real candidates for the top four positions that lead to the quarterfinal stage. They scored almost 90 points against the best defense of the competition, they played with high levels of energy, they trapped Panathinaikos in a quicker game and they gain a huge win. They have very balanced offence compare to the regular season with four players averaging 10 or more points (Caner Medley, Toolson, Dragic and Stimac). They can adapt and make adjustments in any kind of game and despite the tough loss in the Copa del Rey at their home they showed the mentality needed in order to be ready against Panathinaikos to fight for a big win.
Is there any plan b??
Panathinaikos lost a crucial game in Malaga but what impressed the most is that at the attacking end Panathinaikos played only pick and roll. We can understand that they have maybe the best pick and roll creator in the league, Diamantidis, but in this level of competition you cannot play only pick and roll. Panathinaikos didn’t try to make some screens away from the ball for the good spot shooters like Bramos or Curry, moreover they never try to create a post-up game and when Malaga had a more agressive defensive approach to Panathinaikos pick and roll, huge problems were created for the Greens from Athens, leading them to one mistake after the other. More offensive options are more than needed, it’s impossible to continue in such a high level competition without attacking in multiple ways and you cannot win every night by scoring 65-70 points. It is almost impossible.
The resurrection of Nenad krstic
The comeback of the Serbian center is almost unbelievable. He seemed to be totally out of the rotation and out of the team in the first round but in the Top16 he exploded and he is the biggest weapon for the Russian team. His numbers are just impressive! From the 5,1 average points in the regular season, he reached 17,7 in the second round with a 62% field goal percentage. Moreover he increased his average time on the court from the 13 minutes to 27. He is the best low post player in the competition together with Ante Tomic, and he creates a lot of miss matches in the paint. He was the MVP of the very big and tough win of CSKA over Galatasaray in Istanbul.
El Chacho!!
In my opinion Sergio Rodriguez is the real showman of this year’s competition. He is an unbelievable player who can create all sorts of problems to the opponents’ defense. He can pass in multiple ways, he can execute with high quality the pick and roll, he can run, he can execute either with drives to the basket or with outside shooting. He is the real MVP of Real Madrid this year and for sure he is the most spectacular and outstanding player to watch. He made more than his contribution to the victory of Real Madrid against Lokomotiv Kuban with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists with only one missed shot and the lay up which sealed the win 10 seconds before the end of the game.
Fener has pulse
The truth is that Fenerbahce got the victory in a must-win game against an opponent who is very disappointing in the second round but the way they won is really a boost for the broken psychology of the Turkish team. It was a huge victory with very good basketball and five players score 10 or more points. In addition this was the first time in the Top16 that Fener kept their opponents below 70 points. A big win for psychological reasons that keeps the self-esteem in high levels for Obradovic and his players. What is needed for the future? More big wins, starting from next week and the game against Anadolu Efes which is a very crucial one for the future of Fenerbahce in the competition
Just one shot away
Maccabi and Bayern played a real thrilling game in Tel Aviv that was decided from one shot by Nihad Djedovic. The Bosnian guard missed the opportunity to send the game to overtime and Maccabi got the win. An advantage for Maccabi is that they won a game completely out of their rhythm, scoring for the first time in Tel Aviv less than 80 points in the Top16 round. On the other hand this is the second game in a row after the one in Madrid during which Maccabi faced huge problems in their offensive game, getting solutions only from perimeter shooting by Blu, Hickman and Landesberg who was huge in the last quarter. It was a great effort for the German team, but not enough to give them a surprising win.
Waiting for next week!!
Very important games are scheduled for next week that can play big role in the final classification. Three “civil” wars with Panathinaikos against Olympiakos, Efes against Fenerbahce and Laboral kutxa versus Barca. There is also a big game in Moscow as CSKA hosts Maccabi and Milano is waiting for Unicaja.