By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The last two Euroleague games for 2014 are the appetizer for the upcoming year and of course for the Top16 which will be the main basketball attraction in the old continent until April. So we have a first week of action divided between 2014 and 2015 as two games will be played in Athens and Istanbul on the 30th of December.
Panathinaikos – Maccabi Tel Aviv
It’s a classic, and classy we may add, rivalry in Euroleague! Two of the most decorated clubs in European basketball history have already met each other 32 times and three of those encounters were finals. The hosts want to protect their home court, a key for a possible Euroleague success, and at OAKA they are just better. They have more energy, they shoot better and this time they have also to defend individually better than usual.
Maccabi always responds to the challenge of OAKA, the Israelis will try to run – as they always like to do – and will also try to cut the connection between Diamantidis and Slaughter with the front line of Batista and Mavrokefalidis. Maccabi will have a new player in Joe Alexander, however the condition of Devin Smith and Sofoklis Shortsanitis who are coming from injury, is their main concern.
UPDATE: Devin Smith will not play at OAKA vs Panathinaikos due to his injury.
A yellow milestone!
Not so long ago, Laboral Kuta became the first team which scored 25.000 points in Euroleague after 310 games. Barcelona also reached the same number, having player more games.
The defending champions need just 64 points in Athens and if they get them, they will also reach the 25.000 points milestone, but in 307 games. It’s one more proof that Maccabi loves to “run and gun”.
The Turkish club survived and gain at least 14 more games in Euroleague, made changes in its roster – Aleks Maric and Justin Curter are the two new faces – and they start their Top16 campaign against an other survivor. That’s Zalgiris Kaunas who needed a big last regular season night by James Anderson and a goal foul almost at the buzzer in order to qualify.
We expect a physical game and battles in the paint. It’s also worth noting that Marty Pocius will face his former team, as he wore the jersey of Zalgiris for three seasons and more recently last year.