Experts Round Table: Round 2

1. Which team’s Round 1 victory was most valuable?

Luca Chiabotti, La Gazzetta dello Sport

Malaga’s late 18-3 run against Fenerbahce to win the game against the EuroLeague champions could be a result that will weigh on the destiny of Unicaja until the end of the season. Middle-level teams need to catch every opportunity to build a winning season, especially on their home courts, and for sure few teams will face the champions with so many problems to solve later. Unicaja’s great defensive effort shows that Joan Plaza’s team has a strong identity despite the lack of big offensive stars – and that’s one of the secrets to playing a great season.

Semih Tuna, Eurohoops

Unicaja Malaga beat the reigning champs with huge support from their fans. It is far from easy to get Zeljko Obradovic’s team out of its system. However, Joan Plaza had an impressive game strategy. Unicaja did win thanks to an individual performance, but rather the full team’s effort. It is crystal clear that they could not wait to start the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. We saw passion, determination and much more. By winning such a duel right off the bat, Unicaja’s confidence reached a much higher level. They can cause problems to any team in the league now.

Antonis Kalkavouras, Gazzetta.gr

Anytime a newcomer beats the reigning EuroLeague champions, in the first game of the new season, there’s no doubt about which Round 1 victory was the most valuable! Unicaja’s upset of Fenerbahce was by far the most important win of the opening night because it gave a big boost to a young and inexperienced team that has a tough road ahead. It was an impressive win also for Maccabi in Germany, because the Israelis started the season by showing a completely different identity compared to their disappointing results during the three previous years.

Joe Arlauckas, EuroLeague Ambassador

The easy call is Unicaja, but I’ll take Maccabi on the road by 17 for this one! Are you kidding me? Bamberg may not have had a great record last year, but believe me NOBODY wants to play there. The bigger deal, though, is reviving the Maccabi spirit and making believers again of everyone who loves that team. And don’t forget, Neven Spahija was a specialist at road wins back in the day, so this might not be the end of the ambushes. Maccabi came off the canvas in Round. They aren’t a sparring partner anymore.

Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net

There were several, but I can’t get past Barcelona’s 27-point shellacking of Panathinaikos. It got my attention, that’s for sure. Yes, Unicaja beat the undermanned champs. And yes, Maccabi did something similar on the road. But in terms of tip-off-to-buzzer dominance against a team that went into the game expecting to beat you, nobody took off as strongly as Barcelona in Round 1. And no one I heard was predicting anything like that beforehand, making Barcelona the biggest surprise in opening week.

2. What player was the biggest surprise of Round 1?

Luca Chiabotti, La Gazzetta dello Sport

Pierre Jackson (Maccabi) and Kevin Seraphin (Barcelona) had fantastic performances in Round 1. Both players came back to Europe following NBA experience, so this was not easy to foresee. But, if it’s not a surprise, I believe that Will Clyburn’s 37 minutes on the court with his new team, CSKA Moscow, and his performance, not only in points and rebounds, but also steals and assists in the key moments to win the game against Milan, shows that Clyburn did yet a spectacular job to be ready to play at a higher level.

Semih Tuna, Eurohoops

Kevin Seraphin has always been a good player, but I was not expecting such a difference-making performance from him. Against Panathinaikos, he was far and away the best player of his team. Not only did he create for his teammates from the low post, but he also gave headaches to the Panathinaikos frontcourt, who were trying to defend him. He proved how crucial he is for Barcelona to dress its wounds after a mediocre season. Hopefully, he will keep up with this kind of performance, because once he gets into rhythm, it’s a privilege to watch him play.

Antonis Kalkavouras, Gazzeta.gr

Even though Pierre Jackson had a huge game was emerged as the MVP of Week 1 and was the key factor for a dominating road win of Maccabi in the opener, I have to go with Luka Doncic. The 18-year-old Slovenian phenom returned to the Sinan Erdem Dome, where he was crowned EuroBasket champion almost one month ago, and led Real Madrid to a promising road win against Anadolu Efes Istanbul by posting MVP numbers and started in a great way the new season.

Joe Arlauckas, EuroLeague Ambassador

I was impressed by the French connection in the Barcelona frontcourt. Kevin Seraphin and Adrien Moermann combined for 40 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks against a talented Panathinaikos team. The showed the Barcelona fans it’s a new day there. If I had to choose between them, I’d say Seraphin because he showed how much he wants it. Coming out of the chute in his first EuroLeague game in a long time, he proved he wants to make big things happen. Good for him, and for the fans!

Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net

Pierre Jackson. He had the best performance index rating this century in a non-overtime game in the opening round. But that’s not saying enough. He also had that performance for the very team that needed it most. Maccabi didn’t just lose a lot of games the last couple of seasons. It lost its leaders along the way, the kind of guys who say, “I got this.” That’s exactly what Jackson gave back to Maccabi in Round 1: it’s swagger.

3. What team needs to win most in Round 2?

Luca Chiabotti, La Gazzetta dello Sport

Of course, Panathinaikos must win at the OAKA after the bad performance in Barcelona, but I believe that Fenerbahce is the team with higher pressure in Round 2. After a loss in Malaga, the champions face another mid-level team on the road and do not want to fail again. Milan feels good after its nice game against CSKA in Moscow. Fenerbahce showed in Malaga that its new faces need more time to be competitive. Another loss against a less competitive team could be a problem for a team that wants always to be on top of the league.

Semih Tuna, Eurohoops

The way that Panathinaikos played in the second half of its Round 1 game is an unusual performance by a Xavi Pascual team. Whenever they have the home-court advantage, Greens are the favorite side to win a game. In front of their passionate fans, they need to make amends for last week’s disheartening loss. Chris Singleton did not play the way we are used to, while Marcus Denmon and Zach Auguste are supposed to take bigger roles. I do not expect Panathinaikos to lose, but another defeat could mix everything up in Athens.

Antonis Kalkavouras, Gazzeta.gr

I have to go with Panathinaikos! The Greens were disappointing in Palau Blaugrana, especially in the last quarter when they didn’t fight, and they lost hands-down to a crafty team of Barcelona. A loss by 27 points of difference in the opener is very tough to swallow, especially for a team that aims to be back to the Final Four after 5 years of absence and compete for the EuroLeague title. Next game at home against Bamberg is definitely a must win for the Greek champions.

Joe Arlauckas, EuroLeague Ambassador

It’s gotta be Panathinaikos. I don’t know when you’ve ever seen Panathinaikos last in the standings, but after suffering the worst loss in Round 1, there they are. They go home to play a Brose Bamberg team that struggled last week, and so everyone jumps to the conclusion that the Greens should win. But it’s not that easy, of course. Bamberg’s got a lot of pride, too, plus Panathinaikos needs to win twice: against Bamberg and against the memory of last week.

Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net

It’s too early to say that any team is in a must-win situation, but sure, Panathinaikos has the worst memories to erase from Round 1, and a win is the best way to do that. Almost any home team has the same imperative, however, because losing at your own place is a slippery slope. Other teams notice that, and you can be more vulnerable then. Efes and Bamberg have the incentive to make up for home losses last week, but winning away in the EuroLeague is always good, but never required, so they don’t have pressure. It all comes back to Panathinaikos, which needs to avoid both the worst loss of Round 1 and a home loss in Round 2.

Source: EuroLeague