By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
This week’s EuroLeague’s “Experts Round Table” reflects on the double-game week action for Rounds 9 and 10 with focus on the best and worse teams, as well the players that managed to raise their profile the most.
Per euroleague.net:
Welcome back to the Experts Round Table, where we ask a variety of the most knowledgeable Turkish Airlines EuroLeague followers across the continent their opinions on the topics of the day. This week’s panel includes Dusko Savanovic, former All-EuroLeague selection and 2018 Final Four Ambassador; Luca Chiabotti, the former basketball expert-in-residence at La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy; journalist Donatas Urbonas of leading Lithuanian website 15min.lt; Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops Turkey; and Javier Gancedo, EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge guru and Editorial Senior Manager for EuroLeague.net. Check out their opinions on three key questions this week!
Which team had the most impressive double-round week?
Dusko Savanovic
“It seems to be that, at this moment, Barcelona is playing at the level they are supposed to play, considering the quality they have. They probably had the most impressive double-round week with two very convincing wins. The team has a strong leader in Nikola Mirotic, of course, who is playing at a great level. He is playing great basketball; Mirotic came here with that role and is definitely the leader of the team and proving it. For sure, Mirotic’s arrival to Barcelona shook up the team’s bad momentum. Right now, Barcelona is the best team in the competition.”
Luca Chiabotti
“Panathinaikos Athens. Six teams won both games in the double-round week, but only two have won on the road twice, Anadolu Efes and Panathinaikos. I think that Efes made an extraordinary effort to win in Villeurbanne and Milan, against two hot teams, to remain atop the league, but the PAO wins on the road, in a transitional moment for the team still waiting for a new coach, will be decisive for the future of the team and serve as a big help to Rick Pitino to start his new stint with Panathinaikos in the playoff zone.”
Donatas Urbonas
“There’s so much to choose from. For example, both Valencia and Baskonia took very important victories to raise their spirits after a disappointing start to the season. Who knows? Maybe that week helped to save a job for somebody. But I was impressed most with Barcelona by the way it beat two big teams, Fenerbahce and Maccabi. Barca was dominant, destroying its opponents by an average of 24.5 points. And we’re talking about Final Four contenders.”
Bugra Uzar
“My answer to that question is Anadolu Efes Istanbul. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and AX Armani Exchange Milan were undefeated at home before playing Efes. But last year’s finalists went to those teams’ cities without their leader, Bryant Dunston, who is hugely important for his team, and not only did they play great, they managed to beat both of their opponents. Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic were excellent once again, while players like Rodrigue Beaubois, Tibor Pleiss and Sertac Sanli stepped up and played crucial roles. So, the Turkish champion is tied for the best record in the league and looks more motivated than ever.”
Javier Gancedo
“Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Not only did it win back-to-back games on the road – one of the two teams to achieve that with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens the other, but did it so in a tough place to play. Efes handed LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne its first home loss of the season and two days later, it did the same with AX Armani Exchange Milan. By winning two games on courts were no other EuroLeague team had walked off with a victory all season, Efes definitely had the strongest week, led by its star guard duo of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin, who have been pretty much unstoppable for many months.”
Which team suffered the most in Rounds 9 and 10?
Dusko Savanovic
“As far as the team that suffered the most, I saw many games in this double-round week and I would have to say it was Zalgiris Kaunas. As a former player, I can tell you that when you play against Zalgiris in Lithuania, it is always tough to beat them. Lithuania is a basketball country and it is always special to be there, but also extremely tough. For them, having a great team, it must be disappointing to lose twice at home, in front of their fans, especially when the difference between them and the eighth-ranked team is now three wins. Zenit is also losing really close games, they had chances to win pretty much every game until the final 5 minutes, but somehow, they rank last. They have huge quality and especially a great coach, one of the best, Joan Plaza. For me, Plaza is one of the best three coaches in Europe. It must be a tough week for them and the standings don’t show Zenit’s real quality and potential.”
Luca Chiabotti
“Zalgiris Kaunas. There were six teams that finished 0-2 last week and some were surprising like CSKA Moscow. Zalgiris’s home defeats show that Coach Jasikevicius’s team is experiencing a particularly difficult time. The Lithuanian champs have accustomed us to great improvements and great comebacks during the season, but losing at home for the fourth time in a row (and twice against teams low in the standings) makes a recovery almost impossible. For the quality of the roster and investments made, the double knockdown of Khimki is even worse than that of Zalgiris because it resets its ambitions as a top team.”
Donatas Urbonas
“There was no sun for the Russian teams in Spain at all. Both CSKA and Khimki suffered from upset against the teams they were expected to beat – Baskonia and Valencia respectively. I think it was even worse for Khimki, because it started the season on such a high note, but couldn’t compete with Real and waisted 16-point lead in Valencia.”
Bugra Uzar
“Zalgiris Kaunas. The Lithuanian champion played at home in a double-round week and when you consider the huge support it has from its fans, that’s a big advantage. Zalgiris had an opportunity, but the result was very bad. First a loss to Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in a very close game. But the defeat by Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade was even more disappointing for them. The Serbian team had some injury problems before that game, but even so, managed to beat Zalgiris. The home team scored only 59 points with 3-of-21 shooting on three-pointers. In this season’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, defending your home court has become even more important, so, these two losses hurt Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team greatly.”
Javier Gancedo
“I have to say CSKA Moscow because its shooting percentages were much lower than in the past. In the first eight games of the season, CSKA scored 50% of its two-point shots. In Rounds 9 and 10, however, CSKA hit just 28-of-82 shots inside the arc (33.7%). It is difficult to win basketball games with such a low two-point shooting percentage and I am sure Coach Dimitris Itoudis and his coaching staff have worked hard to correct this. I expect CSKA to be much more efficient inside the arc, starting with this week’s Round 11 game against the EuroLeague leader, FC Barcelona.”
Which player raised his profile the most last week?
Dusko Savanovic
“When it comes to which player stood out, of course, stats tell you everything. I don’t want to repeat myself, but I like it when somebody new shows up. And the relatively new player standing out is Nikola Mirotic. Let’s say he has been the best player who didn’t play in the EuroLeague the last few seasons. I expect him to keep playing at a great level until the end of the season. He is for sure, one of the best players in Europe, going for EuroLeague glory!”
Luca Chiabotti
“It was a great week for four great players and it was really difficult to choose one among them. But Tornike Shengelia, the best scorer of the week; Shane Larkin, 21 of 21 from the free throws line; Cory Higgins for his shots in the clutch moments of the games; and Nick Calathes, 7 of 11 on three-pointers with 17 assists, have been EuroLeague stars for many years and their reputation is already very high. If I have to choose a player who comes out from last week’s double round and raised his profile the most I say Gabriel Deck of Real Madrid for his contribution to two victories that brought Madrid back to the top.”
Donatas Urbonas
“Facundo Campazzo is officially back! Facu was pivotal in two great Real Madrid victories against Russian powerhouses CSKA and Khimki. He averaged 16.5 points on 64% two-point and 75% three-point shooting plus 5.5 assists and the second-best plus-minus on his team. The whole team is rising together with him.”
Bugra Uzar
“Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul didn’t start the season like they wanted to and they’ve fallen pretty far behind in the standings. After the loss to FC Barcelona, their job wasn’t easy against Villeurbanne. Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely were out, so that made life even harder. Surprisingly, though, Vladimir Stimac was the one who took the team on his shoulders. The Serbian veteran played with a lot of heart, scored the ball, gave his team energy and motivation, and caused a lot of trouble for the French team. There are some flaws in Stimac‘s game but one thing is certain: he always gives 110%. And that was exactly what Fenerbahce needed.”
Javier Gancedo
“I am going to go with Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia Basket, just because he set new career-high records in both games. Dubljevic pulled down 11 rebounds in Round 9 against Zenit St Petersburg, a new personal best. He is averaging 6.8 boards this season in less than 23 minutes on the court; Dubljevic ranks fifth in rebounds per 40 minutes (12.0). He went on to record a PIR of 29 in his team’s win against Khimki Moscow Region by doing a bit of everything – 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 fouls drawn. At age 28, Dubljevic is playing better than ever in his beloved Valencia, where he is universally loved.”