By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
In some magical way all these years, the EuroLeague has been giving us unforgettable moments. Season after season the suspense, the surprises, the upsets and the thrills have been increasing… exponentially!
Some of the biggest and most classic games of the competition and some of the most historic and iconic moments in memory were “born” in the last few years of this top event.
But still, based on the facts with which the curtains of the new EuroLeague opened for the 2016-17 season, we feel that we haven’t seen anything yet! If previous seasons evolved to become unforgettable for fans, what is coming this year will quite possibly be the equivalent of two or even three unforgettable “basketball journeys” in one season!
It’s no coincidence that the enthusiasm and eagerness of the fans – but also of everyone taking part in the EuroLeague – were already at their highest-ever levels before this season’s first jump ball! Even the promotional ad with the 16 “thieves” in Barcelona’s casino was amazing and predisposes us for what is yet to come on the court.
Everything is possible, anything – and any upset – can happen, until the new EuroLeague champion emerges!
Is it possible that, because of everything we’ve witnessed in all recent Final Fours, we haven’t realized yet how good this season will get?
Let’s count to 10 for all the reasons that make us love the new EuroLeague even more!
1) Have you counted how many derbies we are going to enjoy in this year’s regular season? 240! That’s how many you get from 30 weeks multiplied by eight games a week! And with the newly established format of the EuroLeague, the vast majority of those games will be fascinating. We are talking about dozens of traditional rivals, local derbies and Final Four-level clashes between “giants” of the competition, stretched out over a championship of 30 twists. Are there any easy games? Only in theory. Just remember how competitive Unics Kazan was against FC Barcelona Lassa and Zalgiris Kaunas away against Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens in the very first week!
2) We are going to have our fill of spectacle! The new rule for unsportsmanlike fouls in transition situations is going to give us more possessions, bigger scorelines, even more emotional fluctuations, and even greater excitement. Interruptions are going to be less frequent and plays in the open court are going to multiply. A year with the fastest playing speeds in the history of European basketball is underway!
3) No fan of any team is going to feel “wronged”. Nor will any of the clubs themselves. At the end of a regular season of 30 game days, each party is going to get exactly what they deserve and the eight teams that qualify for the playoffs are going to get the pairing they are entitled to, based on their course over many months. Besides, the rules of the EuroLeague afford the clubs the opportunity, between now and March, to cover any possible gaps in their planning or setbacks from potential injuries.
4) The EuroLeague is chockfull of big stars! Where to start and where to finish? Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez, Vassilis Spanoulis, Georgios Printezis, Milos Teodosic, Nando De Colo, Kyle Hines, Juan Carlos Navarro, Tyrese Rice, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jan Vesely, Ioannis Bourousis are only a few of the shining names. They and others are players with titles, with a long history, with numerous personal distinctions. And they are hungrier than ever to win the first trophy of the new era!
5) But it’s not just them! Expect that there are going to be many new stars. Either rookies or those with only a few years of EuroLeague service are sure to impress, outdo themselves, and maybe even claim spots on the All-EuroLeague teams at the end of the season. We estimate that there are at least 10 players who are about to have breakout seasons. Of course, there is also the battle for the Rising Star Trophy, in which the 17-year-old Slovenian Luka Doncic, with a fixed role now in Real Madrid, had a huge edge as soon as he “walked in the door” thanks to his talent and premature level-headedness!
6) The EuroLeague doesn’t just have many stars on the court, but on the benches too! There are only 16 head coaches. Five of them (Zeljko Obradovic, David Blatt, Georgios Bartzokas, Pablo Laso and Dimitris Itoudis) have won the precious trophy before. Another two (Velimir Perasovic, Ergin Ataman) have been EuroCup Champions.
7) #Devotion the whole week through! Something we haven’t experienced before! On the calendar there are five weeks with two games each. The first one is coming up next week, in fact, starting on October 25. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, will be full of EuroLeague clashes! Five weeks with 16 big games over 96 hours await us!
8) The EuroLeague is considered the second strongest league in the world after the NBA. The distance between the EuroLeague and any others is getting bigger and bigger, while a steady exchange of players between the EuroLeague and the NBA is now commonplace. Have you counted how many players with NBA experience are competing this year among the 16 EuroLeague teams? Allow us to help. There are 54! All but one of the 16 teams have players who have played in the NBA. Madrid has the most, with six. CSKA Moscow, Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul and Fenerbahce Istanbul have five each. Four teams (Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz, Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv) have four. The only club without a player who has spent time in the NBA is Zalgiris. But they have a EuroLeague Legend… star coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who has played in the NBA!
9) Longevity is one of the most important things in professional sports, as it demonstrates the quality and timelessness of an athlete. This year, get ready for plenty of milestones! Already from the first week, Llull, Teodosic, Bourousis and Felipe Reyes all broke major barriers. There are many games left, and as time goes by, history will be updated and each player will receive the place he deserves in the pantheon of the EuroLeague!
10) A fascinating season, the first of the new EuroLeague, can only be rounded off with an equally sensational Final Four, which is always the climax! Are you superstitious? Let us simply remind you that the last two times that the big encounter took place in Istanbul, the titles were decided at the last second, with buzzer-beaters! In 1992 it was Aleksandar Djordjevic for that season’s Cinderella team, Partizan Belgrade. And 20 years later, Printezis gave Olympiacos the crown with the most improbable upset in the history of the competition! What will happen at the 2017 Final Four?
Buckle up. #GameON!