By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Just before the last gameday of the first round in Euroleague’s regular season there are only two teams without a win: Partizan & Cedevita. So, the question arises: Is there still hope for them? Of course, yes! According to what happened during the last four season, after the new Euroleague regular season calendar of ten (and not fourteen) weeks was introduced, the… miracle after the fourth game has been made again two times.
EA7 Milano in 2008-09 season and Lietuvos Rytas in 2010-11 qualified to Top 16 after four straight losses in the start of the season. Armani went on and won five of the next six games and finished third (5-5) in its group. On the other hand, the situation for the Lithuanians was even worse, because they had a 1-6 record and qualified due to three wins over Cholet, Barcelona and Cibona.
What was the common fact between Milano’s and Lietuvos Rytas’ case? Both of them played three away games during the first four weeks. And what’s the forthcoming calendar for Partizan and Cedevita? Four games at home until the end of regular season! They can make it as they showed in their last matches. Barcelona and Olympiacos survived the last second and for sure the Serbians and the Croatians will play against Brose Baskets and Caja Laboral with much more confidence.
Apart Milano and Lietuvos Rytas, there are of course other eleven teams which couldn’t recover after a bad start. In 2008-09 Le Mans, Zalgiris and Olimpija Ljubljana finished with 2-8 wins record. The next season Asvel (3-7), Orleans (2-8) and Olimpija Ljubljana (1-9) didn’t make it. In 20101-11 Charleroi (3-7), Prokom (2-8), Cibona (0-10) and last season KK Zagreb (2-8), Prokom (1-9) tried but never changed their bad situation.