By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The end is near for Euroleague’s regular season and the chips are down in many cases. In group A Real Madrid leads the race with a 5-2 record, then there is a three way tie between Panathinaikos (4-3), Fenerbahce/ Ulker (4-3) and Khimki (4-3), but there is still little hope for Union Olimpija (2-5) and Cantu (2-5).
In group B Unicaja qualified to Top16 with a 6-1 record, Maccabi Tel Aviv is second (5-2), Siena got its fourth consecutive win (4-3), Alba Berlin can make Top16 dreams (3-4), Elan Chalon (2-5) missed its chance against the Germans and Prokom (1-6) just waits for the torture to end.
In group C Zalgiris Kaunas also qualified to Top16 with a 6-1 record, Olympiacos hunts the Lithuanians (5-2), Anadolu Efes is a step behind (4-3), EA7 Armani Milano follows (3-4), then Cedevita (2-5) and Caja Laboral (1-5). Τhe Basques are hosting Milano and Cedevita in two of the three remaining games, so they can still hope.
In group D only one Top16 spot is still open. Barcelona (7-0), CSKA (6-1) and Besiktas (4-3) are waiting for the next phase, while Brose Baskets (2-5), Partizan (1-5) and Lietuvos Rytas (1-5) will fight for the last place in the Euroleague sun.
Eurohoops MVP
He saved Panathinaikos at Cantu with 7/9 three pointers that translated to 21 points and also had 9 rebounds. Not bad for a role player who emerged as the “sniper” in a team desperately needing scoring due to the absence of Sofoklis Shortsanitis and Andy Panko. It was a game to remember for the Greens and of course a career night in Euroleague from Bramos himself who also made the last shot of his team in a 71-69 win.
Best five
- Curtis Jerrells: Once more he was the key of Besiktas offense with 17 points and 6 assists in the win over Brose Baskets, which means a Top16 ticket. Not bad for the Turkish champs.
- Juan Carlos Navarro: He celebrated the anniversary of 15 years as a pro with 24 points on 8/12 shots from the field, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in the 90-66 triumph of undefeated Barcelona over Lietuvos Rytas.
- Mike Bramos: The man of the moment for the Greens…
- Zach Morley: His team was playing a “final” at the gym of Elan Chalon and he delivered a little bit of everything in Alba’s win. He stayed on the court for 32 minutes and had 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
- Yiannis Bourousis: Move over Ante Tomic. In a crucial game for the Top16 qualification the Greek center produced a double double (11 p., 12 r. 2 as.) in 22 minutes despite nursing a knee injury.
The best losing performance: Shawn James
We have a rule in Eurohoops best five: There’s no place for a player of a losing team. But Shawn James made it really hard for us to exclude him after one of the best individual showing in Euroleague for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the game against Siena. Also, Blake Schilb did what he had to do against Alba Berlin. His stat line is impeccable: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals. Ιt was not enough. After the home defeat by the Berliners, the French champions have their back on the wall and their chances of qualification to Top16 are really slim.
The biggest win: Real Madrid
You could argue that Olympiacos‘ triumph over Anadolu Efes, the qualification-win of Besiktas over Brose Baskets, or the come back of Siena over Maccabi Tel Aviv should be here and you have a point. However our choice is the 104-81 offensive exhibition of Real Madrid over Khimki. Rudy and Mirotic were hot and when that happens, nobody can stop them, at least at home. And here lays the moral of the story. After this win Real will probably finish first in group A and if Madrid continues playing like this and gets home court advantage in the play offs, who can stop them from getting to London?
The rise: Unicaja Malaga
Not only Unicaja sealed its place in Top16 after beating Prokom 63-48, but also has the top spot of group B after the defeat of Maccabi Tel Aviv at Siena, something that happened just for the second time in the history of the games between the Israelis and the Italians. This season the Spanish team is proving worthy of its A license status and until further notice nobody has the right to underestimate the unit of coach Repesa.
The disappointment: Caja Laboral
For the second week in a row Caja Laboral disappoints. The shock of the coaching change didn’t do much in order to help the team and Zan Tabak lost badly to his mentor Joan Plaza. Zalgiris beat the Basques 82-45 and this offensive performance by Caja is the worst in Euroleague’s history. The team from Vitoria still has the chance to qualify to Top16, but it has to play a lot better.
The underachiever: Anadolu Efes
It was the flip side of the first game at Istanbul. Olympiacos played like real champion and Anadolu Efes couldn’t react. At the second half the goal for the guests was just to defend the 26 point difference from their win over the Reds. They did succeed on that, but it’s not exactly a consolation prize.
The last word: Αntonis Fotsis
As it was reported, Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos made a detour from Cantu and attended in person the game of EA7 Armani Milano against Cedevita. The general consensus is that his target was a meeting with Antonis Fotsis in order to discuss the possibility of him returning to Panathinaikos next summer. Well, that remains to be seen and meanwhile Fotsis had a good game with 15 points and 7 rebounds.