The aftermath (EL 10th gameday)

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

The Euroleague season is officially over for eight teams, just when things are starting to get really interesting. The Top16 is upon us with two groups consisting of eight teams. Real Madrid, Unicaja Malaga, CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes, Alba Berlin, Brose Baskets and Zalgiris will fight for the four top spots in group E and the same will happen between Maccabi Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Khimki, Siena, Besiktas, Fenerbahce/Ulker, Olympiacos and Caja Laboral in group F. Before that, let’s see what happened in the thrilling last night of the regular season.

Eurohoops MVP

Bostjan Nachbar

He missed some crucial shots in the end and Anton Gavel made also some really important plays, but he didn’t hide in the most important – so far at least – game of the season and produced 23 points on 6/12 shots and 7/8 free throws, 5 rebounds and 1 block. All that in the 92-90 overtime win of Brose Baskets over Partizan which translated to a Top16 ticket.

Best five

1. Bo McCalebb: He can do better, however he was the best player of Fenerbahce Ulker in the do or die game against Cantu. The Turkish team won 77-69 and Bo had 19 point on 8/13 shots, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals.
2. Fabien Causeur: He was the one who exploded first, guided Caja Laboral to the win over Cedevita and to Top16. He had 23 points on 5/5 three pointers, four assists and two turnovers.
3. Jaycee Carroll: It was an easy night for Real Madrid against Union Olimpija (91-60) and Carroll once again made the best of his presence in the floor with 17 points in 24 minutes, 6/12 shots and 7 rebounds. In a team that’s all about Rudy and Mirotic, he is also leaving his mark
4. Bostjan Nachbar: Freak city rules!
5. Rasid Mahalbasic: The unexpected overtime win of Prokom at Siena (95-88) was the stage for a big performance by the 22 years old Slovenian/ Austrian center who finished the game 18 points and 16 rebounds, 4 turnovers and also 3 assists.

The best losing performance: Manuchar Markoishvili

The final score in Fenerbahce’s win over Cantu (77-69) doesn’t the effort of Cantu for the road win, which can be summarized in Markoishvili‘s performance. He had 20 points on 7/12 shots, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers. Good, but not great. You can also make a case for Siena’s Bobby Brown, since he scored 23 points, but he had just 7/23 shots, although you have to give him credit for dishing 6 assists and having only one turnover.

The upset: Prokom

Siena played at home and had a 28 points advantage (58-30) after 22 minutes. Who could bet that the winner would finally be Asseco Prokom (95-88 O/T)? Yes, it was a result that didn’t change anything for both teams in the standings, however the Polish team mounted one hell of a comeback and the Italians champions should learn to stay focused for more than 22 minutes, no matter the opponent.

The disappointment: EA7 Milano

This doesn’t apply to the game against Olympiacos. The ambitious Italian team fought in Piraeus, lost the game by a point, but even a win couldn’t alter its fate. Considering the names of its group, that was a possible scenario from the start. However Milano had its chance to qualify to Top16 and blew it in the duel of Vitoria against Caja Laboral.

The underachiever: Anadolu Efes

After a stellar start of the season the team from Istanbul is struggling. There is still time to fix things in Top16 and that’s the good news. The bad news are that against Zalgiris Kaunas, one of the top teams of the competition, Efes was once again a shadow of its former self and nobody knows for sure where this trail will end.

The last word: CSKA Moscow

Nobody really noticed it among the qualification battles, but on the last gameday of Euroleague’s regular season CSKA Moscow became the team which ended on the road the 9-0 wins run of Barcelona. Although this result didn’t change anything in the standings, it could be a sign for the things to come in Top16.

Euroleague 2012-2013 – 10th Day