Βy Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Τhere is a low in the new Τop16. After each week the games are becoming more and more exciting and this is not going to change. The top four places in each group and the teams with home court advantage in the play offs are already in the horizon, there also ambitious clubs on the verge of disaster and every result counts.
So, get early at home from work, send your better halves for an all girls night out – unless they also love basketball – and enjoy the Thursday and Friday night! It’s Euroleague’s rock’n roll.
Game of the week: Caja Laboral – Barcelona
Ηow you can make any other choice? The Spanish “civil war” with a view to the top floor of group F. Caja Laboral has an incredible streak of 17 wins in Spain and Euroleague and also Brad Oleson.
Coach Zan Tabak lost badly in his first game in Caja’s bench and that was his only bad result. He and his team never looked back since then. On the other hand Juan Carlos Navarro traveled to Vitoria along with Barcelona, he is battling with injuries and his team tried to sign Oleson from Caja without success.
So, Oleson will play against Barca and the stakes are high. Will coach Pascual’s team remind to Caja what defeat means, or will Tabak continue his record setting streak – in the history of the club – to 18 wins?
HONORABLE MENTION: Panathinaikos – Real Madrid
It does remind you something, right? Yes, the two teams played each other also during regular season. The first game in Athens was the first real sign that the Greens should not been written out from this season’s competition. It was a relatively easy win against Real and it’s something that Madrid remembers.
Real started Top16 with a 4-0 record, Panathinaikos is one step back at 3-1 and now the holders of 14 European titles in total will have one more showdown. If Panathinaikos wins, then the Greeks will have a chance to finish in the top two position of the group. That’s why the game is crucial for Real, which is tied at this point with also unbeaten CSKA. This is also the encounter in which Diamantidis is expected to return to action.
Do or die: Fenerbahce/ Ulker – Khimki
It’s one more game that can’t be missed. The unpaid players of coach Kurtinaitis have a 3-1 record, while the handsomely rewarded starts of the Turkish club are stuck at the bottom of the standings and still search their first victory (0-4).
It’s a do or die game for the hosts. If Fenerbahce loses again at home, then that could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and also the patience of the front office towards coach Simone Pianigiani. When someone wants to win more, there is a law in basketball that says he will. However, Fener is playing so bad, than even this law can be broken.
Against the wall: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Olympiacos
The situation in this game for the two opponents is just a little better than a do or die game. Maccabi Tel Aviv is hosting Olympiacos in one of the traditionally toughest gyms in Europe and needs the win. Both teams have a 1-3 record and the losing side will be in trouble. There would be still nine gamedays until the end of Top16, however the losing side will have its back against the wall. It’s an unpredictable game, as Maccabi is also unpredictable this season.
It will be a matter of rhythm and efficient shooting. The defending champions will have to step up defensively specially in the perimeter in order to stop Maccabi’s back court and their passes to Shawn James. Acie Law and Josh Powell will be out for Olympiacos and that means big minutes for former Maccabi center Giorgi Shermadini, something that would never happened if he stayed in Tel Aviv. Two big teams, two great traditions and one big game.
The first time: Alba Berlin – Brose Baskets
We are not used in seeing two German teams playing each other in Euroleague’s Top16. Actually, this is a first! And the winning team will have its first victory in the second Euroleague phase. Theoretically, that will also means a qualification chance, even thought both of them will still be considered outsiders.
On the court, Brose Baskets is the better team, the more experienced and the one which produces higher quality basketball. That was evident even in its defeats and the comparison is against coach Sasha Obradovic‘s team.
Bad timing: CSKA Moscow – Unicaja
After a relatively slow start this season, CSKA Moscow is playing like the favorite to win the title. Last week’s victory in Kaunas and the way the “army team” acted on the court are strong indications for the future and also about the fact that coach Messina’s plan is starting to click.
And while CSKA is rising, Unicaja once again is near a crisis. The team didn’t qualify in the Spanish “Copa Del Rey”, lost two consecutive home games by Real Madrid and coach Jasmin Repesa is the object of criticism. The road game in Moscow cames in a really bad timing for the Spaniards.
In opposing courses: Anadolu Efes – Zalgiris Kaunas
Anadolu Efes is hosting Zalgiris Kaunas and after two regular season defeats by the Lithuanians, the Turks have a good chance for revenge. The two teams are moving in opposing courses. Efes is starting to find its rhythm and chemistry after a big slump, while the team of coach Plaza after its stellar regular season seems to have taken a step back. That’s why they have a 1-3 record, even though they lost two games in the last shot.
Both opponents are quality teams and nobody can predict the outcome. The only thing we can write without any risk is that this game is more than worth watching.
The favorite: Siena – Besiktas
It’s probably the only game this week in which there is a clear favorite. After its 0-3 start in regular season, the team of coach Banchi has a 4-0 Top16 record so far. The injury of Tomas Ress, however, who is going to miss the next three weeks of action is a considerable problem.
But, they play at home, everything so far seems to go their way and they have a bigger motive than the Turkish team to win this game. Besiktas still searches its first victory, even though the qualification to the play offs will be short of a miracle. Can they win in Tuscany? Only if Jerrells can do what Brown is doing in regular base.