Advantage to home courts

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

Panathinaikos‘ win on Thursday night was the only road triumph in the first eight play offs games. Yes, the aftermath of Euroleague’s first play offs week is almost total dominance of the teams with the home court advantage. CSKA Moscow has a 2-0 lead over Caja Laboral and the same applies to Real Madrid and Olympiacos over Maccabi Tel Aviv and Anadolu Efes respectively. Only Barcelona lost at home and is tied with the Greens at 1-1. So, here’s what happened.

Eurohoops MVP

Dimitris Diamantidis

He made the winning shot of Panathinaikos over Barcelona (66-65) and reminded every one that he is one of the clutch players in recent Euroleague history. He finished the game with 10 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds and 4 turnovers. Not the flashiest of numbers, but that’s not the point. He was once again the leader of his team and can give to Panathinaikos its first Final Four ticket in the post-Obradovic era

Best Five

1. Dimitris Diamantidis: His shot was the stuff of legends…
2. Sergio Llull: After a mediocre first game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, he exploded in the second by scoring 26 points on 6/8 three pointers, a Euroleague career high
3. Rudy Fernandez: He set the tone in the first game of Real Madrid over Maccabi Tel Aviv with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists and sparked a 24-1 run in the second quarter
4. Giorgos Printezis: He had a career night in the first Olympiacos‘ win against Anadolu Efes by scoring 26 points on 4/7 three pointers and in total 11/18 FG
5. Nenad Krstic: He is the pinnacle of stability with 16 points in 20 minutes in the second win over Caja Laboral and also 16 points in 20 minutes in the first game

The biggest win: Panathinaikos

Well, it was the game that will be remembered more than any other from this week. Despite its low final score (66-65) it was more than intense, had one shot that will be used in Euroleague highlight clips for many years to come and also turned the tables in the tied series (1-1), as Panathinaikos now has the advantage with the two next games in Athens.

The favorite: CSKA Moscow

Every one understood before the start of this series that CSKA was the better team. It was proven on the court on Wednesday and on Friday. Can Caja Laboral react? The pressure for the Basques will be more than big, since they return to their home being on the verge of elimination without managing so far to keep up with the Russians.

The advantage: Real Madrid, Olympiacos

With a 2-0 lead the Spanish contenders and the defending champions need one more win in three games in order to get the ticket to London. Even the traditionally mighty at home Maccabi Tel Aviv will have a hard time to force a game 5, if we judge by what was presented on the court in the first two games.

The question: Barcelona

After an overtime win on Tuesday, Barcelona lost to Panathinaikos and in order to stay alive and get to London has to win on the road in Athens. It’s not something impossible, but the team which had secured with ease the top spot of its group in Last16, seem to be out of synch against the Greek defense. With Pete Mickael out and Navarro hurting, things will not be easy.

The disappointment: Anadolu Efes

There is no same to lose to the defending Euroleague champion. However, Anadolu Efes meltdown in the second game was a troubling sign for things to come. Everyone expected at least some better three point shooting after the miserable 1/19 shots on Wednesday by a team with shooters like Farmar, Vujacic and Savanovic, but making 2 threes in 15 attempts is not a spectacular improvement.

The last word: OAKA in danger

After the punishment of Panathinaikos and everything that have been said and done since Tuesday’s game against Barcelona, Euroleague warned the Greens about the possibility of playing a game, even next week, without fans, if there is any kind of unsportsmanlike behavior in game 3. Can you imagine a Euroleague game played like this?

Euroleague 2012-2013 – Play offs, 1st game

CSKA Moscow	89 – 78	Caja Laboral
Olympiacos	67 – 62	Anadolu Efes
Real Madrid	79 – 53	Maccabi Tel Aviv
F.C. Barcelona	72 – 70	Panathinaikos

Euroleague 2012-2013 – Play offs, 2nd game