By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Once more Euroleague didn’t disappoint! The 31 games winning streak of Real Madrid ended in Moscow, the three Turkish teams got their first wins and Anadolu Efes did it in style with an amazing buzzer beater. Also at the last game of the week, defending champions Olympiacos reacted and got a big win in Vitoria against Laboral Kutxa.
Still, in Group E, Barcelona leads with 4-0, Panathinaikos follows at 3-1, EA7 Milano, Unicaja Malaga and Olympiacos are tied at 2-2 and then Laboral Kutxa, Fenerbahce/ Ulker and Anadolu Efes are at 1-3. In Group F, Maccabi Tel Aviv is unbeaten (4-o), CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid are tied at 3-1, Bayern Munich and Lokomotiv Kuban follow (2-2), Galatasaray and Partizan are at 1-3 and Zalgiris Kaunas is the only team without a win (0-4) in Top16.
MVP
After a mediocre regular season, because of CSKA‘s on court woes and his injuries, the Serb is back on form, helping his team overcome the absence of Kyle Hines and being the anchor of the 85-71 win over Real Madrid. Not only that was the first defeat of Madrid in the season, but also the 14 points difference can be a great advantage for CSKA in case of a tie in the final standings. As for Krstic, he was his good old self with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 31 minutes of action.
Best Five
- Zoran Planinic: He had a mediocre game (8 p., 4 as., 3 r.,) but he decided the outcome of the 61-60 win of Anadolu Efes over EA7 Milano thanks to an amazing buzzer beater three pointer (video). It was the first win of his team in Top16 and that’s enough..
- Vasilis Spanoulis: He exploded in the first quarter and finished the game with 13 points, 7 assists and two turnovers in 21 minutes, making the 89-70 win of Olympiacos at Vitoria against Laboral Kutxa really easy.
- Krunoslav Simon: This time he didn’t made the last shot, but he had 21 points (8/11 shots), 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 turnovers in the come back 80-75 win of Lokomotiv Kuban against Zalgiris.
- Zoran Erceg: He had a double double (19 p., 10 r., 1 as.) as Galatasaray got an important road win over Bayern Munich (66-72) which can be considered a good start in the Turkish club’s hunt for the play offs.
- Nenad Krstic: He proved that he is still a force in the paint…
Best losing performance: Justin Dentmon
Once more he did his best (15 p., 11 as.) but once more Zalgiris was beaten (80-75) on the road by Lokomotiv Kuban. The Lithuanians just can’t catch a break. This time they were leading 51-39 in the half, but collapsed in the last quarter during which the hosts scored 22 points against just 10. Still Dentmon proved his worth for one more game and we expect to see him in Europe’s top teams for many more years.
Biggest win: CSKA Moscow
The streak ended, CSKA Moscow prevailed over Real Madrid (85-71), however the implications of this game are much more complex. First of all CSKA got the win despite playing without Sonny Weems and Kyle Hines, two key members of the team. But the defense of Messina rattled the Spaniards who played without Carroll, made them lose their confidence, affected their shooting efficiency and Real scored “just” 71 points. It’s a blueprint of how a team can beat the team of coach Laso, however we are not considering the balance of the forces in Euroleague completely changed. Real is still the team to beat, but it’s a fact that in Euroleague no team is unbeaten.
The underdog: Maccabi Tel Aviv
After beating Partizan (88-67) Maccabi became the sole leader of Group F, by staying unbeaten (4-o). Still the Israeli powerhouse is by far the less discussed team around Europe. On paper Maccabi can’t compete with the top contenders, but on the other hand, if they manage to get the home court advantage in the play offs, the energy that Nokia Arena gives to this team, makes them almost a lock for the Final Four. However the true test will come against Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow.
The favorite: Barcelona
The game against Unicaja was one more test, which Barcelona passed thanks to Juan Carlos Navarro. The final 83-79 was decided by his big shots and made the Catalans the sole leaders of Group E. Having already won on the road against Olympiacos and Fenerbahce/ Ulker, next week they are facing Panathinaikos in Athens and with one more “W” they will be more than favorites to get one of the top two final spots in the final standings, which translates to home court advantage in the play offs.
Last word: A love and hate affair
Fenerbahce/ Ulker beat Panathinaikos (77-72) in a game decided on details, the Greens are furious against the referees and send the DVD of the game to Euroleague headquarters along with a letter of protest addressed to Jordi Bertomeu. It’s not something unusual in European ball, but what makes it special is that this time the opponent was Zeljko Obradovic. Before the game both sides expressed their mutual respect, since Zoc for 13 years was sitting on the bench of PAO and won five Euroleagues. After the final buzzer, the story was different, even though no arrow from Panathinaikos was shot directly to Obradovic…