By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Three teams need just one win in order to seal their place in the upcoming Final Four and one series is expected to evolve into a more than thrilling affair. Real Madrid, Barcelona and CSKA Moscow are at 2-0, while Maccabi Tel Aviv and EA7 Milano are tied at 1-1. One week is left in order to know which teams will travel to Milan on May and here’s what happened at Game 2.
MVP
Euroleague decided to give two MVP awards this week, but we picked Bourousis over a great performance by Jerrells. The second game between Real Madrid and Olympiacos was a much closer affair compared to the second game at Milan, Bourousis had a double double and if you pay attention to the rankings used by our site – which are a bit different than those of Euroleague – the Greek center is better by just one point while playing against his old team. If you want to read what he has to say, here’s his exclusive interview.
Best five
- Curtis Jerrells: He was first among equals in the great team effort of EA7 Milano, he had 17 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds as the Italians bounced back and tied the series with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- Brad Oleson: You can also call him mister perfect. The game against Galatasaray proved easy, but he had 14 points on 4/4 two pointers and 2/2 threes.
- Sonny Weems: He is the go-to-guy for CSKA and nobody could stop him from Panathinaikos, as he finished Game 2 with 23 points on 10/14 shots.
- Viktor Khryapa: He is still the best all around forward in Europe. That translates to 11 rebounds, 7 assists and just 4 points, but he took only three shots (two made two pointers and one missed three).
- Giannis Bourousis: He “killed” Olympiacos in the paint.
The round up
Olympiacos had his shot, tried to mount one of his trademark come backs in the end, but Real Madrid prevailed and the champs are on the verge of elimination. In Barcelona and Moscow the hosts got what the wanted against Arroyo-less Galatasaray and the worst ever game of Panathinaikos in Euroleague. Only the series between EA7 Milano and Maccabi Tel Aviv seems balanced at this point, after the great performance of the Italians on Friday night. Next stop on Sunday: Istanbul where Barcelona will try to get the win without injured Juan Carlos Navarro who didn’t travel with his team, due to his latest hamstring injury.