Aftermath (EL 6g.) – Night to remember

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

The double overtime win of Galatasaray over Crvena Zvezda overshadowed everything else in the 6th week of Euroleague’s regular season. Still as the race for the Top16 is getting harder, we already have the teams which are one step away from the second phase.

In Group B CSKA Moscow remain unbeaten and the same goes in Group C for Barcelona and in Group D for Olympiacos. Valencia on the other hand in Group D and Bayern Munich in Group C with a 1-5 record are on the verge of elimination, while the top in Group A belongs to Real Madrid (5-1). So let’s get to the point and present what happened in two days of great basketball.

MVP

Zoran Erceg

His numbers were just crazy. In 41 minutes he scored 32 points on 7/15 shots, among them the buzzer beater three which led the game to overtime. He also had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals with no turnovers. Ιn total his ranking was 41, his personal best in Euroleague. He was the man who didn’t let Galatasaray fall in the last second of the regular time and he was there in the two overtimes, along of course with Carlos Arroyo.

Best five

1. Yogev Ohayon: Pargo was the hero of the last minute, but the new captain of Maccabi was equally impressive with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and also 3 turnovers, keeping his team in the game against Limoges.
2. Taylor Rochestie:  As Nizhny has already 3 wins and can make it to Top16, Rochestie emerges as its leader, having a career best 29 points against Sassari, 7 assists and 5 turnovers.
3. Nando De Colo: Without Teodosic on the court, the Frenchman had more room to operate and he finished the game with 22 points on 8/12 shots, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 turnovers in the triumph against Alba Berlin.
4. Zoran Erceg: A real MVP
5. Loukas Mavrokefalidis: He missed the start of the season due to injury and he made an impressive return with a Euroleague career best of 21 points on 6/7 shots, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the win of Panathinaikos over Turow.

 

Best losing performance: Boban Marjanovic

He punished the front line of Galatasaray with 23 points and 17 rebounds, he had 9/11 free throws making all the crucial ones and if Crvena Zvezda had won, Marjanovic would be our MVP, above stand outs like Mitrovic, Kalinic and of course the new record holder in Euroleague with 17 assists, Marcus Williams. Also Thomas Heurtel had his best ever Euroleague game with 31 points on 8/10 threes and he was the reason behind the come back of Laboral Kutxa in Klaipeda. He couldn’t finish the job, but  he had also 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and no turnovers in 37 minutes of action.

Biggest win: Galatasaray

In the big picture of the competition, the win of Galatasaray over Crvena Zvezda may not have such an impact. However there are some games that can be used as prime examples for the beauty of basketball. This was one of those games with Galatasaray getting the 110-103 win after a double overtime and an epic fight.

The (almost) upset: Zalgiris Kaunas

Zalgiris Kaunas has proven that despite its financial issues, it still is a solid Euroleague level team. In the game against Real Madrid they almost reached a big win, but in the end couldn’t get it in the last minute. Even in defeat, however, Zalgiris can smile and hope for bigger things to came down the road in the season.

The underachiever: EA7 Milano

Milano is still a work in progress and despite the offensive talent of the team, they lost to Fenerbahce/ Ulker with one of their problems being mediocre shooting. There’s discontent in Italy for Kleiza and Brooks, Shawn James is not a factor yet and the Italian champions have to wake up in time, since they are still in danger of missing the Top16.

The surprise: Neptunas Klaipeda

Can the newcomers from Lithuania get to the Top16? Judging by their results so far, they sure do. When the play at home they don’t back down to no one. So far, only unbeaten Olympiacos got the road win in Klaipeda and the Greeks needed an overtime. Still they need a road win, not only in order to prove that they can be competitive outside their country’s order, but also to secure their spot in the second round.

The disappointment: Bayern Munich

Bayern needed a little miracle and the signing of Bo McCalebb proved to be not. Against a great opponent, but in the game which may have been the last big chance for the Germans to get back to the Top16 race, the team of coach Pesic let Barcelona score 38 points in the second quarter. In theory Bayern can still make it, but we wouldn’t put our money on this bet.

The last word: Carlos Arroyo

How can a 35 years old player can be the only one in 12 years who had stayed on the court in a double overtime game for 50 minutes? The answer is that he is named Carlos Arroyo and he repeated what Marcus Brown did 12 years ago in the game Efes vs Barcelona. The leader of Galatasaray also made all the big shots and you can enjoy once more his recent great interview.

Euroleague 2014-2015 – 6th Day