By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Six Top16 spots are still open as after eight weeks of action ten teams are already in. In Group A, Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes with a 6-2 record have qualified, in Group B CSKA Moscow (8-0), Maccabi Tel Aviv (5-3) and Unicaja (4-4) also, in Group C Barcelona (8-0), Fenerbahce/ Ulker (6-2) and Panathinaikos (5-3) and in Group D Olympiacos (7-1) and Crvena Zvezda (5-3).
That been said only Dinamo Sassari in Group A and Bayern Munich in Group C with a 1-7 record don’t have any chance of advancing and they are preparing for Eurocup. So here’s what we will remember from the 8th gameday.
MVP
He had a milestone performance with a personal best 43 ranking – one of the best nights in Euroleague history – and he did on the road. Despite the fact that Sassari is not a powerhouse, Unics Kazan had the pressure of staying on Top16 course and Fisher handled it with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists. His good month is one of the main reasons for Unics’ emergence.
Best five
- Daniel Hackett: Scoring 19 of his 25 points in the last quarter is one of the greatest performances in Euroleague this season. He also had 4 assists and 3 rebounds as he lead EA7 Milano practically to Top16.
- Jamar Smith: He has a shoot first attitude and with 18 points on 4/8 threes he was the key for Limoges’ win over Unicaja Malaga.
- Fernando San Emeterio: Perkins was the hero of the last minutes, but with the qualification of his team on the line, the captain of Baskonia scored 25 points on the road.
- Devin Smith: He is the heart and soul of this Maccabi team and he proved it against Alba with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and one steal in one more great all around game.
- D’ Or Fischer: After a slow start he is unstoppable
Best losing performance: Taylor Rochestie
The way he entered the game injured just to make two free throws will be remembered, even if his team should have been hit with a “T” after that. Rochestie had 22 points, 8 assists and 2 turnovers, his injury was the turning point of the game and if he stayed healthy until the end, then Nizhny may had registered the biggest win of the week.
Biggest win: EA7 Milano
A game won in the last shot in a do or die match up which eventually led Bayern Munich to Eurocup. No matter how you may judge it, the win of the Italian champions this week was the most important result. It directly and definitively affected both teams in their Top16 qualification, erasing any hope left for the Germans and giving Milano a great advantage.
The closers: Laboral Kutxa – Crvena Zvezda
In two crucial games for the Top16 race, both teams got road wins by imposing their will and shutting down their opponents in crunch time. The Serbs did it in Valencia for six minutes and got the Top16 ticket, the Spaniards did it in Istanbul against Galatasaray in the last three minutes now have the advantage.
The underachiever: Real Madrid
Simply put, that’s not the way to defend. Yes, Real got the road win, but there are great chemistry issues. Despite missing Ayon, the front line of the Spaniards has just too many good players, the roles are not defined and that affects their game a lot. So far, last season’s version of Real was much better than this incarnation.
The disappointment: Zalgiris Kaunas
When you start one of the biggest regular season games by scoring two points in the first quarter, then something is wrong. Zalgiris has earned a lot of praise until now, but against Anadolu Efes couldn’t do much. That been said, Zalgiris still has a huge void in the point guard position and that is expected to change in the future with the return of Donnie McGrath.
The last word: Spanoulis climbing the ladder
He passed Jaka Lakovic in the third place of the all time Euroleague scorers, but he wants to dethrone Juan Carlos Navarro. Yes, Vasilis Spanoulis is still hungry and not only for personal achievements. So, Euroleague be aware…
Euroleague 2014-2015 – 8th Day
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PGE Turow |
F.C. Barcelona |
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Galatasaray MP |
Laboral Kutxa |
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Crvena Zvezda T. |
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Neptunas |
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Cedevita Zagreb |
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Nizhny Novgorod |
Real Madrid |
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Limoges |
Unicaja Malaga |
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Dinamo Sassari |
UNICS Kazan |
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Maccabi Tel Aviv |
Alba Berlin |
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Zalgiris |
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EA7 Milano |
FC Bayern |