Aftermath (Top16 7g.) – Play offs preview

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

The champs were down, the rest of the favorites won and now things get really serious. With one round left in Top16 we have a pretty good image for the teams who are play offs bound and what to expect from them.

In Group E, Real Madrid is leading (6-1), followed by Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv (5-2). Barcelona is fourth (4-3), Alba is behind the Catalans (3-4), Galatasaray and Zalgiris Kaunas are tied at 2-5 and Crvena Zvezda is left at 1-6.

In Group F the race for the top continues between CSKA and Olympiacos (6-1), Fenerbahce (5-2) surpassed Anadolu Efes (4-3), Laboral Kutxa (3-4) is fifth, Nizhny lost ground (2-5), while EA7 Milano and Unicaja Malaga have one win (1-6).

MVP

Jamel McLean

He is having a break out season and he did again one the road against the defending champs, leading Alba to the win with 18 points, 6 rebound and 2 steals. He has  no fear mentality which was evident in the closing minutes of the game and even if Alba doesn’t make it to the play offs, the win over Maccabi on the road can have huge ramifications in the final standings.

Best Five

1. Darius Adams: After endless changes of players, finally Laboral Kutxa found one who can be a factor. He proved it with 20 points and the biggest shot of the game against Unicaja.
2. Tomas Satoransky: He had the best game so far in his career with Barcelona, scoring 17 points on 7/10 FG, having also 4 rebounds, 3 assists and no turnovers against Galatasaray.
3. Rudy Fernandez: He is improving constantly and this time he was the top scorer of Real Madrid with 17 points on just 6/8 shots, leading the Spaniards to the road win over Zalgiris Kaunas.
4. Giorgos Printezis: An offensive force on the post with 20 points on 22 minutes and also 5 rebounds on the road for Olympiacos against Nizhny Novgorod.
5. Jamel McLean: His break out season continues.

Best losing performance: Artsiom Parakhouski

He is one of the key players in Niznhy’s great run this year in Euroleague. He proved against Olympiacos, having his best Euroleague game so far with 25 points on 11/16 shots and also 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. Parakhouski more than held his ground against one of the top teams of the continent and maybe the best is yet to come for him.

Biggest win: Fenerbahce/ Ulker

There was no bigger game this week, no bigger plays and no biggest scene in Europe. In the end Fenerbahce/ Ulker finished the game the right way, getting something from every player on the court, not depending only on one option and thriving in defense. It doesn’t get much better than this and despite the pressure of the game which usually turns him purple, Obradovic has a lot to smile for…

The upset: Alba Berlin

Nobody can underestimate the Germans, but let’s face. After nine consecutive defeats by Maccabi, the road win in Tel Aviv is the definition of an upset. Still Alba somehow became the only team this season that has beaten the Euroleague and also the NBA champs, even in a prep game.

The return: CSKA Moscow

Three defeats were too much for a team like CSKA and even if Milano with a 14-0 run at the start of the second half seemed fearless, the Russians are just too strong, too deep, too talented and destined for greatness. That’s why they needed this win and they got it with ease.

The prestige: Panathinaikos

Despite the fact that the Greens let Crvena Zvezda come back from a 22 points lead, the point is that in the end, at OAKA Panathinaikos knows what needs to be done. Most of Ivanovic’s players were not in the best of nights, however they were focused when counted and got one more valuable win.

The dissapointment: Unicaja Malaga

Well we like Unicaja, but in a do or die game against a Spanish team – Laboral Kutxa which arguably is on the rise – the leaders of Liga Endesa couldn’t get what they needed. Even with a miracle second round, the play offs are more than far fetched at this point.

The last word: Saras

What can you say about this guy? He is one of a kind and that’s a fact. He was honored as a “Euroleague legend” but he didn’t need an award for that. He is loved from Barcelona to Athens and from Tel Aviv to Kaunas, he was the most dominant player of the league in his primes and as a coach – an assistant for the moment – he will be always near a basketball court. So there’s more the come from him.

Euroleague 2014-2015 – 17th Day