By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Every playoff series brings its own brand of excitement, but some are naturally more dramatic than others. Eurohoops.net went back in time to review all the Euroleague playoff series since the introduction of the current format for the 2004-05 season – with best-of-three quarterfinals at first and best-of-five series since 2009.
The result was 44 playoff series, from which 12 different teams have secured qualification to the Final Four. Eurohoops chose the 10 series it deemed the most exciting based on their dramatic developments and the level of difficulty for the teams that ultimately came out on top.
Season: 2005-06
Playoff series: Panathinaikos Athens 1-2 Tau Ceramica Vitoria
Results: 84-72, 79-85, 71-74
Tau – now known as Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz – was going through the best period in club history, with players like Luis Scola, Tiago Splitter, Travis Hansen, Serkan Erdogan and Pablo Prigioni, when it faced Panathinaikos, who had the home-court advantage and a roster filled with stars: Vassilis Spanoulis, Dimitris Diamantidis, Fragiskos Alvertis, Dejan Tomasevic. The Greens came in with home-court advantage and the first two games each went to the home team. But it was Tau that prevailed in the winner-take-all Game 3.
The most-important game: Panathinaikos 71-74 Tau in Game 3
Tau took charge in the first half and led 36-42 at the break. The Greens came back in the third quarter, which ended with the hosts up 53-52. The teams traded blows throughout the fourth quarter. A pair of Erdogan free throws gave Tau a late 4-point cushion. Diamantidis split free throws at the other end and Alvertis missed a three-pointer that would have taken the game into overtime. Thus Tau qualified for the Final Four for the second year in a row.
Series MVP: Serkan Erdogan (13.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 11 index rating)
The Turkish guard was the best player of the third game and, indeed, made those crucial free throws that, in the end, gave his team a Final Four berth.
Season: 2006-07
Playoff series: Unicaja Malaga 2-1 Wintherthur FC Barcelona
Results: 91-75, 58-80, 67-64
With Sergio Scariolo at the helm, Unicaja scored its best achievement in Europe with its first – and to date only – qualification for a Final Four. Unicaja knocked out Barcelona in suspenseful series.
The most important game: Unicaja 67-64 Barcelona in Game 3
In a packed Martin Carpena Arena, Unicaja claimed its historic qualification. The game was in the balance until the final seconds. The hero was Pepe Sanchez, who, with a three-pointer 7 seconds to the end, ended Barcelona’s dreams and while Marcus Brown iced the game from the free throw line.
Series MVP: Marko Tusek (8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 12.7 index rating)
The Slovenian forward carried his team in offense in the two home games that lifted Unicaja.