By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Shortly before the close of the 16th Euroleague season of this century, Fenerbahce Istanbul became the 15th team to complete a season with a perfect home record. Eurohoops.net presents a rundown of them all.
It’s not easy to complete an undefeated season at home, which the history of the competition proves. Fenerbahce Istanbul just became the 15th team to complete an undefeated campaign in front of its home crowd. And Fenerbahce’s achievement is all the more impressive because there are many more games in a season than in previous seasons! Fenerbahce has now reeled off 21 consecutive wins on its home court going back to last season, are still far away from the ultimate home winning streak.
Check out the teams that have gone undefeated at home for an entire season, what the longest streaks are and the strange statistic that connects the teams that have accomplished this feat: only one of them managed to win the Euroleague trophy!
Season: 2001-02
Team: Benetton Treviso
Home win record: 10-0
Reached: Final Four
Benetton launched its streak of 22 consecutive home wins at the start of the 2001-02 season. The team lost only five road games during the season as well in securing a berth at the Final Four in Bologna before falling in the semifinal to Kinder.
Season: 2002-03
Team: FC Barcelona
Home win record: 10-0
Reached: Euroleague champion
The only team that won the Euroleague while finishing the season undefeated at home is Barcelona! After winning all seven regular season home games and three more in the Top 16, Barca actually hosted the 2003 Final Four, in which it knocked off CSKA Moscow in the semifinals and Benetton in the championship game. Barcelona’s win streak at home would reach 25 in total, starting with a November 2001 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas and lasting until March 2004, when it lost to Benetton.
Season: 2002-03
Team: Benetton Treviso
Home win record: 10-0
Reached: Final Four
Benetton built the original home-court fortress as it completed its second straight perfect season at home. That success on the home floor led to back-to-back Final Four appearances.
Season: 2002-03
Team: CSKA Moscow
Home win record: 10-0
Reached: Final Four
CSKA completed the 2002-03 season a perfect record in Moscow, which helped start its run of 13 Final four appearances over the next 14 years. CSKA’s home-court streak reached 12 with wins in its first two games the following season.
Season: 2004-05
Team: Efes Pilsen Istanbul
Home win record: 11-0
Reached: Playoffs
Efes finished the 2004-05 season unbeaten at home and got to the playoffs, but was unable to advance to the Final Four. Efes’s streak spanned parts of three seasons and reached 21 home wins in total.
Season: 2005-06
Team: Tau Ceramica Vitoria
Home win record: 11-0
Reached: Final Four, Championship Game
The first of back-to-back undefeated seasons at home for the club was in 2005-06. The streak, which would eventually get to 34, began the previous January and lasted 34 months.
Season: 2006-07
Team: CSKA Moscow
Home win record: 12-0
Reached: Final Four, Championship Game
The second biggest home-court winning streak belongs to CSKA, which won 28 consecutive games in Moscow from January 2006 through April 2008, when it lost Game 1 of the playoffs against Olympiacos Piraeus.
Season: 2006-07
Team: Tau Ceramica Vitoria
Home win record: 11-0
Reached: Final Four
The team completed a second consecutive perfect season at home and extended the run into the next season for 30 consecutive wins, for the longest such streak in Euroleague history. The streak came to an end in November 2007 at the hands of CSKA.