By John Rammas/ info@eurohoops.net
As always, status, team dynamics, form and the significance of results were taken into consideration for ranking the 16 teams.
16. Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Previous ranking: 15 (-1)
Record: 6-19
At home: 4-9
Away: 2-10
Offense-defense: 76.9 ppg.-83.4 ppg.
With seven defeats in its last eight games, Anadolu Efes Istanbul is stuck in last place and it will be difficult to get unstuck. Despite the addition of Sonny Weems, the team’s offense remains one of the worst (second worst), as does its defense (third worst), and Efes also has the worst points difference (-159). Despite all this, with a schedule that includes three games against top-eight teams (vs. Khimki Moscow Region in Round 27, at Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 28 and at Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz in Round 30), Efes‘s impact on the competition can still be meaningful.
15. FC Barcelona Lassa
Previous ranking: 11 (-4)
Record: 8-17
At home: 7-6
Away: 1-11
Offense-defense: 80.4 ppg.-79.8 ppg.
The loss to AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan was the last game for FC Barcelona Lassa under the instructions of Sito Alonso, but changing coaches (Svetislav Pesic returned) didn’t change the results either. The 88-54 win over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Round 25 was Barca’s first after five consecutive defeats, which were enough to keep them pinned at second-to-last place since Round 22. At the same time, it was the seventh win in 13 home games, which is completely at odds with Barcelona’s away record, the worst in the entire competition with only one win (65-79 at Khimki in Round 15).
14. Valencia Basket
Previous ranking: 13 (-1)
Record: 9-16
At home: 7-6
Away: 2-10
Offense-defense: 77.5 ppg.-80.3 ppg.
With every passing round, Valencia Basket is coming to terms with its fate, one that, unfortunately for some teams, is linked to their fate as well. And this is because with wins like those against Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens (67-63 in Round 15), Khimki (85-83 in Round 20), CSKA Moscow (103-99 in Round 22) and Brose Bamberg (86-70 in Round 24) recently, Valencia seems to have taken on the role of regulator. The Spanish champion will try to do the same thing for the rest of the regular season as well, especially at home (against Real Madrid in Round 27 and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv in Round 30), since away from home, Valencia still have one of the worst records (third worst).
13. Brose Bamberg
Previous ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: 9-16
At home: 7-5
Away: 2-11
Offense-defense: 75.4 ppg.-79.5 ppg.
For a while now, Brose had started taking a tumble in the rankings and following the 77-69 defeat by Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul in Round 22, it was time for Andrea Trinchieri to lose his spot on the bench, too. Now, the German champs continue under the instructions of Luca Banchi, who made his debut in the 87-79 loss to Olympiacos in Round 25, Brose’s third loss in the last four games. How could it be otherwise with the worst offense in the competition? When Brose has managed to excel on offense, it has done some damage (a 93-86 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 and a 95-74 win over Panathinaikos in Round 21), but away from home Brose has the second-worst record in the league.
12. Unicaja Malaga
Previous ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 10-15
At home: 7-5
Away: 3-10
Offense-defense: 77.6 ppg.-80.7 ppg.
Unicaja Malaga has been in 10th place for 12 rounds now and could have been going after something better at the close of the regular season if they hadn’t suffered seven defeats in its last 10 games. The last two were away from Malaga (80-76 at Zvezda in Round 24 and 101-76 at CSKA in Round 25), where Unicaja seems to always come up short as the team with the fifth-worst road record. The sixth-worst defense hasn’t helped the situation either, especially since it’s combined with the 11th-best offense.
11. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Previous ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 10-15
At home: 7-5
Away: 3-10
Offense-defense: 77.3 ppg.-83.2 ppg.
As of late, Zvezda has been fluctuating between 11th and 12th place and the explanation for this is simple, for almost every home win (like the 80-76 victory over Unicaja in Round 24) there is also an away loss (fifth worst record), including last week’s 88-54 trouncing at Barcelona. This latest result fully reflects their image on both ends of the court, where Zvezda has been the fourth-worst on offense and fourth-worst on defense. With four of the reaming five games against likely playoff teams (at Panathinaikos, vs, Fenerbahce, vs. Madrid, at CSKA), the final stretch appears to be just as difficult.
10. AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan
Previous ranking: 16 (+6)
Record: 9-16
At home: 5-7
Away: 4-9
Offense-defense: 81.6 ppg.-85.7 ppg.
Milan has been unable to get unstuck from the bottom of the rankings for a while now, but with five wins in the last eight games, the bottom spots no longer have its name. In fact, Milan’s last win was against Khimki, which greatly influenced the situation in the playoff hunt as well as the race for home-court advantage. If Milan’s defense (worst in the competition) was as good as its offense (sixth best), perhaps now their motivation wouldn’t just be limited to prestige.
9. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv
Previous ranking: 7 (-2)
Record: 13-12
At home: 9-4
Away: 4-8
Offense-defense: 81.8 ppg.-84.1 ppg.
Maccabi has never been out of the top eight this season, but seeing that it has been in eighth place for the last eight rounds and with the difference from ninth having been reduced to the minimum, it’s time to redefine. The combination of the fifth-best offense with the second-worst defense poses some risks, something that was confirmed three times (99-84 at Zalgiris, 83-69 at Malaga, 73-93 against CSKA) in the last five games. Not that what’s coming would have been any easier in a different situation, not with consecutive games against three teams of the top eight (vs. Khimki, at Fenerbahce, vs. Panathinaikos) and one against its pursuer (at Baskonia).
8. Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
Previous ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 12-13
At home: 7-4
Away: 5-9
Offense-defense: 82.1 ppg.-80.2 ppg.
Baskonia has been stuck in ninth place since Round 11, but now it’s very close to the playoff zone. Consecutive wins against Khimki (87-77 in Round 24) and Valencia (71-81 in Round 25) that followed the consecutive losses to Panathinaikos (80-76 in Round 22) and CSKA (93-86 in Round 23), helped get Baskonia within one win of eighth place and, guided by the fourth-best offense, this team is hoping to make the playoffs. The remaining schedule features four home games and just one road game (in Spain, at Barcelona in Round 28), should give Baskonia reasons for optimism.
7. Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens
Previous ranking: 4 (-3)
Record: 14-11
At home: 11-2
Away: 3-9
Offense-defense: 77.6 ppg.-78.0 ppg.
With three defeats in a row and six in the last eight games, Panathinaikos hasn’t only lost second place, it’s also lost its spot among the top four. Following last week’s 92-75 defeat in Madrid, the Greens have the seventh-worst away record and now there is also the trip to Malaga. And even though it’s still one of the best (fourth best), the Greek champs’ defense is now worse than their offense. Panathinaikos has not won a game since Mike James’s return, but it’s not too late.
6. Khimki Moscow Region
Previous ranking: 8 (+2)
Record: 14-11
At home: 9-4
Away: 4-8
Offense-Defense: 77.6 ppg.-77.6 ppg.
Khimki is one of four teams that has never been out of the top eight this season, but despite that its game is anything but consistent. The last two defeats (87-77 at Baskonia, 77-86 against Milan), which were preceded by consecutive wins over Zalgiris and Panathinaikos, confirm this fact, as does the almost perfect balance on offense and defense, despite the presence of the competition’s top scorer, Alexey Shved. Khimki will have to improve in several areas, like its road record (seventh best), especially now with back-to-back visits to Maccabi and Efes approaching and, immediately after, home games against CSKA and Fenerbahce.