By Alex Madrid / info@eurohoops.net
Khimki Moscow Region recovered from a 17-game slip on Tuesday night with a narrow win over Real Madrid that put an end to a significant bad record for the Russian side.
This losing streak, however, has not been a first in the competition. Several teams, during the old and new format, have struggled to keep up with the competition, entering the “history books” of EuroLeague as those with the longest losing streaks.
12. Cibona Zagreb
Lost streak: 11 *
Season: 1 game from 2009-10 and 10 from 2010-11
The first entry on the list is somewhat of a “cheat”. Cibona Zagreb had eleven consecutive defeats between the last game of the 2009-10 season and the entire following campaign.
The Croatian team lost their last game in the Top 16 of 2010, to Baskonia. A memorable squad, that featured Beno Udrih, Leon Radosevic, Marko Tomas and Bojan Bogdanovic.
11. Besiktas
Losing streak: 11 games
Season: 2012-13 Top 16
Besiktas finished in a creditable third place in their group during the regular season of the 2012-13 campaign, behind only Barça and CSKA Moscow. However, the problems started in the Top 16.
They were drawn in a difficult group, along with Olympiacos, Khimki, Baskonia, Barça, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Fenerbahce and Montepaschi Siena. Lack of experience in their first and only Euroleague season took its toll. The Turkish side, led by Curtis Jerrells, Daniel Ewing and Gasper Vidmar that year, lost the first 11 matches of the Top 16 round.
10. Galatasaray
Losing streak: 11
Season: 2014-15 Top 16
Galatasaray experienced a similar case to Besiktas in 2015. After a good regular season, with victories over Olympiacos or Valencia Basket, they sank into the Top 16 with a 2-12 record.
The Turkish team won their first and third matches of the phase, but Barça, Panathinaikos, Maccabi, current champions, and Real Madrid, which would eventually end the season lifting the title, made them lose their last eleven games of the season. In the following campaign, they would compete in the EuroCup.
Carlos Arroyo, Vladimir Micov and Martynas Pocius were part of that team, led by Ergin Ataman.
9. Asseco Prokom
Losing streak: 12
Season: Regular season and Top 16 of the 2008-09 season
Asseco Prokom reached the Top 16 of the Euroleague in 2008, although more due to lack of competition than due to its own merits. The Polish team beat Zalgiris and Sluc Nancy at the start of the season, enough to reach the next stage, but not to compete at a good level.
They closed the campaign winning in Milan but it came after losing the previous 12 games. That team, which included players like Qyntel Woods, David Logan and Pat Burke, won 3 of their 16 games.
8. UNICS Kazan
Losing streak: 12
Season: 2016-17 Regular Season
UNICS was the victim of the first Euroleague season under the new format. The Russians had to face all the great powers of Europe in a challenging course.
Until the 17th Round, the team then led by Evgeny Pashutin, had shown solidity, reaching seven victories. However, a streak of 12 defeats made them sink in the standings. A victory on the last Round in Milan allowed them to finish the season as the last classified, putting the Italian team at the bottom.
Keith Langford, who finished the year as the top scorer in the Euroleague, and Quino Colom showed a very high level despite the negative record.
7. Darussafaka
Losing streak: 12
Season: 2018-19 Regular Season
Darussafaka returned to the Euroleague in 2018 as the EuroCup champions. However, the team had been weakened, starting with the departure of their coach, David Blatt, and their big star, Scottie Wilbekin.
The Turkish team could only win in one of their first 14 games, coinciding precisely with the terrible streak of 12 consecutive games falling. Although they improved in the second round, they could only achieve 5 victories in the entire season. Toney Douglas, Jeremy Evans and Michael Eric were part of that team, without a level to withstand the demands of the Euroleague.
6. ASVEL
Losing streak: 13
Season: 9 games in 2003-04 and 4 in 2004-05
During their first two seasons in the Euroleague, ASVEL gave a great level in the competition. However, the next two were much tougher, scoring just four wins in 24 regular-season games.
Between the end of the 2003-04 season and the start of the 2004-05, the French team had 13 consecutive defeats. It would take five more years to return to compete in the top European competition. Robert Gulyas, Huseyin Besok and Terrell Lyday are some of the most outstanding players of those two seasons.
5. Le Mans
Losing streak: 12
Season: 1 game from 2006-07 and 12 from 2007-08
Again, a loss to Baskonia the previous season started a streak that would go into the books of Euroleague history. During the first twelve games of the 2007-08 campaign, and although it was close to avoiding it on several occasions, Le Mans was defeated.
That team, with some young Nicolas Batum (in the image, with the Nancy shirt) or Antoine Diot, managed to smile at the end of the campaign, adding two consecutive victories against Cibona and Milano.