By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
You know that in Euroleague you have to expect the unexpected, but even from the second round of the regular season, surprises are coming from all over the place. Fenerbahce and Olympiacos lost, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is not safe at home and only CSKA Moscow is already rolling.
Just look at the standings! In Group A all teams are tied at 1-1, in Group B only Anadolu Efes is perfect with a 2-0 record, in Group C the same is true only for Lokomotiv Kuban and in Group D CSKA Moscow and Unicaja Malaga are at 2-0, while Maccabi Tel Aviv started the season at 0-2. It’s a mad world and a chance for old faces to take revenge, like it happened in Vitoria…
MVP
Playing against his old team, Olympiacos, he had a career night in Euroleague. He finished the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds, giving to Laboral Kutxa an overtime win which can be proven valuable in the race to Top16. He had 2/3 threes, 10/13 free throws, 4 steals, 3 assists, 2 blocks and no turnovers for a 44 PIR. The way he played, the result and his presence in key points of the game is the definition of the MVP.
Best Five
- Milos Teodosic: He did what he was expected to do in Sassari and that was 10 points and 10 assists, along with 3 turnovers in 23 minutes of action. CSKA is playing great and it’s back court is the reason so far.
- Kyle Weems: While the stars of Fenerbahce had trouble finding the basket, he had 22 points on 4/5 threes, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and no turnovers for SIG Strasbourg.
- Mindaugas Kuzminskas: He was the leader of Unicaja Malaga in Tel Aviv and led the Spaniards to the win with an amazing performance. He had 23 points, 9/11 field goals, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers
- James Gist: He had his career night against Pinar Karsiyaka and his numbers were just exceptional. The Panathinaikos forward had a personal best with 27 points, 11/13 field goals, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover. Amazing night…
- Giannis Bourousis: His best night can be the start for a reborn Laboral Kutxa.
Coach of the week: Vincent Collet
He has proven already in the French national team that he is a great coach and against Zeljko Obradovic and Fenerbahce he did it again. The defense of the French must be credited to him and the way his team reacted after the first quarter, during which the guests were leading, was admirable. Even if Strasbourg is still an underdog, we expect them to fight until the end.
Best losing performance: Matt Lojeski
He had also a career night, but couldn’t lead Olympiacos to the win. Still Lojeski had 28 points on 6/7 threes, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 turnovers. With Vasilis Spanoulis not ready yet after the recent Eurobasket, the Reds need from his those kind of games. In Vitoria, though, it was not enough.
Biggest win: Unicaja Malaga
There were many result this week that can play a major factor in the final standings of the regular season. Still Unicaja getting the road win in Tel Aviv is by far the biggest achievement. It’s a moral boost for the Spaniards who had troubles playing on the road and also not many teams are expected to beat Maccabi on the road. After this win, the status of Unicaja in Group D changed.
The explosion: Real Madrid
After losing to Khimki in round 1, Real Madrid needed to send a message. And they did exactly that by demolishing Crvena Zvezda Telekom. The final 98-71 score is almost flattering for the Serbs who were trailing by 36 points at half time (56-20). The champs are back with a vengeance.
The question marks: Olympiacos, Barcelona
The Reds were defeated on the road and Barcelona after losing to Karsiyaka was in danger of an other upset this time at home by Zielona Gora. Both teams are not in their best possible shape and even if the season is long and they are still among the elite, they must find ways to react.
The upset: Strasbourg
The French teams got two wins this week in Euroleague and if Limoges beating Cedevita wasn’t considered such a surprise, the win of Strasbourg by 21 points over Fenerbahce is a shocker! And yes, it’s still early in the season, but Nanterre not long ago proved that French teams can’t be taken lightly.
The last word: 3D’s last stand
Almost quietly, Dimitris Diamantidis became the 9th All time scorer of Euroleague in the win of Panathinaikos over Karsiyaka. A lot of people expect that this season the Greens will be a major factor in the competition and a return to the Final Four is within their reach. Meanwhile Diamantidis played once again a crucial role for his team with 12 points and 8 assists, proving that there’s still a log of gas in his tank. So considered yourselves warned…