By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After just six weeks of action, no team is left unbeaten, some traditional favorites are in danger and new forces are emerging in a Euroleague season which is turning to be more than unexpected.
As you can see in the standings in Group A Fenerbahce Istanbul (5-1) and Khimki Moscow Region (4-2) are leading the race, while Real Madrid is just fourth (2-4). Only in Group B with Olympiacos Piraeus being at 5-1 and Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz at 4-2 things seem to be like usual. In Group C FC Barcelona Lassa and Lokomotiv Kuban share the top at 5-1, while Panathinaikos Athens is fourth at 2-4. And in Group D CSKA Moscow and Unicaja Malaga are leading at 5-1 and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is fifth with just one win (1-5). But let’s get back to Real, or to be more exact to Khimki…
MVP
He “killed” Real Madrid as a member of Maccabi Tel Aviv back in the final of 2014 and he did it again for Khimki Moscow Region in the 85-82 win. He had 18 points on 6/14 shots, 8 assists, 4 turnovers and 2 steals. It was not his finest game, but at the end he beat the champs on their home and put them in real trouble (pun intended). Plus Khimki at this point is a Top16 lock.
Best five
- Tyrese Rice: He always means trouble for Real…
- Bobby Dixon: He scored 25 points on 27 minutes, 16 of them in the first quarter, 7/13 threes and also had 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and one turnover. That’s how you can easy explain why Fenerbahce got an easy win against Bayern Munich.
- Μalcolm Delaney: In just four minutes at the end of the third quarter he scored 20 of his 23 points as he gave to Lokomotiv Kuban the lead that proven to be enough in order for the Russians to get the road win over Panathinaikos at OAKA. He also had 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 turnovers.
- Luke Harangody: He was playing on the road, but felt right at home with 26 points on 4/5 threes, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and no turnovers as Dogus Darussafaka kept Dinamo Sassari to zero wins for one more round. Yes, the opponent was not the strongest, but Harangody was great.
- Bryant Dunston: He is well known for his defensive abilities, but he surprised everyone in the win of Anadolu Efes against Limoges with 12 points on 6/8 shots, 11 rebounds and also 7 assists. Add to those numbers 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 block for a great performance.
Best losing performance
Quincy Miller almost had it done for Crvena Zvezda. The Serbs couldn’t control the game until the end despite an 18 points half time lead, but he did the best he could with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. It was an amazing night for him but it didn’t end with a win.
Coach of the week: Xavi Pascual
His results prove his worth, however Barcelona started this Euroleague season with a road defeat by Karsiyaka. After six rounds, this remains the only defeat of the Catalans who exploded at home against Karsiyaka for the 107-79 win. The 107 points are a record for the club and the new roster of coach Pascual seems to be heading to the right direction, which is of course Berlin.
Biggest win
Khimki needed a big win in order to prove that it should be considered at least a playoffs contender. They did just that in Madrid against the champs by playing their own brand of basketball and also by not backing down when the Spaniards made their run in order to come back and win the game. After that, everyone should keep an eye on them.
The comeback
Strasbourg was trailing by 18 points at half time (52-34) and the reaction of Vincent Collet’s players was admirable. They let Crvena Zvezda score just 23 points in the second half and got a well-deserved win. It remains to be seen if they can keep up and get a spot in the Top16, which is not at all a small feat in their case. Also we have to mention that Jeremy Leloup had a monster game with 24 points and 8 rebounds, he was part of our best five, but then Malcolm Delaney happened…
The defensive clinic
How do you stop an unbeaten team? Just play defense. Brose Bamberg did that as the German champs beat Unicaja Malaga by letting the Spaniards score just 53 points, three more than their worst offensive performance in Euroleague. This win was a huge step for the Top16…
The unbreakable
Olympiacos traveled to Zagreb without Spanoulis, Printezis and Young. Cedevita was riding a hot streak, having a 3-2 record and a great chance to get one more win at home against an opponent which was missing its biggest stars. In theory. On the court Olympiacos proved to be as resilient as ever, even when Matt Lojeski due to a strain was forced to sit on the bench and the Reds got the win. Players may change, but the mentality is always the same…
The disappointment
EA7 Milano and Maccabi Tel Aviv are at 1-5 and they have to wake up soon in order to catch in the last moment the Top16 train and Real Madrid is on the same page, even with a 2-4 record. The funny thing is that on paper the roster of those teams seems better than last year. However until now this is not evident on the court. The back court duo of Rochestie and Farmar does not click yet for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Defense is – and has been – always an issue for Milan. Real also doesn’t play much defense and the small ball of coach Laso is not an option, but a necessity due to a pretty thin front line. There’s still time to change things around, but the omens are not good…
The last word
As usual the devil is on the details. Giorgos Bartzokas beat Panathinaikos at OAKA having on his side Christos Pappas as an assistant. It was the same duo that was defeated by the Greens at the first official game – for the Greek cup – of the 2014-15 season and left Olympiacos. However, they say that revenge is a dish best served cold…