By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
It’s been seven weeks since the Top16 started and nothing is yet decided. Even if you consider Zalgiris Kaunas and Dogus Darussafaka Istanbul out of the race due to their 1-6 start, everything else is still debatable and anything can happen.
As you can see in the standings, only Fenerbahce in Group E can feel kind of safe, while everyone else is still fighting for their lives. Things are still very complicated, nothing is easy for anyone and even the champs have to battle in order to survive. And that’s what they did in Moscow with this guy putting on a show.
MVP
Gustavo Ayon
The Mexican center of Real Madrid had a career night as the champs got the road win against Khimki Moscow Region and they are back on track on their quest for the play offs. In this case the number are a proof of his game as Ayon had his best ever ranking (41) in Euroleague thanks to 24 points on 10/12 field goals, 4/6 free throws, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers. He was a one man front line!
Best five
- Milos Teodosic: The Serb guard was once again the leader of CSKA Moscow in the win over Olympiacos Piraeus. He had 21 points on 10/11 free throws, he made the three that sealed the game and he also had 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 rebounds and 1 turnover.
- Mike James: He was able to get a spot in our best five and stole the show from Giannis Bourousis. Against Brose Baskets Bamberg he registered 16 points, 2/3 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and one turnover, a solid game for Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz.
- Quincy Miller: He is not your typical small forward but we had to reward him for one more great game as he led Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade to the win over Cedevita Zagreb with 22 points, 8/15 field goals, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assists, 1 block and no turnovers.
- Gustavo Ayon: The best game of his Euroleague career until the next one…
- Ekpe Udoh: Fenerbahce‘s center flirted with a unique triple double as his team got the win over Unicaja Malaga with ease. Udoh had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks, to go along with 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover.
The best losing performance: James Augustine
The forward/center of Khimki Moscow Region tried his best against Real Madrid and he had a remarkable game with 20 points on 8/12 field goals and 7 rebounds. Still, he couldn’t lead the Russians to a key win over the champs. Despite a good start, Khimki finished the first half of Top16 with two defeats on a row.
Coach of the week: Velimir Perasovic
This is not the first time we see him here and it may not be the last one. Against a team which has an obvious coaching shield, like Brose Baskets, Perasovic found the way to impose the game of Laboral Kutxa and get an easy win. You can argue that having Bourousis in a career season makes things simple, but it’s the same player who last year lost his role in Madrid. Perasovic knows how to take advantage of his assets and that makes all the difference.
The biggest win: CSKA Moscow
It was the most crucial game of this week and it ended up with CSKA Moscow getting what they wanted. At the end of the first half of Top16 the Russians are sharing the top of Group F with Laboral Kutxa and despite the fact that they don’t have the tie breaker advantage at the moment, they will be hosting the Basques at Moscow in a few weeks. In a very difficult group, CSKA has once again the situation under its control after beating Olympiacos and keeping a two wins advantage over the Reds and also Barcelona.
The come back: Panathinaikos
Despite a bad 1-3 start in the Top16, Panathinaikos Athens got a crucial win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul and finished strong the first half of the second phase with 3 wins in a row. The Greens with a 4-3 record are sharing the third place of the Group E standings with Crvena Zvezda and they are back for good in the playoffs race. And keep in mind that the Greeks already added two more players in their back court who will be eligible to play after round 8, while they are also in the market for a big man.
The last word: The unbeaten
Only one team is still perfect in Top16. Fenerbahce, despite having its share of injury woes, missing Sloukas and Antic, is on top of Group E standings with a 7-0 record. The Turks, after making it to the Final Four last season, they are ready for more and so far things are going their way.