By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The start of the second round to Top16 provided what was expected. Big games, big performances, big debuts and big returns. And when it was all over, Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes proved to be in trouble.
As you can see in the standings, Fenerbahce is not unbeaten any more (7-1), followed by Lokomotiv Kuban (6-2), the tied duo of Crvena Zvezda and Panathinaikos (5-3), while Anadolu Efes is left two wins behind (3-5). In the “Group of Death” CSKA Moscow and Laboral Kutxa are still tied on the top (6-2), Real Madrid is third (5-3), Khimki and Barcelona are tied in the fourth place (4-4), while Brose Baskets and Olympiacos are left behind at 3-5. And speaking about returns and debuts, no one did it better than Joey.
MVP
Joey Dorsey
He made the first game of his return to Barcelona memorable. Dorsey was the key for the big win over Olympiacos, when he entered the court the game changed and he finished it with 12 points on 6/8 shots, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers. Those numbers give you an idea of the tremendous energy he brought to the table. He needed no time to adapt and saved the day for the Catalans.
Best Five
- Milos Teodosic: Once more the duo of Nando and Milos was amazing, but the Serb mastermind was a little bit better with 26 points on 6/9 threes in 26 minutes of action. He did have 4 turnovers and 3 assists, but on a shooting night like that, he gets away with it as CSKA Moscow beat Khimki Moscow Region.
- Elliot Williams: His numbers are not flashy (14 p., 0/3 3p., 2 r., 3 blocks against him), but he was the top scorer of Panathinaikos as the Greens became the first team to beat Fenerbahce in Top16. And that’s not small at all, considering also the fact that this was his Euroleague debut!
- Anthony Randolph: He had one of the best ever games in Euroleague. How else can you describe 28 points on 10/14 FG, 7/10 FT, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 2 turnovers in less than 28 minutes of action as Lokomotiv Kuban destroyed Cedevita.
- Felipe Reyes: He became the 9th all time Euroleague scorer, he had 18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 turnovers and he secured the crucial road win of Real Madrid against Brose Baskets with 4/4 free throws. A real veteran leader.
- Joey Dorsey: We have three big men in our best five this week and he was the reason for that.
Best performance from a losing team: Darius Miller
Brose Baskets was near the big win over Real Madrid and Miller was a big part of that. He had a great shooting night with 8/9 field goals for a total of 20 points without going not even once in the free throws line. He also had 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 rebound and 1 block. He did his part, his team gave a great fight, but didn’t close the game the right way.
Coach of the week: Oktay Mahmuti
It’s easy to blame him for the unspectacular brand of basketball Dogus Darussafaka produces, but on the win against Unicaja Malaga, his team finally played according to his vision. Mahmuti is known for the way his teams defend and that was the case, keeping Unicaja Malaga to just 55 points. The Spaniards score 73 ppg this year, defense was the key for the winners and Mahmuti must be finally pleased by his players. However, both Unicaja and Darussafaka are tied at 2-6 and the odds are against them in the playoffs race.
The biggest win: FC Barcelona Lassa
It was a do or die game for both sides and the winners took the maximum. Not only they have pushed Olympiacos to the ropes, but they also covered the 12 points from their defeat at Piraeus in case of a tie. After their defeat in “Copa Del Rey” quarterfinals, Barcelona needed a result which can return their season back on track and they got exactly that in an impressive way.
The big step: Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
The win of the Serbs doesn’t qualify as an upset at this point, however it was more than crucial. Anadolu Efes now has a mountain to climb in order to get to the playoffs, while Zvezda has the tie breaking advantage with Efes and a road win over Panathinaikos. At this point the Serbs are masters of their fate and have the advantage for a place in the playoffs.
The – non – upset: Laboral Kutxa
Zalgiris Kaunas tried hard in order to get its second Top16 win, but things were not easy on the road against Laboral Kutxa. Even if the Lithuanians were in the game for 35 minutes, the players of coach Perasovic have at this point of the season the know how and also the self confidence to win close games, even against more solid opponents.
The last word: His home
Zeljko Obradovic so far hasn’t celebrated a win with Fenerbahce on the road at OAKA in three visits. Still this doesn’t change the respect he has the fans of both sides. He is worshipped and Istanbul, but also in Athens as you can see…