By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Last Aftermath of this Eurocup season, one that mainly focuses on the players who led their teams to the quarterfinals. In the games that decided the best eight teams of the competition we witnessed a surprise that made a serious bang. Those responsible for it are also given special mention in our epilogue of the Eighth-Finals stage.
MVP
From any viewpoint you might look at it, Errick McCollum was the absolute protagonist in the Eighth-Finals for Galatasaray. After being the best player of the “CimBom” in Izmir, against Pinar Karsiyaka the American guard reloaded his calibers, being absolutely ready for the re-match in Istanbul. He entered the court with all guns blazing, giving his team a valuable double digit lead at the end of the first half, displaying some of the greatest basketball that we have ever seen him perform so far in Europe. While he was not so impressive in the second half, it was his overall performance (21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks) that paved the road for Galatasaray’s comfortable victory and qualification to the quarterfinals.
Best Five
- Errick McCollum – Galatasaray: The MVP in both games and during the whole Eighth-Finals stage of the competition probably. A bright beacon for Galatasaray’s offense.
- Anton Gavel – Bayern Munich: He had his best performance of the season so far in a critical game vs Alba Berlin, when he was called to play also for absent Nihad Dedovic. Gavel finished the match with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals making the most out of increased playing time that coach Pesic entrusted on him.
- Mateusz Ponitka – Zielona Gora: A thunderous performance for the Polish swingman who was particularly immense in the second half against Unics Kazan. On his return from the locker rooms Ponitka look like a super hero straight of the pages of a comic book for Zielona Gora, scoring 12 out of his 18 points in the third quarter, hurting his opponents on offense and being almost everywhere on defense. He also had 3 steals in a night to remember for his team.
- Jamel McLean – EA7 Milano: In the great skirmishes that took place inside the paint against Banvit, McLean had the last laugh, scoring 16 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in what was proven to be a quite difficult challenge for Milano.
- Julian Wright – Dolomiti Energia Trento: Dominant from start to finish and crafty enough to be a problem for his opponents on both ends of court. The big man of Trento once again showed why he is definitely one of the best centers in the competition, carrying his team to the quarterfinals with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, no turnovers at all against Zaragoza.
Biggest Win: Zielona Gora
The game in Poland didn’t really foreshadow what would happen in Kazan. Zielona Gora needed a victory with 4 plus points, against Unics order to advance. They did it against all odds, versus an opponent with a larger and more quality roster, on the road and, in the end, by making it look almost… casual. It was definitely a triumph and one of the biggest victories in the club’s history, since Zielona Gora had never made it to the Eurocup quarterfinals. Until now.
Best performance by a player in a defeated team: Adrien Moerman – Banvit Bandirma
Putting his usual fighting spirit on court, Adrien Moerman gave his everything for Banvit against Milano, with 18 points and 8 rebounds yet despite a tough battle, his team didn’t make it in the end.
Coach of the Week: Saso Filipovski – Zielona Gora
He knew that if he will apply the correct pressure to two key players of Unics Kazan, his opponents’ offense will crumble. He used diverse defensive tactics (with lots of overplay) to erase all beneficial action of Quino Colom and Keith Langford thus crippling the methods which the Russians use to attack. The result? His players forced his opponents to 24 turnovers, and Zielona Gora accomplished what seemed like a “mission impossible”
Disappointment of the Week: Unics Kazan
Everything was at their side: Great players, large bench depth, experience, home court. They even didn’t need to win to make it to the quarterfinals. Just not to lose with over 4 points. In the first half, Unics Kazan was not impressive at all, but was still locked on target. In the third quarter, it almost looked like coach Pashutin’s players never returned from the locker rooms, since they scored only 22 points against their opponents’ 42 during the second half. Game over and end of the road in Eurocup for one of the favorites for the trophy.
It is easy to to call out some stars of the team for their lackluster performance (Quino Colom finished the game with a -4 ranking, Keith Langford was not as aggressive as he should have been) but perhaps one of them summarized what was wrong with his team overall, in one single word.
Hubris.
— keith langford (@keith_langford) March 2, 2016