By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The third Eurocup Gameday of the season now belongs to history and it was mostly marked by no less than seven (!) victories on the road in eight games. Only one hosting team (Bilbao) took advantage of its home court, as the guests were absolutely rude and you see the results in the standings. Didn’t even take their shoes of while stepping at their opponents’ arenas! Hence the title, which was shamelessly stolen by a cutely creepy tune.
There were also many distinguishable players, most of them…. guys who belong in their backcourt divisions of their teams, which made our choice of the “top of the top” a bit difficult. Also, we hailed a new arrival of the competition, one of a player who might incredibly benefit the game of his team.
MVP
Pierre Jackson:
The “rookie” we warned you above. Though his performance looked like we have a seasoned player of the competition in front of us. Jackson, came, saw and… conquered MZT Skopje for Cedevita, helping his team achieve its first victory of the season in the competition. Apart from his raving offensive action (29 points) he dished 7 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds and was unstoppable enough to draw 9 (!) fouls from his opponents. If that was just a taste of things to come… then be afraid.
Best Five of the Week:
Pierre Jackson : MVP extraordinaire!
Jacob Pullen: He was our second possible choice for the MVP and the only reason we didn’t pick him is that Khimki Moscow blew Alba Berlin away, while Cedevita narrowly beat MZT Skopje. Of course, Pullen was magnificent, dropping 25 points, dishing 5 assists, stealing the ball from his opponents four times and turning it over only once in 28 minutes. Primo stuff mr. Pullen.
DeAndre Kane:A smile was drawn on Nizhny Novgorod affiliates, and he is one of the main responsibles for that. Kane didn’t only register 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but was packed with energy which made a difference on the defensive end. All these, as the Russians grabbed their first victory of the season in Eurocup, one on the road against previously undefeated Lietkabelis, mind you.
Vladimir Lucic:He looks rejuvanated under Sasa Djordjevic’s guidance and tonight he showed it once again. Returning to a familiar place, since he played in Spain from 2013 to 2016, the Serbian forward contributed a beautiful all-around performance of 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, as Bayern Munich stomped on Unicaja Malaga.
Alex Mumbru:Bilbao looked in trouble against Lietuvos Rytas but there was no fear as long as the veteran’s hand was there to guide them. Alex Mumbru lacerated the opposing defense with 19 points (4/7 three-pointers) and 4 assists. At 37 years of age, he shows that his class, experience and know-how on winning games are simply invaluable.
Coach of the Week: Sasa Djordjevic
He absolutely transformed the picture that Bayern Munich was presenting on the floor at the first half against Unicaja Malaga and his plans led to a superb comeback and, ultimately a great road victory. The Bavarians were behind the score 34 – 26 when they went to the locker rooms, but came out angry and imposing the rhythm. In general, Djordjevic’s job in Bayern Munich looks more than fine so far.
Best performance in a losing team: Dejan Musli
We chose him instead of Ksistof Lavrinovic (who had a second great match in a row) simply because he looked like he was fighting all by himself sometimes. Musli scored 19 points for Unicaja Malaga in the defeat by Bayern Munich while the more any of his teammates scored was 9 (Oliver Lafayette). His shooting from the field was more than solid (8/12), he also won 4 fouls but was so desperately alone.
Disappointment of the Week:
An ugly way to start the game paved the ground for quite the surprising defeat of Lokomotiv Kuban in the hands of Ratiopharm Ulm. Not only because the Russian team has a more qualitative roster and is far more ambitious than its opponents, but because of how easily this result came. Loko fell behind 13 – 28 after the first quarter being unable to recover since coach Katsikaris’ player shot with a poor…. 5/29 from downtown made 14 turnovers and forced only nine from Ratiopharm Ulm.