By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow was defeated by one of its arch-nemesis. David Blatt, who did it in the past with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2014 Final Four, did it again and after that, nobody is unbeaten.
The champs remain on top of the standings of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague with a 6-1 record, followed by Darussafaka and Real Madrid at 5-2, while Baskonia, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, Barcelona and Fenerbahce are all tied at 4-3. Here are the full standings and here’s the man who made a difference in the most spectacular game of the night.
ΜVP
Sergio Llull
What can you say about this player? He had 30 points – a career best in Euroleague – on 7/14 field goals, took every big shot of the game, dished 4 assists and didn’t make not even a single turnover. He saved Real Madrid against Panathinaikos and he is, at least currently, by far the most important player of the “Whites” on the court.
Best Five
- Sergio Llull: Simply the best.
- Thomas Heurtel: With Anadolu Efes finally getting into synch, he is the maestro and he proved it with 24 points and 8 assists in the home win against feisty Unics Kazan. Point guards are a commodity and he seems ready to be regularly a part of the elite.
- Bradley Wanamaker: The floor general of Dogus Darussafaka was one of the keys for the win against defending champions CSKA Moscow. That translates to 18 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and also 4 turnovers.
- Sonny Weems: He is back to his good old self, leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to the win over Fenerbahce with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, doing everything on the floor.
- Brock Motum: He is bulding his confidence and giving to Zalgiris Kaunas a real big man with 24 points, 3/4 threes and 6 rebounds in the win over Galatasaray.
Best losing performance: Shane Larkin
He gave everything, but he was not enough on the road against Milano. Baskonia was defeated but he was amazing with 21 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block and also just 1 turnover. It was his best game yet in Europe.
Coach of the day: Dejan Radonjic
Guess which is the only team that got a road win this week? Yes, you are right. Only Crvena Zvezda managed to win on the road against the German champs Brose Bamberg and coach Radonjic, a guy who usually does not make headlines because of his words, but for his results, did it again. This win keeps the Serbs on the right course as it’s obvious at this point that they will fight for the playoffs. And if they can keep getting results on the road, then who knows…
Biggest win: Dogus Darussafaka
This is a no brainer: They beat the champs, they became the first team which prevailed over CSKA Moscow this season and they have every right to be proud about this. Coach David Blatt tries at every turn to keep a low profile about the goals of his team, however this result is one more indication that Blatt didn’t return from the States without having more trophies in his mind.
In trouble: Fenerbahce and Galatasaray
Galatasaray is the only team left with only one win – and financial woes – while Fenerbahce has three straight defeats. Both have to bounce back and for Galatasaray this need is much more urgent.
Last word: The icon
With Diamantidis retired and Juan Carlos Navarro not healthy, Spanoulis remains one of the few icons left still standing in Euroleague. He proved it again in the win over Barcelona, after reaching one more unique milestone.