By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
One round is left for the middle of the regular season and things are getting crazier and crazier in Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Not only CSKA Moscow was defeated at home, but now five teams are tied in the second place.
Behind the defending champs who have a 12-2 record, Fenerbahce, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid and Baskonia are sharing a 9-5 record as the situation in the standings is more than interesting. And this guy had a lot to do with that.
MVP
It was a prototype MVP performance. He led Fenerbahce to the road win over defending champions CSKA Moscow. He scored 25 points, 11 of them in the overtime when everything was decided. He tied the score with a goal foul and forced the extra five minutes. He also had 5/10 threes, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. It was an amazing performance.
Best Five
- Bobby Dixon: A true leader
- Scottie Wilbekin: This week he stepped up for Darussafaka Dogus and stole the show. Against Maccabi Tel Aviv he had 23 points and 5/9 threes, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers as the Turks came from behind and got the win.
- Keith Langford: He saved the day for Unics Kazan against Zalgiris Kaunas on the road with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, proving once again that he is the man on the court.
- Chris Singleton: Ηe is a force in the paint as he had 23 points, on 6/9 field goals and 8/10 free throws, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks in Panathinaikos crucial win over Baskonia.
- Ante Tomic: He was simply great with 19 points, 9/10 field goals, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and 1 turnovers in Barcelona’s triumph over EA7 Emporio Armani Milano.
Best losing performance: Jeffery Taylor
Unfortunately for him, his best game in Real Madrid was the defeat by Crvena Zvezda. Still Taylor fot the job done with 25 points, 7/10 threes, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. Rudy Fernandez was missing because he became a father and he made the most of the opportunity, even if he couldn’t change the tide of the game.
Coach of the day: Andrea Trinchieri
The way Brose Bamberg got one more win against Olympiacos is admirable. The Germans have already more than their share of heartbreaking defeats, but they are proving to be quite resilient and ready to jump on any chance they have. And in the end, when they prevail, they do it by playing smart and as a unit. That has to be credited to the coach.
Biggest win: Fenerbahce
Olympiacos and Real Madrid was defeated, Anadolu Efes and Unics Kazan got key road wins, but beating the defending champs and arguably the best team in the league on the road is not a smaller feat. After all, this was just the second defeat of CSKA Moscow in the season and this makes automatically the win of Fenerbahce the biggest of the day.
Last world: Trouble in Milan and Istanbul
Galatasaray was defeated by Unics Kazan on the road and by Anadolu Efes at home, while EA7 Milano lost at home to Panathinaikos and then on the road to Barcelona. Those are the only teams left with 4 wins, but the main issue is their on court woes, their bad chemistry, the missing chemistry and the fact that they are underachieving. If they don’t react soon, they are going to end up being the two biggest dissapointments of the EuroLeague.