By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
One half down, one more to go. As 2016 is ending, EuroLeague has to give as much and more to the new year. With 15 rounds on the books, it’s surprising that every team has a real chance to compete for the playoffs, the home court advantage is still up for grabs and nobody can predict what will come next.
CSKA Moscow still leads, but with 12-3 record, then there’s a three way tie between Real Madrid, Olympiacos and Baskonia at 10-5, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce follow at 9 wins, Darussafaka is the only team at 8-7, while Barcelona, Anadolu Efes and Crvena Zvezda are tied at 7-8. Here are the full standings.
MVP
He is having a phenomenal season being the top scorer (24.1 ppg.) and top player in the index rating (25.5 rpg). His latest feat was leading Unics Kazan to the win over Panathinaikos. Langford once again did it all with 27 points, 6/11 two-pointers, 3/3 threes, 6/7 free-throws, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block and just 2 turnovers. What more can anyone ask?
Best Five
- Keith Langford: He makes Unics Kazan a force in the EuroLeague.
- Luka Doncic: Yes, he is 17 years old and he scored 17 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists in Real Madrid‘s win over Anadolu Efes on the road. The best talent of his generation.
- Daniel Theis: He was one of the many standouts of the road win against Galatasaray, having an impressive double double (14 p., 14 r.) for Brose Bamberg.
- Johanness Voigtmann: The big man of Baskonia didn’t have any problem against Maccabi Tel Aviv‘s front line with 23 points, 7/11 two-pointers, 3/6 threes, 9 rebound, 3 steals, 1 block and also 1 turnover.
- Ognen Kuzmic: The former NBA champ with the Warriors was amazing for Crvena Zvezda in the win over CSKA Moscow with 16 points, 4/9 two-pointers, 8/8 free throws, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Best losing performance: James Anderson
He had a hell of a game on the road against Barcelona with 21 points, 3/6 threes and 6 rebounds. However, he couldn’t win the game for Darussafaka Dogus at the end. It’s never easy at Palau Blaugrana and he did his best. Like his team, he missed only some details in order to get a big result.
Coach of the week: Dejan Radonjic
Crvena Zvezda managed to beat the champs, kept them in a season low and on the same time is tied for the 8th and final playoffs spot in the standings. Can you imagine a better way to end 2016? And of course coach Radonjic is the mastermind behind that. The question at this point is how much better things can be with the addition of Deon Thompson.
Biggest win: Olympiacos
The fact that Olympiacos beat Fenerbahce has some obvious ramifications and from now on, the games between contenders will be more than important. The Reds defended their home court, something that can be considered normal. However, the final 9 points difference can be more than important in a possible tie and also Fenerbahce is currently one win away from the home court advantage, tied with Panathinaikos in the 5th spot. The Greeks made a step towards the top four teams of the league against a direct rival and that makes all the difference.
Last word: Burning issues
If you said before the start of the season that after 15 games Maccabi Tel Aviv, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (home defeat by Zalgiris Kaunas) and Galatasaray (home defeat by Brose Bamberg) will be the bottom three teams of the standings, nobody would believe you. However that’s how things are and while every one still has a shot for the playoffs, those three clubs have to change a lot in order to be succesful.