By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
The first half of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season is in the books and Eurohoops takes what it learned from those 120 games into account to compose the third edition of power rankings for the 2016-17 season.
The power rankings have several differences from previous editions based on the teams form in recent games. Eurohoops details the dynamics of every team and their overall records, at home and away, in addition to the team’s scoring averages in offense and defense.
The criteria for the power rankings takes into consideration the teams overall records as well as recent form, performance compared to expectations, and unexpected wins or defeats.
Read here about the teams in positions 1-8
1. CSKA Moscow
Previous ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 12-3
At home: 6-1
Away: 6-2
Offense-Defense: 88.4 ppg. 80.7 ppg.
It is perhaps the first time since the start of the season that CSKA’s dominance can be called into question. The champs were defeated in two games in a row by Fenerbahce Istanbul and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and in the last game, in fact, without having the excuse of Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo being absent. The former missed two games and the latter returned after a seven-game absence. Without them, Coach Dimitris Itoudis’s team did not have the same brio and imagination in offense, but was highly effective defensively in getting the results they wanted.
2. Olympiacos Piraeus
Previous ranking: 4 (+2)
Record: 10-5
At home: 6-2
Away: 4-3
Offense-Defense: 78.6 ppg. 74.2 ppg.
In the past month, Olympiacos had to deal with injuries to Daniel Hackett, who will miss the remainder of the season, and Georgios Printezis. The Reds, however, have only one defeat in the last six games (away at Bamberg), proving that homogeneity is a valuable element for every team of this level. The defensive armor was the cause of their improvement, as Olympiacos boasts the best defense in the competition, which holds opponents to the worst shooting percentages on two-point shots.
3. Real Madrid
Previous ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 10-5
At home: 6-1
Away: 4-4
Offense-Defense: 86.9 ppg. 80.2 ppg.
Madrid was rather inconsistent in its last five games, with consecutive road losses at Zvezda and Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, while their wins over Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Zalgiris Kaunas weren’t too comfortable either. Los Blancos have the best performance index ratings in the EuroLeague and with the players’ supreme athleticism are able to score a lot of points in the open court and through offensive rebounds. Sergio Llull’s injury certainly disoriented the Spanish team, although Luka Doncic is having an impressive season despite his young age.
4. Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens
Previous ranking: 6 (+2)
Record: 9-6
At home: 7-1
Away: 2-5
Offense-Defense: 77.2 ppg. 73.6 ppg.
Panathinaikos’s momentum was interrupted by the loss to Unics Kazan in Russia, but the Greens are certainly in good form. Coach Xavi Pascual dramatically improved the team’s defensive function and Panathinaikos’s opponents have dished the fewest assists and shot two-pointers at poor percentages. At the same time, his players commit the fewest turnovers. Nick Calathes and Chris Singleton are among the top players in the EuroLeague and doing seemingly everything on the court. The Greens have only one defeat at home, to archrival Olympiacos, but have a 2-5 record on the road and that might make things difficult later on.
5. Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
Previous ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 10-5
At home: 7-1
Away: 3-4
Offense-Defense: 80.2 ppg. 77.1 ppg.
Baskonia is making an impression with its consistency and strength at home. Coach Sito Alonso’s men can count five wins in their last six games (the only defeat was by Panathinaikos at Olympic Sports Center in Athens) and at the midway point of the regular season are looking to be serious contenders for a playoff berth. Baskonia leads the league in rebounding, is playing excellent defense in the paint and with Shane Larkin and Toko Shengelia having great performances in recent games, this team looks like they can consolidate itself very high in the standings.
6. Fenerbahce Istanbul
Previous ranking: 2 (-4)
Record: 9-6
At home: 6-2
Away: 3-4
Offense-Defense: 75.3 ppg. 76.2 ppg.
December didn’t go so well for Fenerbahce. The Turkish champion suffered three defeats in its last four games and by rivals that have similar goals (Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and Darussafaka). The win over CSKA in Moscow kept Coach Zeljko Obradovic’s team in the top six, but it seems that the small rotation has cost Fenerbahce, which relies on Kostas Sloukas, Ekpe Udoh and Jan Vesely, but has not been as effective in terms of offense.
7. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul
Previous ranking: 10 (+3)
Record: 8-7
At home: 4-3
Away: 4-4
Offense-Defense: 78.0 ppg. 78.2 ppg.
Darussafaka faced many difficult opponents in its recent games and after defeating CSKA also managed to beat Madrid and Fenerbahce by clearly slowing down the tempo in those games. Coach David Blatt’s charges have played equally well at home and away led by backcourt stars Brad Wanamaker and Scottie Wilbekin plus forward Will Clyburn, which means the team is dangerous in every game. By acquiring center Ante Zizic, who has looked good so far, the season is even more interesting for Darussafaka.
8. FC Barcelona Lassa
Previous ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 7-8
At home: 5-2
Away: 2-6
Offense-Defense: 72.1- ppg. 74.5 ppg.
Barcelona has started to overcome the injury problems that plagued it at the start of the season, but still has not found the rhythm needed to stabilize its place in the playoff zone. The Catalan club has had a big problem on the road, where it has suffered five defeats in a row. The strength of Coach Georgios Bartzokas’s team is its defense, it has allowed the third-fewest points and collected the second-most steals in the league. Ante Tomic’s ascent gives the Blaugrana hope that they won’t have to rely only on just Tyrese Rice anymore.