By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Not a small feat, considering the fact that they are still five rounds left and behind them things are still open. As you can see in the standings, Fenerbahce is fourth at 16-9, two wins behind Olympiacos and three behind CSKA and Madrid, Crvena Zvezda, Baskonia and Panathinaikos are tied at 14-11, Anadolu Efes is 8th at 13-12 and Dogus Darussafaka follows at 12-13. From those six teams only one got the win this week and that brings us to the MVP.
MVP
Shane Larkin
It’s not only about the numbers, but also about the importance of each game and the timing. And Shane Larkin’s timing was impeccable. He had 19 points, made 7 out of 12 field goals and also had 3 rebounds and one assist. Not stellar numbers, still good enough to get the job done as the race for the playoffs continues.
Best Five
- Shane Larkin: He led his team to a road win in Istanbul when Baskonia needed it the most.
- Sergio Llull: Add one more amazing game to his resume. He was elecrifying with 11 points and 10 assists – and also 6 turnovers – as Real Madrid toyed with Crvena Zvezda. He even had one block so what more you want!
- Nando De Colo: No suprise here, as the French guard continues from where he left last season. He demonstrated his talents once more as CSKA Moscow beat Galatasaray and he led the way with 22 points, 7/12 field goals, 8/8 free throws, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 3 turnovers.
- Nicolo Melli: He was part of the amazing Brose Bamberg show in Istanbul against Anadolu Efes with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, one block and 2 turnovers.
- Khem Birch: Τhe return of Spanoulis was good news for him, pick and roll returned and he did the damage for Olympiacos against Darussafaka Dogus with 13 points on 5/5 field goals and 3/5 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 turnovers and also 2 blocks.
Best losing performance: Bogdan Bogdanovic
He did his best for Fenerbahce, but it was not enough in the game that proved to be the most thrilling of this week. Bogdanovic had in total 26 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, one steal and also 5 turnovers. If he had less, then maybe the outcome of the game could have been different.
Coach of the week: Sarunas Jasikevicius
Against one of his former teams, Panathinaikos, he led Zalgiris Kaunas to an important win and proved that he had created a solid unit against a team which seems playoffs bound. Considering the fact that the Greeks needed the win in order to try and get the home court advantage in the playoffs, the feat of Zalgiris is even greater and Saras’s stocks as a head coach just keep rising.
Biggest win: Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
The team of coach Sito Alonso has not secured yet a spot in the playoffs, had injury woes and needed a big win. And that’s exactly what they got in Istanbul against Fenerbahce by producing solid basketball and keeping it up until the end against a title contender. Baskonia still is on the verge of the first eight spots, but once more the team reacted in a difficult gym and that’s a great sign.
Last word: Three out
It’s not exactly news, but it’s a fact. Unics Kazan (7-18), EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (7-18) and Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul (8-17) don’t have any kind of hope left in order to make it to the playoffs. It will be more than interesting to see how they will react from now on in the five regular season games left for them.