By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
As you can see in the standings the Serbs have a 15-13 record, the Turks are ninth at 14-14 and they are facing each other at Istanbul in the last round of the regular season.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid (21-7), CSKA Moscow (21-7), Olympiacos (19-9) have secured the home court advantage and while Fenerbahce (17-11), Panathinaikos (17-11), Baskonia (16-12) and Anadolu Efes (16-12) have also qualified to the playoffs, the fourth spot is still open. And that brings us to our MVP.
MVP
Chris Singleton
The forward of Panathinaikos emerged as the key player of the team in the last part of the season. Once more he did it all, scoring 18 points, having also 8 rebounds, a great defensive effort and 2 blocks against Baskonia. He was Lokomotiv Kuban’s glue guy last year and he led Panathinaikos in the right path for the playoffs and – why not? – the Final Four.
Best Five
- Bradley Wanamaker: Once again he delivered for Darussafaka in the do or die game against Galatasaray, finishing the night with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
- Nando De Colo: As CSKA Moscow remains on the hunt for the top after beating Unics Kazan, the “NVP” had 22 points, made 3/4 threes and had also 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
- Edgaras Ulanovas: He did his best for Zalgiris Kaunas, getting the road win against Maccabi Tel Aviv and registering a career best of 20 points.
- Chris Singleton: Once again, a key player for his team.
- Anthony Randolph: He is the man in the middle for Real Madrid, having 21 points, 8/10 field goals, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win against Olympiacos.
Best losing performance: Nikola Milutinov
The center of Olympiacos, whose rights belong to the Spurs, registered against Real Madrid a career high of 18 points with 5/6 field goals and 8/10 free throws, 4 rebounds, one steal, one block and two turnovers. Unfortunately his best EuroLeague night yet was marked by a defeat and by the injury of his teammate Matt Lojeski.
Coach of the week: Velimir Perasovic
As times goes by, Anadolu Efes is reminding more and more the pre-season team which – according to most prediction – could go far in the EuroLeague. Coach Perasovic has build a very athletic roster, which is finally clicking thanks to the emerges of Jayson Granger as its leader. And finally this week, by beating Fenerbahce, Efes got the ticket to the playoffs, so the title belongs to the Croatian coach.
Biggest win: Panathinaikos
The win of the Greeks against Baskonia, coupled with Fenerbahce’s defeat by Anadolu Efes, turned the tables for the fourth position. Panathinaikos has a pretty good chance of getting the home court advantage and this can happen because they beat twice the Spaniards. So this result is more than important for the future of the playoffs and even for the Final Four.
Last word: Pride
Barcelona was playing for its pride and Crvena Zvezda needed the win in order to make one more step towards the playoffs. In the end pride prevailed as the Catalans got the win and made a big favor to Darussafaka Dogus which can still hope for a place in the post season.