By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The line between the playoffs teams and the rest of them is drawn in the standings, even if we don’t know yet the playoffs couplings, big games were played, as you can see in the GameCenter and the spotlight again belonged to the boy-wonder of Real Madrid.
MVP
Luka Doncic
Who else? He had seven turnovers, but also 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block and the buzzer-beating three-pointer that won the game for Real Madrid at Belgrade against Crvena Zvezda. That’s the definition of the MVP.
Best Five
- Kevin Pangos: He had 15 points and 11 assists as Zalgiris Kaunas beat at home CSKA Moscow and celebrated before 15.000 the return of the club almost after 20 years in the playoffs.
- Nick Calathes: The main rival of Doncic for the season MVP award had also a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists, as Panathinaikos Superfoods beat Valencia and still hunts the home court advantage.
- Luka Doncic: He had a game to remember.
- Nicolo Melli: One more double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, as Fenerbahce Dogus beat Khimki Moscow on the road. He was the best among equals.
- Johannes Voigtmann: The German big man had a solid game and he was the top scorer of Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz with 14 points, four tebounds and two steals in the win over Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, that decided the last open spot of the playoffs.
Coach of the week: Pedro Martinez
In the most important game of the season, he presented a team that transformed from a mess at the start of the season to a dangerous opponent for everyone. The arrival of Pedro Martinez on the bench made all the difference, so he is winning this award again, not only because Baskonia beat Maccabi, but because he made it to the playoffs.
Last word: The king and the heir
On the night that Vassilis Spanoulis climbed to the top of the All-Time assists list in the EuroLeague over Dimitris Diamantidis, Doncic led Madrid to one more road win doing almost everything. You could say that on night we have seen the passing of the baton and this is true. The issue here is that contrary to Spanoulis, Doncic will spend his best years in the NBA.