By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce gazes the top of the standings after grabbing two victories this week, Real follows not too far behind with 12-2, while Efes‘ loss to CSKA (11-3) on Thursday has brought an equal record between the Turkish side and Olympiacos (9-5).
However, this week will be remembered mostly since Panathinaikos waived goodbye to Xavi Pascual and found his successor in Rick Pitino.
MVP
36 years young and still showcasing mad skills. Spanoulis posted a near double-double performance with 21 points and eight assists against visiting Gran Canaria, leading Olympiacos to its third win in a row, and the second of the week. The Greek guard gathered 31 points of index rating as the cherry on top of a spectacular week.
Best Five
- Vassilis Spanoulis: The Reds’ captain impressed with an old-school performance.
- Arturas Milaknis: The Lithuanian sharp-shooter paced Zalgiris with 16 points in victory over Maccabi.
- Will Clyburn: He posted a huge double-double of 24 points and 11 boards in CSKA‘s victory in scoring feast against Efes.
- Jan Vesely: Another big performance by the Czech forward this week, who posted 19 points and nine rebounds vs. Buducnost.
- Anthony Randolph: Real struggled in Munich, but Randolph was there to save the day with 22 points and five boards.
Coach of the week: David Blatt
Olympiacos finished off the double-game week on a high note, but what is to be taken into consideration most – apart from his game plan – is his empowering words of support to fellow coaches and more specifically Xavi Pascual. “Coaches are undervalued and the people that are responsible for bringing them should be more supportive, patient and professional about it. Not my circus, not my monkey. It’s not my place to tell them what to do, but I can say what I feel about it. I want to see my colleagues being respected and treated fairly”.
Last word: Khimki still beating
Khimki nearly choked despite having the lead in the final minutes against Darussafaka, though Jordan Mickey ran the floor and drove to the basket to win a foul that got him to the line, handing the win to the Russian side. Mickey turned out to be the hero of the round, but his team will need more than just a win to make to the playoffs race.
Photo credit: EuroLeague