By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops presents the complete review of the best European leagues (Spanish, Turkish, German, VTB, Italian and French) this weekend highlighting the Top 5 scorers, the top 5 wins, 5 bad losses, 5 falls and 5 tips.
5 Top Scorers
1. Hilton Armstrong (Besiktas, Turkey)
30 points (10/13 free throws, 10/14 2ps) in Besiktas’ defeat by Fenerbahce (94-74)
2. Justin Tubbs (Panionios, Greece)
29 points (3/5 free throws, 4/6 2ps, 6/8 3ps) in Panionios defeat by Kifisia (98-89)
2. Kalin Lucas (Kolejliler, Turkey)
29 points (3/4 free throws, 7/13 2ps, 4/8 3ps) in Kolejliler’s victory vs Galatasaray (88-84)
3. Paul Davis (Khmki, VTB)
28 points (8/8 free throws, 10/14 2ps) in Khimki’s victory vs Avtodor (89-87)
3. Brian Tracey (Trikala,. Greece)
28 points (7/10 free throws, 6/12 2ps, 3/5 3ps) in Trikala’s defeat by PAOK (105-73)
3. LaQuinton Ross (Pesaro, Italy)
28 points (10/13 free throws, 3/8 2ps, 4/7 3ps) in Pesaro’s victory vs Caserta (80-70)
5 Top Wins
Pesaro vs Caserta 80-70 (Italy)
In the relegation derby in Italy Pesaro defeated Caserta and stayed in the division ahead of their opponents.
Nizhny vs Zenit 75-65 (VTB)
In the fifth and last game of the series, Nizhny beat Zenit on road and with Kinsey as leader qualified to the semifinals, where will face CSKA (3-0 vs Astana). In the other semifinal Khimki (3-0 vs Avtodor) will play against Lokomotiv (3-0 vs Unics).
Bonn vs Ulm 93-88 (Germany)
In the first playoff game in Germany Bonn was defeated by Ulm at home, but responded in the same way. With the away win they tied the series 1-1 and have the advantage once again.
Koroivos vs Kolossos 81-73 (Greece)
Koroivos advanced to the A1 playoffs in their first season in the top division. The win over Kolossos and KAOD’s simultaneous defeat from AEK paved their way.
Aris vs Rethymno 69-66 (Greece)
The ‘yellows’ won at the end with Vezenkov the big protagonist (he emerged as his team’s MVP for the 20th time in 26 games that preceded this game) and got the fourth place and the home advantage against AEK in the first stage.
5 Bad losses
Besiktas by Fenerbahce 94-74 (Turkey)
Besiktas was defeated by the champions Fenerbahce and were knocked out of the playoffs for the first time in 18 years! They tied with Turk Telekom and Galatasaray and finished 9th!
Unicaja by Obradoiro 78-66 (Spain)
For Malaga the loss of the first place in the regular season from Real is not the biggest problem. Worst of all is the Andalusian team’s image in the last month, counting four defeats in a row and having lost their momentum ahead of the playoffs.
Eskisehir by Trabzonspor 93-91 (Turkey)
Eskisehir was defeated in the end by Trabzonspor and was relegated. However, in order for them to stay in the division Kolejliler would have had to lose to Galatasaray but they managed to come through in overtime.
Bologna by Trento 96-81 (Italy)
Bologna had the chance to finish at the top but they lost to Trento and finished the season in 8th place and will now face the big favorites Milano in the quarterfinals.
Manresa by Zaragoza 82-77 (Spain)
Two games before the finale all the teams that are fighting to avoid relegation in Spain lost. The heaviest defeat however was that of Manresa who came close to getting the win against Zaragoza but lost and were stuck once again under the danger zone.
5 Falls
Real barely
Real defeated Andorra in the end and got the first place in the regular season mathematically as well, but they were disappointing throughout the entire game. The Madrilenos almost lost their last game before the Final Four.
The game Besiktas-Fenerbahce ended in an empty arena
It’s not the first time but unfortunately it is not expected to be the last time that a derby in Turkey is completed with empty seats a long while after the predetermined time following a lot of interruptions.
Laboral is in danger
Even after the restructuring of the type-A contracts the Euroleague retained a place for Laboral and the Basques are in danger of staying out of the playoffs! After the third consecutive defeat (by Estudiantes), things are getting tough…
Bourg relegated mathematically
In France Bourg experienced a heavy defeat (99-67) by Limoges and were relegated mathematically as well, since at the same time Orleans defeated Dijon 76-62.
The city boys at the edge of the playoffs
Paris-Levallois were defeated from their main competitors for a place in the top eight Salon and are in danger of staying out of the top eight of the French championship.
5 Tips
From the finals to the first stage of the playoffs
Last year Fenerbahce won the championship against Galatasaray after an eventful final series that was never completed and this year the two of them will come head to head once again in the quarterfinals. Let’s hope this series ends with no deplorable incidents.
Giorgos Printezis, the Legend
Olympiacos’s game against Panelefsiniakos did not have any special importance for the ‘red-and-whites’ but Giorgos Printezis can remember it for a long time. The second-in-command for the Piraeus team surpassed Dragan Tarlac and became the player with the second most appearances in Olympiacos’s jersey in the Greek championship, after Milan Tomic.
Manolopoulos, the fourth
Sotiris Manolopoulos became the fourth manager in the last three years to coach Panathinaikos in the post-Obradovic era, following Pedoulakis, Alvertis and Ivanovic. Obradovic was with the ‘greens’ for thirteen whole years!
Double fiesta for Murcia
Murcia celebrated their 600th game in the Spanish championship with an emphatic win against Gipuzkoa (99-68), which was the second largest in scope win in their history after the +35 (94-59) against Manresa in 2007.
6.000 points for Mumbru
Alex Mumbru needed 15 points against Barcelona to enter the exclusive club of players who have scored 6000 points in the Spanish championship. And he made it by scoring 17! So, even if Bilbao ultimately lost the game, he had something to smile about…