By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
The game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (87-80) at the Ulker Sports and Event Hall (Round 3) is almost over and Nando de Colo has just scored to make it 87-76 with only 45.9 seconds to go, and 1 free throw. Even though he was 6-for-6 up to that point and he’s the EuroLeague’s top free throw shooter ever (93.9%), De Colo misses the free throw and with it, the chance to reach 40 points (39 points, 12-for-15 two-pointers, 3-for-6 three-pointers, 6-for-7 free throws).
Almost a month later, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens hosts ALBA Berlin (105-106 2OT) at OAKA in Round 8 for what turns out to be one of the longest games in EuroLeague history. Ioannis Papapetrou scores to tie the game at 103-103 with 57.5 seconds to go until the end of the second overtime. He won’t be able to get another attempt in the time that remains, so he, too, will stop at 39 points (9-for-10 two-pointers, 6-for-12 three-pointers, 3-for-4 free throws).
Until the next one, the Fantastic Forty club will continue to have seven members.
Eurohoops looks back on the players that reached and exceeded 40 points in the competition.
WHO: Vlado Scepanovic (Montenegro)
WHERE: Molot Sport, Perm
WHEN: January 9, 2002
WHY: Ural Great-Partizan 100-111
40 pts | 3/5 2FG | 7/9 3FG | 13/13 FT
Partizan was coming off consecutive defeats and didn’t want to lose even more ground in the qualification battle for the Top 16. An away win over Ural Great, who had the same goal, would mean the best possible comeback with four rounds to go until the completion of the regular season. The win came, but not the qualification. Despite that, Vlado Scepanovic has a lot to hold on to from that game.
WHO: Arvydas Macijauskas (Lithuania)
WHERE: Fernando Buesa Arena, Vitoria
WHEN: December 17, 2003
WHY: Tau Ceramica-ASVEL Basket 92-76
40 pts | 4/7 2FG | 6/6 3FG | 14/14 FT
That season, the then-Tau Ceramica and current Baskonia team lost the qualification to the Final Four in the details. Arvydas Macijauskas could not have asked a lot more from himself, since he did the best he could. Especially in Round 7 of the regular season. That was also the performance that made him one of only eight players with a PIR of over 50.
WHO: Marc Salyers (USA)
WHERE: Maison des Sports, Clermont-Ferrand
WHEN: November 14, 2007
WHY: Chorale Roanne–Fenerbahce Ulker 90-97
40 pts | 9/11 2FG | 6/13 3FG | 4/5 FT
Four wins and 10 defeats was Chorale Roanne’s tally in their only appearance in the EuroLeague in the 2007-08 season. Regardless of the result, each game was a different experience for their players. Especially for Marc Salyers, then winner of the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy. Paradoxically, his most productive performance did not result in a win, but he was still unstoppable.
WHO: Alphonso Ford (USA)
WHERE: Andreas Papandreou, Peristeri
WHEN: January 31, 2001
WHY: Peristeri-Tau Ceramica 79-81
41 pts | 9/19 2FG | 3/4 3FG | 14/15 FT
The man whose name is on the EuroLeague’s top scorer trophy could not be missing from this list. The late Alphonso Ford was a born scorer and everyone who had seen from up close Game 1 of the eighthfinals in 2001 between Peristeri and Tau Ceramica can boast that they were present on the day he became the first player to reach and exceed 40 points – more than half of his team’s points in a 79-81 home defeat.
WHO: Carlton Myers (Italy)
WHERE: PalaDozza, Bologna
WHEN: March 7, 2001
WHY: PAF Bologna–Real Madrid 88-70
41 pts | 6/9 2FG | 5/11 3FG | 14/19 FT
The time when two teams from Bologna competed in the EuroLeague bring up a lot of memories for basketball romantics. Just as Carlton Myers’ name does, as he was one of the protagonists in PAF Bologna’s course to the semifinals in 2001. A game earlier, Game 3 of the quarterfinals against Real Madrid, he had made sure to leave behind something that we will remember for years to come.
WHO: Kaspars Kambala (Latvia)
WHERE: Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall
WHEN: October 30, 2002
WHY: Efes Pilsen-FC Barcelona 91-92 OT
41 pts | 18/28 2FG | 5/10 FT
Kaspars Kambala always had confidence in his own abilities, and his all-time record in two-point shot attempts is proof of that. With 18-for-28 shooting inside the arc, he had no problem becoming the second in order and third overall player to score 40+ points. FC Barcelona had prevailed over Efes Pilsen in the game of Round 4 back then and hadn’t allowed him to enjoy his performance, but history had been made.
WHO: Bobby Brown (USA)
WHERE: Ulker Sports and Event Hall, Istanbul
WHEN: January 4, 2013
WHY: Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul-Montepaschi Siena 92-98
41 pts | 8/12 2FG | 4/6 3FG | 13/13 FT
Few players have a feel for scoring like Bobby Brown does. The 2012-13 season, when he won the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy, is still the strongest evidence for that. That season also includes the last time someone broke the 40-point barrier, as well as the 50-point barrier in the PIR. The baskets at the Ulker Sports and Event Hall in Round 2 of the Top 16 between Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul and Montepaschi Siena have a good recollection of what we’re talking about.