By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Status, dynamics, form and the significance of results are the criteria for ranking the 18 teams.
No. 18 ZENIT ST PETERSBURG
Previous ranking: 14 (-4)
Record: 2-9
At home: 0-5
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 74.4-83
Six defeats in a row, no home wins, fourth-worst offense, fourth-worst defense and the worst point differential (minus-8.6)… The explanation as to why Zenit hasn’t climbed above 14th place (Round 5) and why the last four rounds have kept it pegged in the 18 spot is simple. The average of 12 offensive rebounds (first, together with Baskonia) is the best statistic Zenit has to show, but it shoots 43.6% from the field (fourth-worst FG%) and concedes almost as many offensive boards (second-highest average with 11.9).
No. 17 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS
Previous ranking: 8 (-9)
Record: 3-8
At home: 3-3
Away: 1-4
Offense-Defense: 73.6-75.8
Five consecutive losses make up Zalgiris’s worst streak since the format changed and it might continue with the away game at CSKA next on the schedule. The problem lies on offense (third-worst with the third-worst FG%, 43.3%) since on defense the Lithuanian champs remain one of the best teams (second-best). 17th place in the standings is the lowest this team has found itself; it was in the playoff zone before the current losing streak began.
No. 16 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Previous ranking: 11 (-5)
Record: 4-7
At home: 4-2
Away: 0-5
Offense-Defense: 77.5-83.4
With only one win in the last six games (over Olympiacos, 85-82, after trailing by 12 at the 31st-minute mark), defeats by as many as 29 points and without a win away from home, Bayern has gone from sixth place in Round 5 to 16th and now the German champs are trying to put an end to this free fall. The biggest damage is coming from the defense (third-worst), since the effort remains high on offense, despite being eighth-worst (third-highest FG%, 48.5%).
No. 15 VALENCIA BASKET
Previous ranking: 18 (+3)
Record: 4-7
At home: 4-2
Away: 0-5
Offense-Defense: 77.4-81.5
November included four games at home and two away for Valencia and it went 4-2. Together with Bayern, it is the only team without a road win, but Valencia lost on the buzzer in its last game in Belgrade. The team’s improvement is more visible on offense (seventh-worst) than defense (sixth-worst). It remains to be seen whether it can continue improving, starting with the rest of the current road trip in Madrid and Kaunas.
No. 14 CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE
Previous ranking: 16 (+2)
Record: 4-7
At home: 3-3
Away: 1-4
Offense-Defense: 72.1-76.1
Zvezda was already on the list of teams that had changed coaches, but then went ahead with yet another change by brining in Dragan Sakota for his return to the competition since 2004. Lorenzo Brown made sure to welcome him back with a win for the team’s first winning streak in 11 rounds. A streak of three consecutive defeats had preceded, indicative of the second-worst offense in the competition, which could be a lot better (worst average in FG% – 41.5%; most turnovers – 13.9). However, the Zvezda defense plays a counter role (third-best).
No. 13 LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE
Previous ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 5-6
At home: 4-2
Away: 1-4
Offense-Defense: 70.6-78.9
After first beating CSKA and then getting a first road win (72-74 at Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade), Villeurbanne fell on hard times and lost three in a row to Efes, Fenerbahce and Maccabi. Not that so far the French champs had been known for their consistency, unless you count offense, which is still the worst of all and with the second-worst FG%, 42.7%. But at least until the eighth round, they were fighting to remain in the playoff zone and not to avoid getting farther and farther away from it.
No. 12 ALBA BERLIN
Previous ranking: 17 (+5)
Record: 4-7
At home: 3-3
Away: 1-4
Offense-Defense: 83.2-88.4
ALBA had lost six in a row after a win over Zenit on the opening night, but went out and beat Panathinaikos on the road and Zvezda at home, only to be defeated by Olympiacos in Berlin, where it then beat Zalgiris Kaunas. ALBA is one of the most interesting unsolved mysteries in the competition. With its offense always producing a lot of points (sixth-best) and its defense conceding even more (worst of all), they are also one of the most fun-to-watch teams. They would prefer to be one of the most effective, but you can’t do that with the new format if you concede the most points of any team.
No. 11 KIROLBET BASKONIA VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Previous ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 5-6
At home: 4-1
Away: 1-5
Offense-Defense: 76.3-76.4
The last defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos was yet another reminder of Baskonia’s erratic character, as were the loss to Maccabi and win over CSKA shortly before. As a result, Baskonia has been absent from the playoff zone since Round 6. Even though it is the best offensive rebounding team – together with Zenit St. Petersburg, it has the sixth-worst offense with the fifth-worst FG% (44.2%), the worst free-throw shooting percentage (67.9%), the second-most turnovers (14.1) and is sixth-worst in defense. On the other hand, Tornike Shengelia (third in the PIR, 21.7) is the best and most consistent thing Baskonia has to show.
No. 10 FENERBAHCE BEKO ISTANBUL
Previous ranking: 12 (+2)
Record: 4-7
At home: 3-1
Away: 1-6
Offense-Defense: 75-79
Whether you believe it or not, Fenerbahce just celebrated its first winning streak of the season! Better late than never for Zeljko Obradovic’s team, which, in the last game, came out without Nando De Colo, Jan Vesely, Nikola Kalinic and Leo Westermann. Fenerbahce has had plenty of problems so far and this is why, despite the improvement, it has the fifth-worst offense (letting the third-best three-point shooting, 39.7%, go to waste) and the eighth-worst defense.
No. 9 OLYMPIACOS PIRAEUS
Previous ranking: 15 (+6)
Record: 5-6
At home: 3-3
Away: 2-3
Offense-Defense: 77.9-78.9
If it hadn’t blown a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Munich, Olympiacos would be celebrating four wins in a row, but even three in the last four games are plenty for a team that started out the season with many problems on and off the court. The Reds are one of the four teams that haven’t spent any time in the playoff zone at all yet, but now they’re closer than they have been to date. The improvement on offense, even if it’s the 10th-best now with the second-lowest average in assists (14.2), has contributed a lot towards that. Nikola Milutinov has shined with the most offensive rebounds (4) while ranking first in rebounds (9.8) and fourth in PIR (20).
No. 8 KHIMKI MOSCOW REGION
Previous ranking: 7 (-1)
Record: 6-5
At home: 4-0
Away: 2-5
Offense-Defense: 84.7-85.6
Khimki is one of the two teams (together with Barcelona) that hasn’t spent any time outside the playoff zone at any time. The difference for the former is that they’re losing more and more ground. And this is because it’s been coming up short away from home, where Khimki has suffered three consecutive defeats. Khimki is also one of three teams with perfect records at home. Alexey Shved (third in scoring with 19.3 ppg.) didn’t play in the last defeat at Fenerbahce, but with or without him, Khimki has the fourth-best offense but also the second-worst defense.
No. 7 AX ARMANI EXCHANGE MILAN
Previous ranking: 3 (-4)
Record: 7-4
At home: 5-1
Away: 2-3
Offense-Defense: 79.7-80
Three defeats in the last four games, the latest by 21 points to Olympiacos Piraeus, put a sharp brake on AX Armani Exchange Milan’s impressive start and now it shares fourth place in the standings with three teams, two of which, in fact, they’ve beaten (Panathinaikos, Maccabi). Their defense (seventh-worst) didn’t allow for anything better in any of those defeats. Milan is one of two teams in the playoff zone (the other is Khimki) that has a negative point differential.
No. 6 PANATHINAIKOS OPAP ATHENS
Previous ranking: 9 (+3)
Record: 7-4
At home: 4-2
Away: 3-2
Offense-Defense: 88.5-82.4
The defeat at the hands of ALBA Berlin wasn’t just the latest one for Panathinaikos, it was also Argyris Pedoulakis’s last game in his third stint on the team’s bench. Since then, the Greens have three consecutive wins, two under Georgios Vovoras and the last one over Baskonia in Rick Pitino’s return. Thank goodness for its scoring (88.5 ppg. leads the league) and the league-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88). Panathinaikos is not doing as well in defense (fifth-worst), where it concedes the most offensive rebounds (12.9).
No. 5 MACCABI FOX TEL AVIV
Previous ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 7-4
At home: 5-0
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 86.9-76.2
With its win over ASVEL, Maccabi reached seven victories in total, but none of them have come against teams from the top eight spots in the standings. The way it lost in the immediately preceding games in Milan and Barcelona explains a lot since the Israeli champs didn’t even get close to their average in defense, which is the fourth-best thanks in part to leading all teams in defensive rebounds (25.2). Maccabi has the second-best offense (first in FG% at 50.4%), but that’s not always enough.
No. 4 CSKA MOSCOW
Previous ranking: 2 (-2)
Record: 7-4
At home: 3-1
Away: 4-3
Offense-Defense: 83.9-75.1
CSKA kicked off November at the top of the rankings, but with three defeats in the last five games, the four-way tie for third place is the best it could get. At least in its last game, it responded like a championship team to win by 29 in Barcelona. CSKA has the fifth-best offense and the best defense but is still trying to come to terms with Will Clyburn’s absence. In his absence, Mike James (sixth in PIR with 19.6) is doing everything he can.
No. 3 FC BARCELONA
Previous ranking: 1 (-2)
Record: 8-3
At home: 4-1
Away: 4-2
Offense-Defense: 82.8-76.4
FC Barcelona was at the top of the standings almost steadily but the defeat – and what a defeat that was – at the hands of CSKA changed things. November was full of high-risk games against teams that have similar aspirations. Barcelona didn’t do too badly but definitely could have done better. On offense, for instance, Barcelona is eighth. Perhaps if it can also limit its turnovers (sixth-most with 13.5)… On defense, it’s already the fifth-best team.
No. 2 REAL MADRID
Previous ranking: 5 (+3)
Record: 8-3
At home: 6-0
Away: 2-3
Offense-Defense: 83.6-77.6
It took a while for Real Madrid to get going but it finally did. The proof of that is the six consecutive wins against rivals from every level of the standings, where Los Blancos have climbed up to second place and a tie with Barcelona, which it bested in the Clasico. And all this with different leading men each time. It’s telling that the player with the highest PIR average, Facundo Campazzo (15.6), is 18th in the competition in that category. Madrid has the sixth-best offense with the third-highest assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42) and sixth-best defense.
No. 1 ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL
Previous ranking: 6 (+5)
Record: 9-2
At home: 5-1
Away: 4-1
Offense-Defense: 85-78.5
It’s the first time in the current format that Anadolu Efes Istanbul is placed at the top of the standings. And it’s already played four of the other teams that are in the top eight. In its most recent and fifth consecutive win, Efes also saw Shane Larkin – now first in scoring (24.0 ppg.) and PIR (22) – make history by smashing the EuroLeague record for points in one game with 49. What more could Coach Ataman ask for? Perhaps an improvement on the offensive boards as the Turkish champs concede to rivals the fifth-most (10.7). Other than that, the team has the third-best offense and eighth-best defense.