By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
We are halfway through the EuroCup Top 16 and only three teams remain undefeated, thus entering the second leg of the stage at a serious position of strength. Not only for the qualification to the playoffs but for completing “Phase II” of the competition at the first place in each of their Groups.
These are Lokomotiv Kuban, Bayern Munich and Valencia. While the first two of them beat Fuenlabrada and Lietkabelis respectively rather comfortably, the “Bats” were victorious in the Spanish showdown vs Unicaja Malaga via a seminar-quality defense in the second half.
Meanwhile, teams like Alba Berlin and Lietuvos Rytas caught a break after a 0 – 2 stage entrance while Ratiopharm Ulm and Cedevita hear the alarm’s sound since they have yet to win a Top 16 match.
This round of games was also marked by many notable performances by backcourt warriors leaving the big guys away from the spotlight. So inevitably, we go for a “small-ball” squad in our Top 5 choices.
MVP of the Week: Peyton Siva (Alba Berlin)
This is the kind of performance that defines the term “one-man orchestra” when it comes to basketball. Peyton Siva did every-freaking-thing to hand Alba Berlin a precious first victory in the Top 16. He came three boards short of a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and increased the number of possessions for his team with 5 steals. Essentially, he made his 4 turnovers look nonexistant while he registered 35 points in the PIR evaluation system.
Best Five of the Week:
Earl Rowland (Khimki Moscow)
Alexey Shved scored 28 points but it was Earl Rowland who came up huge down the stretch in Khimki Moscow’s road victory over Ratiopharm Ulm. The experienced American guard turned ultra aggressive watching his team down 83 – 79 with 3:38 left. How did he respond to the critical situation at hand? By scoring 11 out of his team’s last 16 points, putting his signature in Khimki’s win. Overall he had 16 points and 2 assists.
Peyton Siva (Alba Berlin)
Masterful playmaking, hands everywhere on defense and invaluable first Top 16 win for his team.
David Logan (Lietuvos Rytas)
The match of Lietuvos Rytas against Nizhny Novgorod in Russia could have been tricky but David Logan not only kept his team out of danger but helped it blew its opponents away: 30 points (with solid 12/17 from the field), 6 assists, 3 steals, only one turnover in 33 minutes.
Ryan Toolson (Zenit St. Petersburg)
The top scorer in EuroCup wasn’t that impressive in the first two Top 16 games but went “all guns blazing” against Hapoel Jerusalem. He finished the game with 28 points shooting the ball on 5/7 two-pointers and 6/9 downtown while giving helps elsewhere on the floor with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Bojan Dubljevic (Valencia)
Well we must have a big guy in our team and the Montenegrin center was one of the few that got seriously distinguished in a week dominated by guards. He was the top performer (17 PIR) and flirted with the double-double in his team’s road win vs Unicaja Malaga with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Also, he was also a steady source of trouble for his opponents via his creation, dishing out 4 assists.
Coach of the Week: Pedro Martinez (Valencia)
The victory of Valencia over Unicaja Malaga was managed with a guts, passion, big-time shooting in crunch time, but also some brilliant guidance from the bench. The “Bats” had allowed 48 points at halftime by their opponents but after the return from the locker rooms they looked completely transformed on defense. Coach Martinez’s adjustments played a big part in Malaga finishing the third quarter with only… seven points in the bank while his players answered 27! It was the game’s turning point which set the foundations for the upcoming win.
Furhermore, his players scored 78 while dishing out 20 assists and making 12 turnovers. This is a large number of dimes for such an offensive harvest and a fine assist/to ratio, particularly for a match away from home.
The Last Word: Amar’e Stoudemire’s season high
The competition’s indisputable superstar acted as such in a difficult road game of Hapoel Jerusalem vs Zenit but his output wasn’t converted to a victory. Stoudemire dropped a 22 points season-high (on 5/6 two-pointers, 12/16 from the line) and also grabbed 5 rebounds while forcing his opponents to foul him 10 times. It was his top performance since he came Israel and it arrived against a team with, more or less, same ambitions as Hapoel in Eurocup. Still, he and his teammates were defensively sloppy a price they paid with a loss.