Aftermath (EL 7 g.) – Magnificent seven

2015-11-27T23:06:56+00:00 2015-11-28T00:01:34+00:00.

Aris Barkas

27/Nov/15 23:06

Eurohoops.net

After seven regular season rounds the boys are seperated from men and seven teams have already secured a spot in Top16

Βy Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

After seven regular season rounds the boys are seperated from men and seven teams have already secured a spot in Top16. Those are Fenerbahce Istanbul in Group A, Olympiacos Piraeus in Group B, FC Barcelona Lassa and Lokomotiv Kuban in Group C and also the trio of CSKA Moscow, Unicaja Malaga and Brose Bamberg Baskets in Group D.

On the contrary as you can see in the standings Real Madrid which is last in Group A with a 2-5 record, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano also with a 2-5 record in Group B and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv at 1-6 in Group D have to fight for their lives. And in Real’s case, the following gentleman has pushed the champs to the edge of the cliff….

ΜVP

Quincy Miller

He was a last second addition to Crvena Zvezda and he turns out to be a real steal. Against the champs he had 24 points on 5/7 threes, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 blocks. It can’t get much better than this as the Serbs beat Real Madrid, put them in trouble and now they can make Top16 dreams.

Best Five

  1. Milos Teodosic: He had 18 points in 20 minutes of action, flirted with disaster, however in the end he made the biggest shot of the game, a three, which decided the win of CSKA over Sassari. In total he had 21 points, 5/10 threes, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers.
  2. Luka Babic: He is emerging as a local star for Cedevita Zagreb, having 19 points on 9/12 shots, 3/6 of them being threes, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover. All these on the road against CSP Limoges is the game that practically sealed Cedevita’s Top16 ticket.
  3. Quincy Miller: A night to remember for him and Zvezda.
  4. Jamel McLean: For the first time this season he reminded us his great year with Alba Berlin. He finished the game with 26 points on 9/10 shots and 8/11 free throws, leading EA7 Emporio Armani Milano in the big win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
  5. John Bryant: He led FC Bayern Munich to its first big road win of the season with 17 points on 7/10 FG, 2/2 FT , 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 20 minutes. He had his best game exactly when his team needed him the most.

Best losing performance: Giannis Bourousis

Once more the Greek center, even if Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz scored just 52 points against Olympiacos, did what he was expected to do. Bourousis finished the game with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks as he continues to be one of the stand outs of the league, having one of the best seasons of his career so far.

Coach of the week: Giorgos Bartzokas

In almost no time Lokomotiv Kuban has an obvious identity, a specific game plan and each player has his own role and his own way to contribute. This is what a coach is supposed to create and Bartzokas did exactly that in Krasnodar, adding to the mix of a very talented unit in offense, real defensive consistency.

Biggest win: Bayern Munich

The way things turned out to be in Group A, this road win spiced things even more. Not only Bayern Munich got a result that keeps them in the Top16 race, but also keeps Real Madrid in trouble. And of course, the Germans needed a result like that which can be a moral boost after their mediocre season start. Khimki is one of the best teams of the league so far, so beating them at their house is no small feat.

The survivors: Panathinaikos

The Greens faced hostile crowds, they needed the win in order to keep up in the Top16 race and got it after a great effort. This club is not used to fight for its life so early in the season, but that’s how things are and the Greeks had to respond to the challenge. They did…

The upset: Crvena Zvezda

It was a must win game for Real Madrid, the scenario was pretty much the same with Panathnaikos, but in the end the Serbs prevailed. In a game that was decided by the front lines, the hosts had the amazing duo of Miller and Zirbes, who exposed the defense of the Spaniards.

The favorites: Barcelona, Fenerbahce, Olympiacos

Despite their issues, their injuries and the high expectations, all three got wins. For Barcelona and Fenerbahce it was easy, for Olympiacos against Laboral Kutxa it was a fight, as the Reds were missing Printezis, Lojeski, Young, Milutinov and also lost Spanoulis in the final five minutes. Still those three, alongside CSKA of course, are proving that they have already their sights on the playoffs for good reason.

The disappointment: Maccabi Tel Aviv

With a 1-6 record and awful basketball produced on the floor, the 2015-16 Maccabi Tel Aviv can be already considered a failed experiment. On paper this version of Maccabi should have been one of the bests in recent years. Still the non-existent defense of the team proved to be the downfall of the Israelis.

The last word: The dunk

Ok, Christian Eyenga that was nasty and the biggest highlight so far in the season for Sassari…

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