By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
This week’s panel includes Matjaz Smodis, three-time former EuroLeague champion; Luca Chiabotti, the former basketball expert-in-residence at La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy; Dimitris Karydas, basketball expert and TV commentator at NOVAsports.gr in Greece; Drazen Kanazir, Editor, Eurohoops Germany; and Andy West, EuroLeague.TV commentator and EuroLeague.net contributor. Check out their opinions on three key questions.
1. Which playoffs-hopeful team registered the most important win in Round 23?
Matjaz Smodis
“I think Milan as Mike James really took this team to a different level. They now have four straight wins. Now they are my favorite to secure the sixth spot in the playoffs.”
Luca Chiabotti
“The Anadolu Efes victory against Olympiacos eliminated the Reds from the fourth-place race, consolidating the position of Coach Ataman’s team that now will have only Barcelona as its direct opponent for the last spot for home court in the playoffs. The Armani Milan victory against Maccabi is equally important to keep alive its chances to get the playoffs despite a terrible schedule in the last games.”
Dimitris Karydas
“Usually, victories that make the difference come in road games. In the 23rd round, there were no significant victories for the teams that played away from home. I will, therefore, choose Armani Milan‘s victory over Maccabi, mainly because the Italian champion managed to cover the difference of their defeat in Tel Aviv. This gave an extra boost to Armani’s attempt to qualify for this year’s playoffs.”
Drazen Kanazir
“There have been some nice wins, but the most important one was for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The Blues from Turkey not only got the victory over Olympiacos, but bounced back from the loss in Round 12 and took the tiebreaker in this series. To hold the squad of Coach David Blatt to only 65 points was the exclamation point. Anadolu Efes still ranks fourth in the standings and is one game ahead of FC Barcelona Lassa. They will meet in Round 25 at Sinan Erdem Dome.”
Andy West
“With three of its next four games coming on the road, it was vital for Milan to beat Maccabi last week. Even more so as it also meant the Italian champ now two games ahead of Maccabi in the standings and has the head-to-head tie-breaker. Another major bonus was seeing Kaleb Tarczewski make such a strong return from injury; he will be vital in the next few weeks considering the absence of Arturas Gudaitis.”