Aftermath (EL 8 g.) – Green nights

2015-12-05T00:17:20+00:00 2015-12-05T00:42:41+00:00.

Aris Barkas

05/Dec/15 00:17

Eurohoops.net
επίλογος

It was good to be Green on the 8th round of Euroleague’s regular season. Panathinaikos prevailed over Barcelona and send Zalgiris Kaunas to Top16, Zielona Gora got a big upset and Dogus Darussafaka made one more step to the next round

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

It was good to be Green on the 8th round of Euroleague’s regular season. Panathinaikos prevailed over Barcelona and send Zalgiris Kaunas to Top16, Zielona Gora got a big upset and Dogus Darussafaka made one more step to the next round. Yes, they all wear Green…

As you can see in the standings we are heading towards a big finale. In Group A five teams are fighting for three tickets. Khimki Moscow Region, FC Bayern Munich and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade are tied at 4-4, while Real Madrid and Strasbourg are one step behind (3-5). In Group B, Laboral Kutxa and Anadolu Efes qualified on Thursday to the Top16, while Cedevita Zagreb at 4-4 have the advantage over EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (2-6) and Limoges CSP is out of the contest (2-6). In Group C, Zalgiris Kaunas qualified with a 4-4 record, while Panathinaikos, also at 4-4, needs a home win over Stelmer Zielona Gora (2-6) next week in order to get the last open ticket and Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir (2-6) is out. And in Group D the race between Dogus Darussafaka (4-4) and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (2-6) for the last ticket is still on. But let’s get back to Athens…

MVP

Dimitris Diamantidis

Against Barcelona he had his best game yet in the season. The Greens got the win and are almost at Top16 and Diamantidis was once agan a real leader with 20 points (1/2 2p., 2/4 3p., 12/14 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 2 turnovers. As he has said this summer he intends to retire, so expect more fireworks as the season goes deeper.

Best five

  1. Dimitris DiamantidisIt was vintage 3D…
  2. Nando De Colo: He has a great season so far, but what he did in Bamberg was his best game yet. That translated to 27 points on 10/14 shots, 11 assists, 2 rebounds and just 2 turnovers as he pushed CSKA Moscow to one more win.
  3. Reggie Redding: He stayed on the court for 35 minutes and he got 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 4 turnovers. He led Dogus Darussafaka to the win over Unicaja Malaga and almost to the Top16.
  4. Dario Saric: When Anadolu Efes needed him the most in order to avoid trouble, he responded with a double double (16 p., 10 r.) in the road win over Cedevita in Zagreb which ultimately send Anadolu Efes to Top16. it was like he was playing with Cibona once again.
  5. Maik Zirbes: Last week we had Miller and this week it’s Zirbes time! He needed 29 minutes in order to score 27 points on 9/12 shots and 9/9 free throws. He also had 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 turnovers as Crvena Zvezda got the big win over Khimki Moscow Region.

Best losing performance: Alexey Shved

Shved finally got a big game for Khimki on hostile ground. At Belgrade he had 28 points and 6 assists, proving that he can be a leader for the Russians. This time it was not enough for the win. Still Khimki is already considered a contender and if Shved can keep it up, then the sky is the limit.

Coach of the week: Giannis Sfairopoulos

Despite playing without Spanoulis and Young and losing during the game Matt Lojeski, the identity and the game plan of Olympiacos was the same. Coach Sfairopoulos has built probably the most solid and mentally tough team in Europe as the Reds are ready for anything no matter which players are on the court.

The biggest win: Panathinaikos

The Greens are trying to prove that they are on the path of regaining their old glory, specially after their last mediocre season. So far they had many ups and downs, but finally they got their big win. After nine straight defeats by Barcelona, Panathinaikos beat them and in Athens they hope this is a sign for things to come.

The comeback: Real Madrid

The champs needed a big win in order to get back on their feet and even without Rudy Fernandez they managed to beat Fenerbahce. Real Madrid will need much more in order to regain their last season status and new faces are expected to be added in the roster. However against Fenerbahce they found the way to close the game the right way and this result can be the start of a reboot.

The upset: Stelmet Zielona Gora

Lokomotiv Kuban has already qualified, they had an off night, but that doesn’t change the fact that Zielona Gora got a precious road win with ease (66-51) and now they can have Top16 dreams. They will have to repeat the miracle however next week against Panathinaikos in order to create an improbable Cinderella story.

Τhe up-and-comers: Dogus Darussafaka, Bayern Munich

As the battle for the Top16 rages, those two teams which want to build something big in European basketball, got two key wins over Unicaja Malaga and Strasbourg respectively. Both hold their luck on their hands and we expect to see them, or at least one of them, on the next round.

The disappointment: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano

The Italians once more couldn’t get the win, however the disappointment has not to do only with the result against Olympiacos. Yes, they were missing Alessandro Gentile, they are still waiting for Milan Macvan, but the bottom line remains that they are almost out of the Top16. That means missing one of the main goals for this season.

Last word: Look who is back

Williams
Marcus Williams had his first Euroleague game for the season as Crvena Zvezda is making the final push for the Top16. He had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and the cavalry couldn’t have arrived at a better timing.

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