By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Just before the start of the second half of the Top 16, Eurohoops.net flashes back to the seven games that came before, recalling the 5 biggest wins, the 5 biggest surprises, 5 tips, 5 buzzer-beaters and the 5 best performances.
Starting from the last one, let’s take a look at the best individual performances of players in the first round of the Top 16.
The 5 best performances
1. Gustavo Ayon, 41 performance index rating
Real Madrid
Top 16 Round 7
vs. Khimki Moscow Region
(24 points, 10/12 2FGs, 4/6 FT, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 4 fouls received in 35:22)
2. Malcolm Delaney, 41 performance index rating
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
Top 16 Round 7
vs. Cedevita Zagreb
(31 points, 6/6 2FGs, 5/9 3FGs, 4/5 FTs, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 fouls received in 35:42)
3 Georgios Printezis, 37 performance index rating
Olympiacos Piraeus
Top 16 Round 6
vs. Khimki Moscow Region
(30 points, 9/13 2FGs, 3/5 3FGs, 3/3 FTs, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 fouls received in 27:29)
4. Tyrese Rice, 35 performance index rating
Khimki Moscow Region
Top 16 Round 5
vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
(20 points, 5/6 FTs, 0/1 2FGs, 5/8 3FGs, 2 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 6 fouls received in 24:26)
5. Alexey Shved 33 performance index rating
Khimki Moscow Region
Top 16 Round 1: December 29
vs. CSKA Moscow
(28 points, 8/10 FTs, 4/7 2FGs, 4/8 3FGs, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 9 fouls received in 32:47)
Here are the best buzzer-beaters
The 5 best buzzer-beaters
1. Justin Doellman
FC Barcelona Lassa
Top 16 Round 4
vs. Real Madrid
This basket is the definition of the buzzer-beater! Madrid went ahead 86-85 just 6 seconds before the end, but Doellman confirmed that it was his night. Up to that point he had 22 points on 6-for-7 three-point shooting. Now, Pau Ribas passed him the ball, choosing Doellman to be the one who decided the game. Doellman was off balance but on target and Barcelona won the clasico 86-87.
2. Alexey Shved
Khimki Moscow Region
Top 16 Round 4
vs. CSKA Moscow
With the game tied at 89-89 Shved undertook the last and most crucial attack. He played one-on-one against Vitaly Fridzon and 1 second before the end, with a jump shot from just inside the three-point arc, he registered the final score of 91-89.
3. Dario Saric
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Top 16 Round 1
vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
Zvezda was leading 84-83, but Efes had the last possession of the game. Seven seconds before the end, Thomas Heurtel passed in the corner to the unmarked Saric, who gave the win to the Turkish team with a shot from 6 meters.
4. James Feldeine
Panathinaikos Athens
Top 16 Round 2
vs. Unicaja Malaga
Unicaja took a 66-65 lead against Panathinaikos just 19 seconds before the end of the game, but Feldeine decided the outcome. Dimitris Diamantidis passed him the ball along the perimeter and he scored a three-pointer – his first on target after 4 misses – giving the Greens a crucial win.
5. Darius Adams
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz
Top 16 Round 2
vs. FC Barcelona Lassa
Laboral got an away win over Barcelona in overtime, but Adams was the hero in regular time who allowed it to happen. The American guard scored a three-pointer 11 seconds before the end of the game, tied the score at 70-70 and took it to overtime, where the visiting team prevailed.
The 5 biggest wins
1. Real Madrid – Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz 68-77
Top 16 Round 6
Carrying in their luggage two consecutive major successes against CSKA Moscow (at home) and FC Barcelona Lassa (away), Laboral travelled to the Spanish capital to face Madrid. Velimir Perasovic‘s players kept the offensive harvest of the European champions to low levels (68 points) and got a big win that provides them with a significant advantage for what follows.
2. Anadolu Efes Istanbul – Fenerbahce Istanbul 73-77
Top 16 Round 6
Fenerbahce completed the first round undefeated and their away win over Efes was definitely their biggest along the way. The hero of the game was Melih Mahmutoglu, who helped Zeljko Obradovic‘s team with his long-range shooting. The Turkish guard scored 14 points, all of them after the 30th minute, constituting the surprise factor in the victory.
3. CSKA Moscow – Real Madrid 95-81
Top 16 Round 2
When the European champions lose by 14 points, it’s news, even if CSKA has the strongest home court in the competition. Madrid played without Sergio Llull or Rudy Fernandez and the Russian team made the most out of this. Nando De Colo (28 points) and Milos Teodosic (23 points) were excellent leaders of a valuable win.
4. Panathinaikos Athens – Anadolu Efes Istanbul 83-78
Top 16 Round 7
Panathinaikos got a big win at home over Efes and maintained an important advantage for the qualification to the playoffs. Miroslav Raduljica (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Nick Calathes (12 points, 6 assists) were excellent and led Aleksandar Djordjevic’s team throughout the entire game.
5. Olympiacos Piraeus – FC Barcelona Lassa 74-62
Top 16 Round 1
Olympiacos had an ideal start to the Top 16, prevailing over Barcelona at home with a 12-point lead in one of the biggest derbies of the group. Vassilis Spanoulis led the red-and-whites with 11 points and 9 assists.
The 5 biggest surprises
1. Zalgiris Kaunas – Olympiacos Piraeus 75-55
Top 16 Round 4
Zalgiris got its only Top 16 win against favored Olympiacos in an emphatic manner. The Lithuanians knocked out last season’s runner-up and forced the Reds to concede their second defeat in a row. Zalgiris’s performance on defense was excellent, as they limited Olympiacos to just 55 points, the fewest in a game this season and fourth-lowest number in club history.
2. Panathinaikos Athens – Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 63-74
Top 16 Round 3
Zvezda made the big surprise at the Olympic Sports Center in Athens by defeating Panathinaikos thanks to their amazing defense. The best players for the Serbs were the two centers, Vladimir Stimac and Maik Zirbes, and point guard Stefan Jovic. This win can prove valuable in their effort to qualify for the playoffs.
3. Cedevita Zagreb – Anadolu Efes Istanbul 84-80
Top 16 Round 4
The Top 16 rookies Cedevita shook the Turkish Airlines Euroleague by defeating Efes for the second time this season. The young Marko Arapovic was effective, helping the Croats build a 13-point lead in the 26th minute (63-50). Even though the Turks returned to try and claim the game, Jacob Pullen scored the deciding basket 11 seconds before the end, giving his team their second win.
4. Olympiacos Piraeus – Brose Baskets Bamberg 72-77
Top 16 Round 3
Bamberg got the first Top 16 win in club history one week before travelling to Piraeus to face off with Olympiacos, who already had two wins in as many games. Andrea Trinchieri had designed a perfect getaway plan from Peace & Friendship Stadium, which his players executed to perfection, getting a big win. The “executioner” for Bamberg was the forward Darius Miller, who scored 23 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting.
5. Brose Baskets Bamberg – FC Barcelona Lassa 74-70
Top 16 Round 6
Since the first time can be considered a fluke, Bamberg made sure to demonstrate their quality for the second time in a few weeks. After Olympiacos Piraeus, Bamberg also defeated Barcelona, this time at home. The German team imposed themselves on Barcelona thanks to excellent uniformity and team spirit. Is there anyone else from here on out who is going to underestimate them?