Many chances to have a Greek team in Madrid!!
Olympiacos provided one of the biggest road wins in Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs history by downing the all mighty power house CSKA Moscow 74-76 in their in between first game in this best of three series. CSKA Moscow the most expensive team in the history if Euroleague with a budget more than 30 million euros is very close to watch the Final four in Madrid from a distance. Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) became the game hero by sinking the game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Olympiacos now has the home-court advantage in the series and will advance to the Final Four if it downs CSKA again in Athens on Thursday. Meanwhile, CSKA is in a do-or-die situation and needs to get consecutive wins to reach its sixth consecutive Final Four. Qyntel Woods paced the winners with 20 points on 4-for-4 three-point shooting, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, the American guard, Lynn Greer added 19 points 2 rebounds and 6 assists in one of his best games with the red jersey of Olympiakos, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos added 14 points, 2 rebounds and a lot of passion and dirty job while Roderick Blakney (181-G-76, college: S.Carolina St.) added 10 very crucial points for Olympiacos, which won its fifth straight game. Matjaz Smodis had 21 points for the Russians, who had the longest active Euroleague home winning streak - 27 games - snapped. David Andersen added 15, Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) 12 and Trajan Langdon 10 for the hosts. A quick transition game and an unstoppable Vasilopoulos allowed Olympiacos to take a 20-24 edge after 10 minutes. Woods took over from that moment and got some help from Greer to make it a 14-point game, 46-60, late in the third quarter. Three-pointers by Andersen, Smodis and Langdon got CSKA within 67-72 with less than three minutes to go. Smodis tied the game with 15 seconds to go but, Greer became the man of the game with the winning jumper. It is worth mentioned the fact that the Greek players of CSKA, Papaloukas and Zisis were in not so good day as they scored 6 and 7 points respectively not being able to help their team against the Hellenic team of Panagiotis Giannakis.
Copyright 1998-2007 Eurobasket Inc.
Euroleague Basketball MVP for March: Milt Palacio, Partizan Igokea
Only two teams before this season had ever started the Top 16 with two defeats and still made the Euroleague Playoffs. This month, Partizan Igokea became the third such comeback playoff qualifier in large part because of the trust placed in - and rewarded by - starting point guard Milton Palacio (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.), Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for March. In his debut Euroleague season, Palacio found consistency at the perfect time to help Partizan go deeper into the competition than it has all decade. When the month started, Partizan was tied for last place in its Top 16 group and faced three must-win survival tests against superpower opponents. Its first victim was eventual group winner Montepaschi Siena, which had been undefeated to that point. Next, came Partizan's only road win of the round, against Efes Pilsen. However, those first two victories merely set the stage for a game that fans in Belgrade, Serbia will remember a long, long time. In a winner-take-all classic, Partizan ended the Euroleague reign of defending champion Panathinaikos with an impassioned display of great basketball in the Top 16 finale. At the center of it all was Palacio, averaging 20.3 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while making 74% of his two-point shots, 55% of his triples and 88% of his free throws during March. And when it came down to the key shot to stay alive or be eliminated, Palacio not only took and made it, but in doing so assured Partizan of its first playoff appearance. For lifting his team to new heights by beating the best, Milton Palacio of Partizan takes his rightful place on this list of this season's protagonists as the MVP for March.
Euroleague Basketball's MVP of the Month honor is in its fourth season. Although statistics and performance index ratings are taken into consideration for the award, they alone do not determine who is honored. The winner is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance during the previous month. The award for March was decided considering the three Top 16 games played by all teams during that month.
As a Euroleague newcomer and Partizan's only import player, Palacio went through ups and downs while trying to fill the role of on-court leader for a young team during the regular season and first half of the Top 16. When Partizan's season depended on his leadership, however, Palacio came through with flying colors. In the victory that opened March, at home against Montepaschi, he was nearly flawless: scoring 26 points on 7-for-9 two-point and 9-for-9 free-throw shooting for an index rating of 33, the highest of the Top 16 that didn't win a weekly MVP award. Most important was Palacio's timing, with half his points coming in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead free throws and insurance jumper in the final minute. On the road against Efes Pilsen in Istanbul a week later, Palacio didn't score until after halftime, but quickly poured in 8 of his 11 points total as Partizan gained big leads early and held on for victory. None of it would have mattered, however, if Partizan did not knock out the champions in the sixth and last Top 16 game. Panathinaikos and Partizan had played three close games earlier in the season, with the Greens having won them all by a total of 7 points. This game's stakes could not have been more start: the winner was going to the playoffs and the loser was going home, eliminated. Palacio got Partizan's sellout crowd even more pumped up than usual with a pair of triples that gave his team momentum in the first quarter. He returned after halftime with another big shot from downtown to help keep the Greens behind. Still, the game proved as close as any before it, 75-73, headed into the final minute. That's when Palacio stared down and then broke down the Panathinaikos defense with a full-extension driving layup that spelled doom for the champs and euphoria for Partizan and its devoted crowd. Palacio was high scorer with 24 points in the most important game of the decade for Partizan and finished March with an average index rating of 25.3, almost triple his regular season average.
A perfect 3-0 month punctuated by a transcendent victory means that nobody will take Partizan lightly anytime soon, thanks in large part to Palacio. His ability to lead when needed most made Palacio a key to Partizan's historic step forward. Now, he and Partizan's fans will get to celebrate at least once more, when Palacio receives the March MVP award at the team's first-ever playoff home game.
Copyright 1998-2007 Eurobasket Inc.
Edinburgh Kings triumphs in Scottish Cup Championship
The Edinburgh Kings defended the Scottish Cup Championship at the weekend. The Kings held off brave Troon to celebrate the second straight Cup success. The teams kept it close in the first period with neither side able to dominate. Edinburgh outfit that has four Scotland National team players on the squad gradually took over. They raised the tempo and started to get away. The Tornadoes were pretty sloppy defensively and the Kings used it to pile up the advantage in the second half. Brett Jefferies (200-G/F-75, college: Pacific Union) provided 9 points for Edinburgh in the third period and helped the Kings to stretch the lead to as many as 17 points. Troon struggled to revive the intrigue in the fourth period. Laurie Costello (188-G-82) and Brett Jefferies widened the gap to 19 points early in the final stanza. The Tornadoes had to call for timeout but it had little impact on the game. Two trebles from Patrick Campbell (191-F) silenced the Tornadoes' supporters. Edinburgh coasted to an overall win and clinched the Cup title at the end. Brett Jefferies finished the game with 28 points to lead the Kings. Kevin Anderson (187-G) secured 17 points and Patrick Campbell added 15 for the winners. Ifedade Thomas (185-F-88) answered with 12 points for Troon. Ross Campbell (198-F-81) had 10 points in a loss.
Copyright 1998-2007 Eurobasket Inc.
Cibona extends contract with Luksa Andric
Management of Cibona from Zagreb extended contract with a center Luksa Andric (209-C/F-85) until the end of the season 2009/10. Andric played 14 games this season for Cibona in Euroleague averaging 6.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg. He also played 22 games so far in Adriatic league where he had 7.3 ppg and 4. 2 rpg. Before Cibona, Andric played two seasons for the Croatian team Dubrava Sport Tip like a loaned player. He moved to Cibona from BC Dubrovnik on 2002.
Copyright 1998-2007 Eurobasket Inc.
Top 16 Week 4 MVP: Lynn Greer, Olympiacos
One of the biggest comeback road wins in the Top 16 so far featured the best individual performance of the week, as well. Lynn Greer of Olympiacos became the Week 4 MVP with a 37 performance index rating, most of which fueled the comeback that gave his team new life in the Top 16. Greer led a rally from 10 points behind in the fourth quarter as the Reds registered a huge 82-87 victory over Maccabi Elite in Tel Aviv on Thursday. He finished with 27 points on 5-for-8 two-point, 3-for-4 three-point and 8-for-8 free-throw shooting. He added 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn. Greer had also been the Week 1 MVP in the Top 16. Next, with a 33 index rating, came Milt Palacio of Partizan Igokea, who led his team to a similar comeback home win against Montepaschi Siena with 26 points on 7-for-9 two-point and 9-for-9 free throw shooting. He added 4 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and 6 fouls drawn to amass a 33 index. Omer Asik of Fenerbahce Ulker, Zoran Planinic of Tau Ceramica, Ramunas Siskauskas of CSKA Moscow followed with index ratings of 30 each. Planinic helped make his team the first Quarterfinal Playoffs qualifier with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 10 fouls drawn while playing all 40 minutes of Tau's tense home win against Lietuvos Rytas. Siskauskas paced CSKA's blowout 54-82 road win at Lottomatica Roma with 25 points while making 5 of 6 two-pointers, 3 of 3 triples and 6 of 7 free throws. Fenerbahce lost by a point at home to Aris TT Bank despite Asik's 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
Individual highs: Theo Papaloukas of CSKA ties Top 16 assists record
Greer was also the Top 16 Week 4 scorer with 27 points against Maccabi. He remains the best scorer overall in the round with 22.5 points per game. Asik led all rebounders and shot blockers in Week 4. He is the overall the blocks leader, too, with 4.25 per game. Meanwhile, Terence Morris of Maccabi is still the overall best rebounder on the Top 16, with an average of 10.3 per night. Theodoros Papaloukas dished as many as 12 assists in CSKA's massive road win in Rome, and in so doing tied the Top 16 single-game record. The only other 12-assist night in Top 16 history came on March 16, 2003 when Vrbica Stefanov of Ulker dished as many in a victory over Climamio Bologna. DeJuan Collins of Zalgiris remains the Top 16 assists leader with 6.8 on average. Three players Ibrahim Jaaber of Lottomatica Roma, Pepe Sanchez of AXA FC Barcelona and Scoonie Penn of Efes Pilsen each collected 4 steals in their teams' respective losses against CSKA, Unicaja and Panathinaikos. Jaaber leads the steals list with 3.5 per game. Morris 15 points, 10 rebounds and Asik 13 points, 11 rebounds were the only players to register double-doubles this week.
Copyright EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL 2008
Top 16 Week 2 MVP: Esteban Batista, Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
A monster double-double in a losing effort allowed Esteban Batista of Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv to become the MVP for Top 16 Week 2 with a performance index rating of 27. Despite his team's road loss at Zalgiris Kaunas, Batista scored 25 points for Maccabi on 9-for-18 two-point and 7-for-9 free-throw shooting while also collecting 13 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and 7 fouls drawn. Although his was lowest index rating for a weekly MVP all season long, Batista had plenty of challengers. Coincidentally, Jonas Maciulis of Zalgiris followed him with a 26 index rating in the same game. Maciulis scored 22 points by making 3 of 5 three-pointers and 7 of 7 free throws to go with 7 rebounds - all in just 20 minutes on the floor. Erazem Lorbek of Lottomatica Roma and Lietuvos Rytas teammates Chuck Eidson and Kenan Bajramovic, all with 23 index ratings, completed the top individual performances this week. Lorbek did so without a double-digit total in any statistic: he had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, a block and 8 fouls drawn in Roma's home win against Unicaja. Meanwhile, Eidson had 18 points and 5 steals while Bajramovic added 17 points and 7 rebounds as L. Rytas defeated visiting Aris TT Bank.
Individual highs: Ibrahim Jaaber of Lottomatica Roma, 8 steals
Batista not only became the MVP, but was both the Top 16, Week 2 best scorer with 25 points and best rebounder with those 13 boards against Zalgiris. Maciulis, meanwhile, has the best scoring average after two Top 16 games with 21.5 points per game, while Jeremiah Massey of Aris TT Bank leads all rebounders at 10.5 boards per night. Terrell McIntyre of Montepaschi Siena led Week 2 in assists by dishing 8 in his team's overtime road win against Efes Pilsen. Dejuan Collins of Zalgiris, who was regular season assists king, too, leads the Top 16 in that category, with 8 per game. Ibrahim Jaaber of Lottomatica Roma collected as many as 8 steals against Unicaja. He and Trajan Langdon of CSKA Moscow are both averaging 4.5 per game, more than any other Top 16 players. Omer Asik of Fenerbahce Ulker, Ersan Ilyasova of AXA FC Barcelona and Eurelijus Zukauskas of Zalgiris each had 3 blocks this week. Asik leads the Top 16 block standings with 3.5 per night. Batista and Mamadou Ndiaye of Zalgriis, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds against Maccabi, were the only players to register double-doubles this week.
Copyright EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL 2008
Tau forward Pete Mickeal to miss three weeks
Tau Ceramica revealed Thursday evening that forward Pete Mickeal will be sidelined for three weeks after sustaining an injury during the club s 103-84 victory over Fenerbahce Ulker the night before in Vitoria. Mickeal felt pain in his right leg in the opening minutes of the third period and asked to come off the court. Medical examination performed on Thursday revealed that Mickeal has a torn muscle in his right femoral biceps that will prevent him from playing for the next three weeks. During this period Mickeal will miss three Euroleague Top16 games: two against Aris and one against Lietuvos Rytas. Injuries have already limited Mickeal this season, who missed five of the last six regular season games.
Copyright EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL 2008
|
