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02-13-2006, 11:30 AM
The Euroleague’s regular season saw its last games this week. Many youngsters tried to leave the best possible impression in these final matches and we could see a good amount of interesting performances.
An easy victory for Tau Vitoria against Strasbourg, and another very solid game for Tiago Splitter. Reproducing similar achievements from the last season that led him to become one of the best players in the plus/minus category, he came off the bench in the first quarter with the French team up by 3 points, just to lead a 20-2 run that left the game decided. In a game where his impact widely exceeded his stats, Tiago finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Panathinaikos looked like a machine in its visit to Madrid. Putting in practice a very creative offensive game led by its backcourt, Dusan Sakota took advantage to showcase his impressive shooting touch, scoring 17 points in 13 minutes while keeping perfect from the field (including 5 three-pointers, 3 of them consecutive). He also added a couple of rebounds.
Olympiacos, virtually qualified before this last round, surprised everyone in Milano getting their first victory on the road and kicking the Italian team out of the competition. In a very serious performance by the Greeks, both Renaldas Seibutis and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos had their share of responsibility in the final victory. The Lithuanian guard had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while the Greek forward added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
For Partizan, there wasn’t much thrill this week. First a big loss in a meaningless game in the Euroleague against CSKA Moscow to say goodbye to the top European competition, and then an easy victory to solidify their leadership in the Adriatic League against one of the weakest teams, Zagreb. Anyway, the big-three youngsters all shined. Uros Tripkovic had 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists against the Russians and 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists against the Croatians. Kosta Perovic added 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the Euroleague and 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Adriatic League. Finally, Luka Bogdanovic contributed with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists against CSKA and 18 points and 2 rebounds facing Zagreb.
Andrea Bargnani finished the Euroleague regular season doing what he does best: score. He led Benetton Treviso with 19 points in the loss against Olimpija Ljubljana, adding also 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. For the Slovenian team, Manuchar Markoishvili had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. He’s getting in shape after the injury that kept him sidelined during the first months of the season, and indeed he decisively contributed to Olimpija’s victory over Cibona in the Adriatic League with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Another solid performance for Marco Belinelli, with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals in Climamio Bologna’s victory over Zalgiris Kaunas. His consistency has made him the clear-cut best scorer of his team in the Euroleague. Not bad for a kid still not 20 years old in a top-10 team.
Even if the Euroleague brought us a good bunch of interesting performances, perhaps the most spectacular ones took place in the domestic competitions.
After not enjoying one single minute of action in the decisive Euroleague game against Ulker, Luigi Datome took advantage of Montepaschi’s blowout over Air Avelino in the Italian Lega, staying on the court for 23 minutes, enough time for him to amass 27 points (career high), 9 rebounds (career high), 2 assists and 2 steals. Impressive offensive outburst, particularly considering the limited playing time.
Thabo Sefolosha is certainly a player who can positively contribute to his team even if his shot isn’t falling. Suffering a horrible 1/10 from the field against Benetton Treviso, he managed to get to the free-throw line, finishing the game with 9 points, and delivered an outstanding performance in the rebounding department, with a career-high 15 captures. He also managed to put in practice his excellent passing skills once again, gathering another career-high 6 assists. Still, Angelico Biella couldn’t get the final victory.
In the Serbian League, Dragan Labovic erupted for 39 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in Borac’s victory over Ergonom. The production of this 18 year old kid is becoming scary, and although his athleticism and physical characteristics limit his potential, he’s clearly one of the most talented European youngsters. His MVP title in the last European Junior Championships was no joke. His teammate in that competition, Nenad Mijatovic, led Buducnost to the victory over Atlas with 15 points and 5 assists.
A very interesting week in the Russian SuperLeague. Starting with a monster game by Dimitri Sokolov, a player a bit disappointing this season, but who scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Lokomotiv Rostov’s comfortable victory over University Ugra.
Not less impressive was the performance that Anton Ponkrashov delivered against Dinamo Moscow Region, even if his team lost in the end. He led Spartak St.Petersburg with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 12 assists that prove once again his exceptional passing ability. Finally, Nikita Shabalkin showed his usual consistency with an 11 point 11 rebound double-double in Samara’s loss against Spartak VGUES.
In the Spanish ACB League, Rudy Fernández seemed to cool off a little bit lately after an impressive season start. This week he’s back to his old form with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, leading DKV Joventut to the victory over Granada. Meanwhile, Addeco Estudiantes looked helpless against Tau Vitoria, and Carlos Suárez was one of the few that stood up, doing a nice work near the basket to finish with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
The Lithuanian LKL League has no secrets for Paulius Jankunas. A dominating player there, he helped Zalgiris to keep its perfect record with 19 points, 7 rebound, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the victory against Nevezis.
An easy victory for Tau Vitoria against Strasbourg, and another very solid game for Tiago Splitter. Reproducing similar achievements from the last season that led him to become one of the best players in the plus/minus category, he came off the bench in the first quarter with the French team up by 3 points, just to lead a 20-2 run that left the game decided. In a game where his impact widely exceeded his stats, Tiago finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Panathinaikos looked like a machine in its visit to Madrid. Putting in practice a very creative offensive game led by its backcourt, Dusan Sakota took advantage to showcase his impressive shooting touch, scoring 17 points in 13 minutes while keeping perfect from the field (including 5 three-pointers, 3 of them consecutive). He also added a couple of rebounds.
Olympiacos, virtually qualified before this last round, surprised everyone in Milano getting their first victory on the road and kicking the Italian team out of the competition. In a very serious performance by the Greeks, both Renaldas Seibutis and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos had their share of responsibility in the final victory. The Lithuanian guard had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while the Greek forward added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
For Partizan, there wasn’t much thrill this week. First a big loss in a meaningless game in the Euroleague against CSKA Moscow to say goodbye to the top European competition, and then an easy victory to solidify their leadership in the Adriatic League against one of the weakest teams, Zagreb. Anyway, the big-three youngsters all shined. Uros Tripkovic had 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists against the Russians and 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists against the Croatians. Kosta Perovic added 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the Euroleague and 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Adriatic League. Finally, Luka Bogdanovic contributed with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists against CSKA and 18 points and 2 rebounds facing Zagreb.
Andrea Bargnani finished the Euroleague regular season doing what he does best: score. He led Benetton Treviso with 19 points in the loss against Olimpija Ljubljana, adding also 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. For the Slovenian team, Manuchar Markoishvili had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. He’s getting in shape after the injury that kept him sidelined during the first months of the season, and indeed he decisively contributed to Olimpija’s victory over Cibona in the Adriatic League with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Another solid performance for Marco Belinelli, with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals in Climamio Bologna’s victory over Zalgiris Kaunas. His consistency has made him the clear-cut best scorer of his team in the Euroleague. Not bad for a kid still not 20 years old in a top-10 team.
Even if the Euroleague brought us a good bunch of interesting performances, perhaps the most spectacular ones took place in the domestic competitions.
After not enjoying one single minute of action in the decisive Euroleague game against Ulker, Luigi Datome took advantage of Montepaschi’s blowout over Air Avelino in the Italian Lega, staying on the court for 23 minutes, enough time for him to amass 27 points (career high), 9 rebounds (career high), 2 assists and 2 steals. Impressive offensive outburst, particularly considering the limited playing time.
Thabo Sefolosha is certainly a player who can positively contribute to his team even if his shot isn’t falling. Suffering a horrible 1/10 from the field against Benetton Treviso, he managed to get to the free-throw line, finishing the game with 9 points, and delivered an outstanding performance in the rebounding department, with a career-high 15 captures. He also managed to put in practice his excellent passing skills once again, gathering another career-high 6 assists. Still, Angelico Biella couldn’t get the final victory.
In the Serbian League, Dragan Labovic erupted for 39 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in Borac’s victory over Ergonom. The production of this 18 year old kid is becoming scary, and although his athleticism and physical characteristics limit his potential, he’s clearly one of the most talented European youngsters. His MVP title in the last European Junior Championships was no joke. His teammate in that competition, Nenad Mijatovic, led Buducnost to the victory over Atlas with 15 points and 5 assists.
A very interesting week in the Russian SuperLeague. Starting with a monster game by Dimitri Sokolov, a player a bit disappointing this season, but who scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Lokomotiv Rostov’s comfortable victory over University Ugra.
Not less impressive was the performance that Anton Ponkrashov delivered against Dinamo Moscow Region, even if his team lost in the end. He led Spartak St.Petersburg with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 12 assists that prove once again his exceptional passing ability. Finally, Nikita Shabalkin showed his usual consistency with an 11 point 11 rebound double-double in Samara’s loss against Spartak VGUES.
In the Spanish ACB League, Rudy Fernández seemed to cool off a little bit lately after an impressive season start. This week he’s back to his old form with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, leading DKV Joventut to the victory over Granada. Meanwhile, Addeco Estudiantes looked helpless against Tau Vitoria, and Carlos Suárez was one of the few that stood up, doing a nice work near the basket to finish with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
The Lithuanian LKL League has no secrets for Paulius Jankunas. A dominating player there, he helped Zalgiris to keep its perfect record with 19 points, 7 rebound, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the victory against Nevezis.