December 22, 2014 - MVP for December: Devin Smith, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
In
his first three seasons at Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Devin Smith was
considered to be one of the team’s most important players, but often
his contributions couldn’t be simply measured by statistics. That
changed in December, when the veteran forward took on an even greater
role for the defending Euroleague champions. Smith posted impressive
numbers – he was the Euroleague’s top scorer for the month– in leading
Maccabi to a 3-0 record in December to clinch second place in Group B
of the regular season. For those reasons and more, Smith is Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for December. At age 31, Smith is the
oldest player on the Maccabi Electra roster. And following the
season-ending injury to team captain Guy Pnini, he is the team’s
longest-tenured member. Maccabi may be the reigning Euroleague
champion, but it faced new challenges this season with a change in head
coach and the turnover of half the team’s roster. Read more here.
December 20, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 10 bwin MVP: Ioannis Bourousis, Real Madrid
He
has long been among the premier big men in the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague. On Thursday, Ioannis Bourousis recorded his best
performance since he joined Real Madrid last season and in the process
became the bwin MVP for Regular Season Round 10. Bourousis starred for
Madrid in its 90-70 victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul to clinch first
place in Group A. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2
steals and 1 block for a performance index rating of 31, the highest of
any player on a winning team in the last week of the regular season.
One of Bourousis's former teammates, Keith Langford of Unics Kazan,
matched him with a 31 index rating despite his team losing 78-74 at
Nizhny Novgorod. That defeat ended Unics's Euroleague run, even though
Langford shined with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. It was his
first-ever Euroleague double-double. Read more here.
December 18, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 10: Plenty left to be decided!
The 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular
Season comes to an end in Round 10 with a lot yet to be decided. There
are still three open spots in the Top 16 being fought for: two in Group
A and one in Group D. Of the 13 teams already qualified, only five -
group winners Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow, plus Maccabi Electra,
Panathinaikos Athens and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan - know their exact
final standing, leaving eight more to fight this week for higher
position. It all adds up to a lot of potential drama to close out this
phase with six games on Thursday and six more on Friday! Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Game 10:
GROUP A
Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul 90-70
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Unics Kazan 78-74
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 80-79
GROUP B
CSKA Moscow vs. Limoges CSP 88-56
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv vs. Unicaja Malaga 81-73
ALBA Berlin vs. Cedevita Zagreb 67-70
GROUP C
PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 96-101
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. FC Bayern Munich 87-81
Panathinaikos Athens vs. FC Barcelona 67-80
GROUP D
Valencia Basket vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 103-65
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 79-74
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 90-82
December 13, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 9 bwin MVP: Dusko Savanovic, FC Bayern Munich
Dusko
Savanovic of FC Bayern Munich saved his best for his team's last
Turkish Airlines Euroleague home game of the season. Savanovic scored a
career-high 31 points – including 14 in the fourth quarter – to lead
Bayern to a come-from-behind 95-89 victory over PGE Turow Zgorzelec.
His outstanding performance also netted Savanovic Round 9 bwin MVP
honors. Savanovic was not only efficient with his shooting – 7 of 10 on
two-point shots, 4 of 6 from behind the three-point arc and 5 of 6 from
the foul line – but he also totaled 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks
for a performance index rating of 37, which was the highest of any
player in Round 9 of the regular season. His index rating also
established a record for Bayern Munich players in the Euroleague. This
was the second time in Savanovic’s career that he was named player of
the week. Read more here.
December 10, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 9: decisive games ahead!
The 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular
Season is in its crunch-time as six more Top 16 tickets are waiting to
be claimed with two games to go. There are several key battles between
teams aiming for open Top 16 spots, one of them being the Round 9
opener on Wednesday with Neptunas Klaipeda hosting Galatasaray Liv
Hospital. Action continues with five games Thursday, and ends with six
more games on Friday.
Here is the schedule for Game 9:
GROUP A
Unics Kazan vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 73-60
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Nizhny Novgorod 61-65
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Real Madrid 58-83
GROUP B
Cedevita Zagreb vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 71-82
Unicaja Malaga vs. CSKA Moscow 75-76
Limoges CSP vs. ALBA Berlin 65-71
GROUP C
FC Bayern Munich vs. PGE Turow Zgorzelec 95-89
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Panathinaikos Athens 66-64
FC Barcelona vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 89-91
GROUP D
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 82-72
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Valencia Basket 93-89
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 64-59
With
one of the finer performances seen in any Turkish Airlines Euroleague
game this decade, center D'or Fischer continued his brilliant stretch
of play for Unics Kazan and earned the bwin MVP award for Round 8 of
the regular season. The veteran center was a difference-maker as Unics
won its third game in a row by 68-72 on the road against Dinamo Banco
di Sardegna Sassari to move into a tie for third place in Group A.
Fischer was near perfect in scoring 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting,
ripping a club-record 15 rebounds and adding 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1
steal for a performance index rating of 43, the best so far this
season. What's more, only two players have posted higher index ratings
than Fischer's 43 since 2010. The weekly runner-up was Devin Smith, who
played a big role in Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s 95-89 victory over ALBA
Berlin with a career-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal
in a fine all-around performance that netted him an index rating of 28.
Read more here.
A lot can happen in the final three weeks of the
2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, starting this
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. In Round 8, two teams can clinch first
place, six others can qualify to the Top 16, and some others could
mathematically run out of chances. All teams still have chances to go
past the regular season, so expect big battles all around. It all
starts on Wednesday, when EA7 Emporio Armani Milan hosts FC Bayern
Munich in a critical game for both teams. Six games are scheduled on
Thursday, followed by five more on Friday.
Here is the schedule for Game 8:
GROUP A
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Real Madrid 98-101
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Unics Kazan 68-72
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul 57-66
GROUP B
Limoges CSP vs. Unicaja Malaga 67-64
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv vs. ALBA Berlin 95-89
CSKA Moscow vs. Cedevita Zagreb 97-79
GROUP C
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. FC Bayern Munich 83-81
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. Panathinaikos Athens 84-62
PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. FC Barcelona 65-104
GROUP D
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 82-89
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 89-79
Valencia Basket vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 68-77
December 1, 2014 - MVP for November: Dario Saric, Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Last
month dawned with reason for doubt at Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The team's
first Turkish Airlines Euroleague defeat - at home in late October -
was followed quickly by news of its best performer until then suffering
a long-term injury. Fortunately for his new club, Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for November, forward Dario Saric, was
ready to be everything that Efes had hoped he would be when signing him
last summer. Playing well beyond his 20 years, Saric became the team's
anchor over the next four games, averaging the most rebounds and
third-most points on any Euroleague team with three or more victories
in November. He also led Efes in minutes played and overall shooting
accuracy as the team pulled off victories on the road at Nizhny
Novgorod and home against both Real Madrid and Dinamo Banco di Sardegna
Sassari. Read more here.
November 29, 2014 - Regular season Round 7 bwin MVP: Boban Marjanovic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
The
Turkish Airlines Euroleague's tallest player, Boban Marjanovic,
continued his dominance of the regular season on Thursday by leading
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade to a 79-62 victory over Neptunas
Klaipeda and securing bwin weekly MVP honors for the second time this
season. Marjanovic, who was also the Round 1 bwin MVP, adds another
weekly bwin MVP award to his roll of honors after he compiled 24 points
on 11-of-13 shooting plus 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block
for a performance index rating of 36. That rating was the highest among
all players in Round 7 of the regular season. Marjanovic already has
four double-doubles this season, leads the competition in average index
rating (25.6) and rebounds (10.1 rpg.), and is ranked among the leaders
in scoring (17.3 ppg.) too. Another big center was the runner-up in the
Round 7 MVP race. Read more here.
November 26, 2014 - Round 7: a lot can happen!
The Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season is in
its most decisive stage as Round 7 comes your way this week. Three
teams - CSKA Moscow in Group B, FC Barcelona in Group C and Olympiacos
Piraeus in Group D - have advanced to the Top 16 and now look to rank
as high as possible. Several other teams can join them this week and a
few others need to make a move soon or be in jeapordy of elimination.
So expect a lot of drama and intensity with six-packs of showdowns on
Thursday and Friday.
Here is the schedule for Game 7:
GROUP A
Real Madrid vs. Unics Kazan 75-85
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 55-61
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 85-62
GROUP B
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv vs. CSKA Moscow 61-84
ALBA Berlin vs. Unicaja Malaga 79-78
Cedevita Zagreb vs. Limoges CSP 102-83
GROUP C
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. PGE Turow Zgorzelec 89-74
Panathinaikos Athens vs. FC Bayern Munich 87-72
FC Barcelona vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 84-80
GROUP D
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 79-62
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 89-70
Valencia Basket vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 78-71
November 22, 2014 - Regular season Round 6 bwin MVP: Zoran Erceg, Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul
Zoran
Erceg starred in a memorable 110-103 double-overtime victory for his
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul over Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
on Friday night. His brilliant performance also lifted him to bwin MVP
honors for the first time in his career. Erceg, who forced overtime
with a long three-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation, finished
the game with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for a
performance index rating of 41, which was the most of any player in
Regular Season Round 6. He also made 14 free throws without a single
miss! The second-highest index for the week came from an opponent in
that game. Center Boban Marjanovic scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting
and grabbed 17 rebounds in compiling an index rating of 39. Laboral
Kutxa Vitoria point guard Thomas Heurtel turned in the finest outing of
his career to date with a career-high 31 points plus 5 assists in an
80-79 loss at Neptunas Klaipeda. Read more here.
November 20, 2014 - Round 6: First Top 16 berths available!
The Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season has
reached its halfway mark, which means that decisive games are ahead of
us, starting this week. Three teams - CSKA Moscow in Group B, FC
Barcelona in Group C and Olympiacos Piraeus in Group C - can advance
with their own victories this week. There are no winless teams left
now, so the race to the Top 16 has become even more contested. Eight
games will be played on a busy Thursday, followed by four more on
Friday. Don't miss it!
Here is the schedule for Game 6:
GROUP A
Unics Kazan vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul 67-64
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Real Madrid 66-68
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Nizhny Novgorod 82-89
GROUP B
CSKA Moscow vs. ALBA Berlin 95-66
Limoges CSP vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 73-79
Unicaja Malaga vs. Cedevita Zagreb 82-73
GROUP C
FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona 77-99
PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. Panathinaikos Athens 69-79
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 74-80
GROUP D
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 80-79
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Valencia Basket 77-76
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 110-103
November 15, 2014 - Regular season Round 5 bwin MVP: Andrew Goudelock, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul
Andrew
Goudelock continues to enjoy one of the finest Euroleague debuts in
recent history. After winning bwin MVP honors in just his second game,
the Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul scorer turned in a record-setting
performance on Thursday to become the Round 5 bwin MVP. Goudelock
established a new Euroleague mark with 10 three-pointers as the Turkish
champs bested FC Bayern Munich 86-93. He finished with 34 points
scored, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in compiling a performance
index rating of 40, which was not only the best of Round 5’s 12 games,
but the highest index in the league all season. Goudelock is the only
player to have reached an index of 30 twice so far this season. Shane
Lawal of Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari had the second-highest index
rating of the week, 35, in his team’s 92-80 victory over Zalgiris
Kaunas. Read more here.
November 13, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 5: pivotal week ends first leg!
The 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague reaches its
halfway point as Round 5 brings decisive showdowns in all four groups
on Thursday and Friday. Just four teams remain undefeated, at the head
of each group, and only one has not yet won a game, which means the
battle to reach the Top 16 promises to be well contested! Seven games
will open fire on a busy Thursday, followed by five more on Friday.
Don't miss any of it!
Here is the schedule for Game 5:
GROUP A
Unics Kazan vs. Nizhny Novgorod 73-79
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Real Madrid 75-73
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 92-80
GROUP B
Unicaja Malaga vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 66-70
Cedevita Zagreb vs. ALBA Berlin 67-80
Limoges CSP vs. CSKA Moscow 76-86
GROUP C
FC Bayern Munich vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 86-93
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. PGE Turow Zgorzelec 90-71
FC Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos Athens 78-69
GROUP D
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Valencia Basket 94-87
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 66-86
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 93-66
November 8, 2014 - Regular Season Round 4 bwin MVP: James Anderson, Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris
Kaunas is off to a 3-1 start in regular season Group A and much of that
success is due to great contributions from first-year swingman James
Anderson. On Thursday, Anderson turned in his best performance yet to
claim Round 4 bwin MVP honors after leading Zalgiris to a 77-71 victory
over Unics Kazan. Anderson racked up 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists,
3 steals and a block. He was perfect in 9 trips to the free throw line
to amass a performance index rating of 38, which was not only the best
of Round 4, but the highest index in the competition so far this
season. Following Anderson came Unicaja Malaga guard Jayson Granger,
who posted his career-high index of 33, including a double-double of 20
points and 10 assists, in a losing cause. Read more here.
November 6, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 4
GROUP A
Real Madrid vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 115 - 94 Nizhny Novgorod vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul 66 - 76 Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Unics Kazan 77 - 71
GROUP B
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv vs. Cedevita Zagreb 73 - 83 CSKA Moscow vs. Unicaja Malaga 95 - 85
ALBA Berlin vs. Limoges CSP 89 - 66
GROUP C
PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. FC Bayern Munich 89 - 78 Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. FC Barcelona 78 - 80
Panathinaikos Athens vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 90 - 63
GROUP D
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 57 - 62
Valencia Basket vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 79 - 69
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 94 - 68
November 4, 2014 - MVP for October: Vassilis Spanoulis, Olympiacos Piraeus
In
certain sports, the player who spends the most time on the playing
field is called an Iron Man. In the first month of the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague season, the player with the most minutes on court was more
like the Man of Steel. Vassilis Spanoulis played almost non-stop last
month until the first overtime game of the season was finished and
Olympiacos Piraeus was still undefeated. For his impressive will to
win, no matter how great the effort required, Spanoulis is Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for October. Of five undefeated
Euroleague teams after three rounds, only Olympiacos and CSKA Moscow
have won two road games, and the Reds did so while defeating two
Spanish teams, as well. Spanoulis had everything to do with Olympiacos
holding a 3-0 record and sitting alone atop regular season Group D.
Read more here.
November 1, 2014 - Regular Season Round 3 bwin MVP: Jaycee Carroll, Real Madrid
In
a week that saw history made, one of the Euroleague’s premier shooters
turned in his best effort yet to claim Regular Season Round 3 bwin MVP
honors. Jaycee Carroll of Real Madrid scored a career-high 32 points
and tied a team record with 7 three-pointers made to lead his team to a
112-83 victory over Nizhny Novgorod. Carroll also drew 7 fouls and was
perfect in 5 trips to the line as he compiled a performance index
rating of 37, which was not only the best in the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague for Round 3, but the highest in the competition this season.
Carroll had stiff competition for the weekly honor as former Euroleague
MVP Vassilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos Piraeus and Brian Randle of
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv each posted index ratings of 34 in victory.
Spanoulis scored a career-high 34 points as the Reds bested Neptunas
Klaipeda 81-85 after overtime. Read more here.
October 30, 2014 - Regular Season, Round 3: Key week in the fight for position!
The 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular
Season enters Round 3 with plenty of great games to offer. Seven teams
are undefeated after two games and seven others are looking for their
first wins. Six games will be played on Thursday, followed by six more
on Friday. Get ready for some exciting showdowns and of course, a lot
of action, as the regular season keeps going strong!
Here is the schedule for Game 3:
GROUP A
Unics Kazan vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 85-62
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 62-65
Real Madrid vs. Nizhny Novgorod 112-83
GROUP B
ALBA Berlin vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 69-84
Cedevita Zagreb vs. CSKA Moscow 72-76
Unicaja Malaga vs. Limoges CSP 75-69
GROUP C
Panathinaikos Athens vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 91-73
FC Bayern Munich vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 74-81
FC Barcelona vs. PGE Turow Zgorzelec 86-67
GROUP D
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Valencia Basket 76-63
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 81-85
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 91-90
October 25, 2014 - Regular season Round 2 bwin MVP: Andrew Goudelock, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul
The
reigning Eurocup MVP has not skipped a beat in stepping his game up to
the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Andrew Goudelock of Fenerbahce Ulker
Istanbul earned bwin MVP honors in just his second game after leading
Fenerbahce Ulker to a 76-91 road win at PGE Turow Zgorzelec on
Thursday. Goudelock racked up a performance index rating of 30, which
was the highest of all players on winning teams for the week and made
him bwin MVP for Round 2 of the Regular Season. He was strong early,
scoring 11 points in the first quarter as Fenerbahce took charge. And
when Turow rallied late, Goudelock came to the rescue with 9 points in
the final three minutes to ice the game. He finished with 27 points,
making 9 of 14 two point attempts, and added 3 rebounds, 2 assists and
3 steals. Read more here.
October 23, 2014 - Regular Season Round 2: The beat goes on!
After a tight opening week saw eight of 12 games
decided by single digits, the 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague
regular season promises more emotions in Round 2. Only three teams -
CSKA Moscow, Unicaja Malaga and Olympiacos Piraeus - were able to win
away from home last week, proving that road triumphs will be hard to
get - and very valuable. Three teams - PGE Turow Zgorzelec, Dinamo
Banco di Sardegna Sassari and Neptunas Klaipeda - make their Euroleague
home debuts this week, and another - former Euroleague champion Limoges
CSP - plays before its own fans in the continent's top competition for
the first time since 1998. Six games will be played on Thursday,
followed by six more on Friday.
Here is the schedule for Game 2:
GROUP A
Unics Kazan vs. Real Madrid 75-76
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Nizhny Novgorod 97-63
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul 75-82
GROUP B
CSKA Moscow vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 99-80
Limoges CSP vs. Cedevita Zagreb 71-60
Unicaja Malaga vs. ALBA Berlin 87-84
GROUP C
FC Bayern Munich vs. Panathinaikos Athens 81-75
PGE Turow Zgorzelec vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 76-91
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. FC Barcelona 63-78
GROUP D
Neptunas Klaipeda vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 83-81
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul vs. Valencia Basket 71-64
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 63-57
October 18, 2014 - Regular season Round 1 bwin MVP: Boban Marjanovic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
The
tallest player in the 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was also the
best one in the opening week of the competition, as center Boban
Marjanovic of Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade claimed bwin MVP honors
for regular season Round 1. Marjanovic led Zvezda with 22 points on
11-of-14 two-point shooting Thursday as his team defeated visiting
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 76-68 in front of more than 16,800
fans at Kombank Arena. Marjanovic added 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2
fouls drawn as part of a performance index rating of 30, which was the
most among all players in 12 games during opening week. Behind him came
Mardy Collins of PGE Turow Zgorzelec, who shined in his team's road
loss against Panathinaikos Athens with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5
assists, a steal and 10 fouls drawn, good enough for an index rating of
29. Read more here.
October 15, 2014 - Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, Round 1: let the games begin!
The
2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague blasts off this week with the
regular season, played within six groups of four squads each. The best
four from each group after 10 games will advance to the Top 16. There
is a long list of contenders to reach the Final Four in Madrid next
May, but surviving a tough regular season is the first goal for all 24
teams. The season begins with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Neptunas
Klaipeda on Wednesday before all the other teams play their openers on
Thursday and Friday.
Here is the schedule for Game 1:
GROUP A
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Unics Kazan 82-76 Nizhny Novgorod vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 88-86
Real Madrid vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 80-71
GROUP B
Cedevita Zagreb vs. Unicaja Malaga 63-78
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv vs. Limoges CSP 92-76
ALBA Berlin vs. CSKA Moscow 68-84
GROUP C
Panathinaikos Athens vs. PGE Turow Zgorzelec 84-77
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 77-74
FC Barcelona vs. FC Bayern Munich 83-81
GROUP D
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Neptunas Klaipeda 88-69
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 76-68
Valencia Basket vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 68-71
In
his first three seasons at Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Devin Smith was
considered to be one of the team’s most important players, but often
his contributions couldn’t be simply measured by statistics. That
changed in December, when the veteran forward took on an even greater
role for the defending Euroleague champions. Smith posted impressive
numbers – he was the Euroleague’s top scorer for the month– in leading
Maccabi to a 3-0 record in December to clinch second place in Group B
of the regular season. For those reasons and more, Smith is Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for December. At age 31, Smith is the
oldest player on the Maccabi Electra roster. And following the
season-ending injury to team captain Guy Pnini, he is the team’s
longest-tenured member. Maccabi may be the reigning Euroleague
champion, but it faced new challenges this season with a change in head
coach and the turnover of half the team’s roster. Read more 
He
has long been among the premier big men in the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague. On Thursday, Ioannis Bourousis recorded his best
performance since he joined Real Madrid last season and in the process
became the bwin MVP for Regular Season Round 10. Bourousis starred for
Madrid in its 90-70 victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul to clinch first
place in Group A. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2
steals and 1 block for a performance index rating of 31, the highest of
any player on a winning team in the last week of the regular season.
One of Bourousis's former teammates, Keith Langford of Unics Kazan,
matched him with a 31 index rating despite his team losing 78-74 at
Nizhny Novgorod. That defeat ended Unics's Euroleague run, even though
Langford shined with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. It was his
first-ever Euroleague double-double. Read more 
Dusko
Savanovic of FC Bayern Munich saved his best for his team's last
Turkish Airlines Euroleague home game of the season. Savanovic scored a
career-high 31 points – including 14 in the fourth quarter – to lead
Bayern to a come-from-behind 95-89 victory over PGE Turow Zgorzelec.
His outstanding performance also netted Savanovic Round 9 bwin MVP
honors. Savanovic was not only efficient with his shooting – 7 of 10 on
two-point shots, 4 of 6 from behind the three-point arc and 5 of 6 from
the foul line – but he also totaled 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks
for a performance index rating of 37, which was the highest of any
player in Round 9 of the regular season. His index rating also
established a record for Bayern Munich players in the Euroleague. This
was the second time in Savanovic’s career that he was named player of
the week. Read more 
With
one of the finer performances seen in any Turkish Airlines Euroleague
game this decade, center D'or Fischer continued his brilliant stretch
of play for Unics Kazan and earned the bwin MVP award for Round 8 of
the regular season. The veteran center was a difference-maker as Unics
won its third game in a row by 68-72 on the road against Dinamo Banco
di Sardegna Sassari to move into a tie for third place in Group A.
Fischer was near perfect in scoring 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting,
ripping a club-record 15 rebounds and adding 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1
steal for a performance index rating of 43, the best so far this
season. What's more, only two players have posted higher index ratings
than Fischer's 43 since 2010. The weekly runner-up was Devin Smith, who
played a big role in Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s 95-89 victory over ALBA
Berlin with a career-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal
in a fine all-around performance that netted him an index rating of 28.
Read more 
Last
month dawned with reason for doubt at Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The team's
first Turkish Airlines Euroleague defeat - at home in late October -
was followed quickly by news of its best performer until then suffering
a long-term injury. Fortunately for his new club, Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for November, forward Dario Saric, was
ready to be everything that Efes had hoped he would be when signing him
last summer. Playing well beyond his 20 years, Saric became the team's
anchor over the next four games, averaging the most rebounds and
third-most points on any Euroleague team with three or more victories
in November. He also led Efes in minutes played and overall shooting
accuracy as the team pulled off victories on the road at Nizhny
Novgorod and home against both Real Madrid and Dinamo Banco di Sardegna
Sassari. Read more 
The
Turkish Airlines Euroleague's tallest player, Boban Marjanovic,
continued his dominance of the regular season on Thursday by leading
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade to a 79-62 victory over Neptunas
Klaipeda and securing bwin weekly MVP honors for the second time this
season. Marjanovic, who was also the Round 1 bwin MVP, adds another
weekly bwin MVP award to his roll of honors after he compiled 24 points
on 11-of-13 shooting plus 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block
for a performance index rating of 36. That rating was the highest among
all players in Round 7 of the regular season. Marjanovic already has
four double-doubles this season, leads the competition in average index
rating (25.6) and rebounds (10.1 rpg.), and is ranked among the leaders
in scoring (17.3 ppg.) too. Another big center was the runner-up in the
Round 7 MVP race. Read more 
Zoran
Erceg starred in a memorable 110-103 double-overtime victory for his
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul over Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
on Friday night. His brilliant performance also lifted him to bwin MVP
honors for the first time in his career. Erceg, who forced overtime
with a long three-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation, finished
the game with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for a
performance index rating of 41, which was the most of any player in
Regular Season Round 6. He also made 14 free throws without a single
miss! The second-highest index for the week came from an opponent in
that game. Center Boban Marjanovic scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting
and grabbed 17 rebounds in compiling an index rating of 39. Laboral
Kutxa Vitoria point guard Thomas Heurtel turned in the finest outing of
his career to date with a career-high 31 points plus 5 assists in an
80-79 loss at Neptunas Klaipeda. Read more 
Andrew
Goudelock continues to enjoy one of the finest Euroleague debuts in
recent history. After winning bwin MVP honors in just his second game,
the Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul scorer turned in a record-setting
performance on Thursday to become the Round 5 bwin MVP. Goudelock
established a new Euroleague mark with 10 three-pointers as the Turkish
champs bested FC Bayern Munich 86-93. He finished with 34 points
scored, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in compiling a performance
index rating of 40, which was not only the best of Round 5’s 12 games,
but the highest index in the league all season. Goudelock is the only
player to have reached an index of 30 twice so far this season. Shane
Lawal of Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari had the second-highest index
rating of the week, 35, in his team’s 92-80 victory over Zalgiris
Kaunas. Read more 
Zalgiris
Kaunas is off to a 3-1 start in regular season Group A and much of that
success is due to great contributions from first-year swingman James
Anderson. On Thursday, Anderson turned in his best performance yet to
claim Round 4 bwin MVP honors after leading Zalgiris to a 77-71 victory
over Unics Kazan. Anderson racked up 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists,
3 steals and a block. He was perfect in 9 trips to the free throw line
to amass a performance index rating of 38, which was not only the best
of Round 4, but the highest index in the competition so far this
season. Following Anderson came Unicaja Malaga guard Jayson Granger,
who posted his career-high index of 33, including a double-double of 20
points and 10 assists, in a losing cause. Read more 
In
certain sports, the player who spends the most time on the playing
field is called an Iron Man. In the first month of the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague season, the player with the most minutes on court was more
like the Man of Steel. Vassilis Spanoulis played almost non-stop last
month until the first overtime game of the season was finished and
Olympiacos Piraeus was still undefeated. For his impressive will to
win, no matter how great the effort required, Spanoulis is Euroleague
Basketball's choice as bwin MVP for October. Of five undefeated
Euroleague teams after three rounds, only Olympiacos and CSKA Moscow
have won two road games, and the Reds did so while defeating two
Spanish teams, as well. Spanoulis had everything to do with Olympiacos
holding a 3-0 record and sitting alone atop regular season Group D.
Read more 
In
a week that saw history made, one of the Euroleague’s premier shooters
turned in his best effort yet to claim Regular Season Round 3 bwin MVP
honors. Jaycee Carroll of Real Madrid scored a career-high 32 points
and tied a team record with 7 three-pointers made to lead his team to a
112-83 victory over Nizhny Novgorod. Carroll also drew 7 fouls and was
perfect in 5 trips to the line as he compiled a performance index
rating of 37, which was not only the best in the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague for Round 3, but the highest in the competition this season.
Carroll had stiff competition for the weekly honor as former Euroleague
MVP Vassilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos Piraeus and Brian Randle of
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv each posted index ratings of 34 in victory.
Spanoulis scored a career-high 34 points as the Reds bested Neptunas
Klaipeda 81-85 after overtime. Read more 
The
2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague blasts off this week with the
regular season, played within six groups of four squads each. The best
four from each group after 10 games will advance to the Top 16. There
is a long list of contenders to reach the Final Four in Madrid next
May, but surviving a tough regular season is the first goal for all 24
teams. The season begins with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria vs. Neptunas
Klaipeda on Wednesday before all the other teams play their openers on
Thursday and Friday. 
