CSKA Moscow vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul
• CSKA leads the all-time series between the teams, 8-7.
• Nenad Krstic has scored in double figures in each of his last 16 Euroleague appearances dating back to the 2003-04 season.
• Andrei Kirilenko and Nenad Krstic lead the Euroleague in index rating with at averages of 27.8 and 21.5 per game, respectively.
• Kirilenko also leads the Euroleague in blocked shots (3.2 bpg).
• Milos Teodosic is ranked second in the Euroleague in assists this season with a career-high 5.6 assists per game.
• Darjus Lavrinovic needs three more blocks reach 100 for his Euroleague career. With his next block, Lavrinovic will tie former CSKA big man Terence Morris for 12th place all-time.
• 2010 Euroleague Best Defender Viktor Khryapa needs only 4 more blocks to reach 100 blocks in his Euroleague career.
• Khryapa needs two more rebounds to reach the 500 mark for his Euroleague career.
• CSKA’s win streak is now at 12 games in a row dating back to last season.
• CSKA faced Efes in the quarterfinal playoffs of the 2005-06 season. CSKA swept the series 2-0 and continued on to win the Euroleague title.
• Tarence Kinsey has recorded at least one steal in each of his last 11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague contests.
• All-Euroleague forward Dusko Savanovic has registered double doubles in three of his last five Euroleague games.
• Last week, Savanovic set personal career highs in index rating (31), offensive rebounds (7), defensive rebounds (10), total rebounds (17) and minutes played (35).
• Savanovic has made at least one three-pointer in seven straight Euroleague appearances.
• Anadolu Efes has won just one of its last seven encounters with CSKA.
• The last time Efes won against CSKA in Moscow was in the 1998-99 season.
• Kinsey and Darjus Lavrinovic played together in Fenerbache Ülker last season. Together they won the Turkish League and Cup titles.
• Savanovic played in Unics Kazan in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons together with Lavrinovic and Dmitry Sokolov. Nikita Kurbanov spent part of the 2007-08 with the above trio in Kazan as well.
• The lines: CSKA Moscow, minus-12.5; over/under 155.5 points.

Gescrap Bilbao Basket v. Unicaja Malaga

• These two teams have never met before.
• Gescrap is looking for its first-ever win in the Top 16.
• Gescrap has committed more turnovers (15.7) than any other Top 16 team this season.
• Marko Banic has scored in double figures in all 11 of his team’s Turkish Airlines Euroleague games this season.
• D’Or Fischer’s average of 1.55 blocks per game is the best in competition history among players with at least three seasons played.
• Raul Lopez needs four more steals to reach the 100 mark for his Euroleague career.
• Roger Grimau has made 11 free throws without a miss this season.
• Alex Mumbru has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last seven Euroleague appearances.
• Kostas Vasiliadis played for Unicaja for a season-and-a-half. He arrived during the 2005-06 season and played the following one as well in Malaga. He helped the team win the 2006 ACB title. Berni Rodriguez was a teammate of Vasiliadis during that time. Jorge Garbajosa was also there for the first of those seasons and current Unicaja coach Chus Mateo was an assistant coach that season.
• Unicaja leads the Euroleague this season in offensive rebounding at 13.0 per game and total rebounds at 37.8 per.
• Unicaja is ranked last among the Top 16 teams in three-point accuracy at 29.1%.
• Jorge Garbajosa has made 22 straight free throws in Euroleague action.
• Garbajosa needs six more free throws made to reach 400 for his Euroleague career. He’s ranked 15th on the all-time list of free throws made.
• Last week Luka Zoric set career highs in points and index rating as he recorded his first Euroleague double-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and a 33 index rating against Real Madrid.
• Garbajosa was a teammate of Axel Hervelle, D’or Fischer and Josh Fisher at Real Madrid during his time there in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
• Nedzad Sinanovic was a teammate of Raul Lopez, Axel Hervelle, Alex Mumbru and Josh Fisher at Real Madrid during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
• Coach Chus Mateo started his coaching career in the junior program of Real Madrid and later was an assistant coach on the first team.
• The lines: Bilbao, minus-4.5; over/under 152.5 points.

Real Madrid vs. Montepaschi Siena
• Siena leads the all-time series, 4-3.
• Madrid has the top-scoring offense in the Euroleague with 87.3 points per game and has scored more three pointers than any other Top 16 team with an average of 8.4 per game.
• Nikola Mirotic has made 14 consecutive free throws in the Euroleague.
• Mirotic scored the last basket in the game last week in the last second to give Madrid an important 80-81 win in Malaga.
• Sergio Rodriguez leads the Euroleague in assists this season with a career-high 5.8 assists per game.
• Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-pointer in every Euroleague game this season.
• Carroll leads the Euroleague this season in three-point shooting percentage at 57.4%.
• Mirza Begic is ranked second in the Euroleague in blocks this season with 1.5 blocks per game.
• Begic has blocked at least one shot in five straight and seven of his last eight games.
• Martynas Pocius was a teammate of injured Rimas Kaukenas on the Lithuanian national team at FIBA EuroBasket 2011.
• Nikos Zisis needs two more three-pointers to reach 100 for his Euroleague career.
• David Andersen joined the exclusive Euroleague 2,000 career points club last week. He’s ranked 11th all-time at the moment, but is still 40 points behind Luis Scola for 10th place.
• Andersen is also only two rebounds from becoming the third player in competition to reach 1,000 career rebounds. He will join Nikola Vujcic as the only players to register 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
• Bo McCalebb has scored in double figures in nine straight Euroleague games.
• The first four encounters between these two teams were decided in favor of the home team while the last three were decided in favor of the road team.
• Madrid and Montepaschi played for third place at the 2011 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. Montepaschi won 80-62.
• Igor Rakocevic spent the 2005-06 season with Real Madrid and was teammate of Felipe Reyes that season.
• The injured Rimas Kaukenas played in Real Madrid in the 2009-10 season together with Felipe Reyes, Ante Tomic, Novica Velickovic and Sergio Llull.
• The lines: Real Madrid, minus-7.5; over/under 157.5 points.

Fenerbahçe Ülker Istanbul v. Emporio Armani Milano
• Milano leads the all-time series, 2-0, with the only time these two teams meeting in the 1996-97 season.
• Fenerbahçe Ülker is ranked last among Top 16 teams in assists with only 11.6 per night.
• Bojan Bogdanovic has scored in double figures in four straight and eight of his last nine Euroleague games, and is averaging 16.1 points per game on the road this season compared to just 8.4 points at home.
• Roko Ukic and Jacopo Giachetti were teammates at Lottomatica Roma during the 2007-08 season.
• Milano is ranked last among Top 16 teams in steals with only 4.4 per game and in total rebounds with 31.5 a night.
• Drew Nicholas needs only one more steal to reach 100 for his Euroleague career.
• Omar Cook started the season 3-of-17 from downtown, but has made 11 of his last 23 three-point attempts.
• Ioannis Bourousis is only eight rebounds behind injured big man Kerem Gonlum for seventh place on the career rebounding charts. Bourousis has 830 career boards.
• Bourousis needs three more steals to reach the 100 mark for his career.
• Leon Radosevic and Bojan Bogdanovic were teammates at Cibona Zagreb in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
• Nicholas and James Gist both played college basketball at the University of Maryland, though Gist joined the Terps two seasons after Nicholas finished.
• The lines: Fenerbahçe Ülker, minus-7.5; over/under 147.0 points.

Panathinaikos v. Unics Kazan
• These teams have never met in Euroleague play.
• Panathinaikos is one of three clubs that have never missed the Top 16 phase in its 11 years. FC Barcelona Regal and Maccabi are the other two.
• Panathinaikos leads the Euroleague in steals with 8.7 per game.
• Dimitris Diamantidis has made 19 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action dating back to last season.
• Diamantidis needs only four more assists to become the fourth player in Euroleague history to dish 600 assists.
• Sarunas Jasikevicius needs only five more assists to become the fourth player in Euroleague history to dish 600 assists.
• Steven Smith has made 10 consecutive free throws in Euroleague games.
• Panathinaikos has never advanced past the Top 16 round the season after winning the Euroleague title.
• Ian Vougioukas has blocked at least one shot in five of the last six games.
• Sarunas Jasikevicius was signed to replace an injured Lynn Greer last season in Fenerbahçe Ülker.
• Henry Domercant has hit at least one three-pointer in 11 straight and in 21 of his last 22 Euroleague games.
• Domercant is ranked second in the Euroleague this season in three-point shooting percentage at 54.2%.
• Unics has won seven of its last eight EL games.
• Kelly McCarty has made eight straight free throws in Euroleague action.
• Lynn Greer played two seasons – 2007-08 and 2008-09 – for Panathinaikos’ archrival Olympiacos.
• Domercant and Romain Sato were teammates in Montepaschi Siena during the 2008-09 and the 2009-10 seasons.
• Vladimir Veremeenko became the first Unics player to be named Euroleague weekly MVP when he nabbed the honor after producing 17 points, 11 rebounds and performance index rating of 32 in a win over Fenerbahçe Ülker.
• The lines: Panathinaikos, minus-11.5; over/under 146.5 points.

Bennet Cantù v. Žalgiris Kaunas
• Cantù leads the all-time EL series between the clubs, 2-0, with those meetings over 30 years ago in the 1980-81 season.
• Gianluca Basile has made at least one three-pointer in 11 of his last 12 Euroleague games.
• Basile needs two more assists to pass Marcus Brown and enter the Euroleague all-time top 10 in assists. He has currently 456.
• Basile took over third place on the list of career Euroleague games played, leaving former CSKA guard J.R. Holden one spot behind. Basile played his 210th game last week.
• Žalgiris has allowed more points than any other team in the Top 16 with 81.5 points allowed per game.
• Žalgiris has committed more fouls than any other Top 16 team with 23.9 per game.
• Marko Popovic has made at least one three-pointer in 33 straight Euroleague appearances. His last Euroleague game without a triple came in November 2006 with Žalgiris at home against CSKA.
• Paulius Jankunas needs two more steals to reach the 100 mark for his Euroleague career.
• Milovan Rakovic played the last two seasons in Italy with Montepaschi Siena and beat Cantù in the final of the Italian league last season.
• The lines: Cantù, minus-5.0; over/under 149.5 points.

While living in the present, BiE takes a look at the past with a virtual all-star team of guys from the ’States who have been great for the European game in one way or another. This quintet was chosen not necessarily for their skills and greatness, but for their impact on the game itself both in Europe and America – at least until Kobe Bryant decides to hop the Atlantic, heh heh…

5. Brandon Jennings, Lottomatica Roma. Though Jennings’ challenge of the NBA’s “prep-to-pro” rule written into the 2006 collective bargaining agreement hardly caused a stampede of talented high schoolers taking their talents to Europe, the truth is that BJ opened up this opportunity for any open-minded, mature and adaptable (Are you listening, Jeremy Tyler?) high-school player to develop quickly while earning a bit of coin. Plus BiE can’t help wondering if the rule won’t be negotiated during what looks to be a looooooooooooooooong negotiation process between league and players.

4. Dominique Wilkins, Panathinaikos/Fortitudo Bologna. Though Dominique’s stints in Europe in the late 90s may have been one part interest and four parts petulance, there’s no denying that a) his performance in 1995-96 goes down as one of the memorable individual efforts in Greek basketball and Euroleague history, and b) PAO management learned the significance of taking on NBA players to improve the roster.

Ironically, ’Nique’s departure from the team after the Euroleague championship victory caused an about-face by Panathinaikos management. Breaking up the Wilkins-led all-star roster for 1996-97 directly led to the last time any true parity existed in Greece as teams such as PAOK Thessaloniki and AEK Athens challenged for domestic championships before decade’s end.

3. J.R. Holden, CSKA Moscow/Team Russia. BiE maintains that Holden should be a first-ballot FIBA Hall of Famer based solely on his Euroleague career with the Red Army. The All-Euroleaguer for the 2000s made CSKA perhaps the top European club of the last decade in leading his team to two Euroleague championships, two second-place finishes, eight EL Final Four appearances, nine Russian league titles and four Russian Cups in his nine seasons at PG with the team.

However, it’s surely Holden’s play in the 2007 Eurobasket tournament that will forever endear him to Russian basketball fans. Together with tournament MVP Andrei Kirilenko, Holden led his national side to a memorable upset of mighty Team Spain with veteran leadership, clutch shooting and some stifling D.

Subjectively speaking, BiE can think of few other players who so perfectly managed to integrate post-Jordan American playmaking with classic European teamwork-first b-ball to create a truly unique style all his own. Besides, how many basketballers have received the benefits of a special national government-level decree by Vladmir Putin himself? Holden retired this off-season, and he will be missed.

2. Tal Brody, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Talk about influential. This yankee’s affect on Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli basketball in general (and note that Maccabi Tel Aviv is a European superpower notable enough to have been inducted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame in America) goes far beyond mere X’s and O’s; hell, the man attracted the attention of national leaders and is now guaranteed immortality with at least a footnote in Israel history textbooks.

Though drafted by the Baltimore Bullets, Brody never played in the NBA and instead got with Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 1966-67 season. Maccabi immediately ascended to the European Champions Cup final four round with Brody starting in the shooting guard spot. Military commitments returned Brody to the ‘States for a couple of years but he returned to Israel for good for the 1970-71 season and gained legendary states by guiding Tel Aviv to the European Champions Cup in 1977, part of the franchise’s first triple-crown season and the country’s first major championship in any sport.

His post-game comments preserved a spot in history proper when he declared, in the face of certain geopolitical pressure from the Soviet Union throughout the competition with specific reference to Israel:

Which is typically translated along the lines of “We are on the map, and we are staying on the map – not only in sports but in everything.”

Brody won the Israel prize for contributions to national sport in 1979 and, since retiring from basketball in 1980, Brody has worked with various youth basketball programs, was appointed goodwill ambassador of Israel in 2009 and has been inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ’Stateside. If sports can truly be a geopolitical force, Brody is its international poster boy.

1. Deron Williams, Beşiktaş Cola Turka. This might be slightly premature, but BiE is assuming D-Will steps onto the court for the Eagles at least once in 2011. In so doing, Williams immediately becomes a key symbol of both the 2011-12 NBA lockout – an event that will perhaps become known as the most significant event of David Stern’s tenure as league commissioner after formation of the Dream Team in 1992 – and the growth of European club ball in the past 12 years.

Nenad Krstic himself, one of the first jumpers from the NBA to European ball for 2011-12, proclaimed that not many big league ballers would try their fortunes on The Continent – after all, look at what happened here vis-a-vis Atlantic player movement back in the 1998-99 lockout, i.e. next to nothing.

Williams’ decision, however, shows that not only is European basketball held in higher esteem on the other side of the ocean, hoops economics over here are also much improved since the ’90s. A bona fide NBA all-star in Turkey means more than Beşiktaş becoming a favorite to take the Eurocup title and compete fiercely for the TBL championship: It signifies that European basketball (and Turkish hoops especially) have come a long way.

So how about it, Kobe…?

Lima: Ready for prime time?

BallinEurope was consulted in making up the individual player entries along with Euroball-reporting luminaries like Slam and Freaknick of ELA; Alejandro Gonzalez of Net Scouts Basketball; and Simas Baranauskas of The Lithuanian Perspective and Lithuanian Basketball.

While only the entry on Jonas Valenciunas is up at present at the ‘Adventures, BiE today provides his unadulterated superbrief takes (plus YouTube clips, natch) on a baker’s dozen of European prospects, soon to be incorporated on the Darkometer. Enjoy!

Robin Benzing F, Ratiopharm Ulm
In a word: defense. As in, “Robin Benzing still doesn’t seem to play any.” While we all know Benzing has an astonishing three-point shot for a 6’10” (2.09m) dude, he’s essentially a defensive *liability*, though you’d hardly notice amidst the porous Ulm D giving up the second-most points per Bundesliga game. Nice 33-point game there in February, though.

Bismack Biyombo C, Fuenlabrada
BiE hasn’t seen too many Fuenlabrada games this season, but who needs it after that Nike Hoop Summit performance in which Biyombo proved himself the class of his generation with a ridiculous 10 blocks? Who knew? Scary athletic, Biyombo’s 18 and NBA eligible, which makes BiE believe he’s a second-round sleeper for some insightful team willing to wait a season or two.

Bojan Bogdanovic SG/SF, Cibona
As Bogdanovic continues to run up the numbers in the Adriatic League, BiE gets more excited about – and more assured of – seeing this guy in the NBA sooner rather than later. Bogdanovic brings a complete swingman’s game with admirable abilities to drive, pull up and/or create shots. You just have to wonder what he’d do on a winning team.

Nihad Djedovic SF, Lottomatica Roma
BiE likes what Djedovic’s doing in Italy, wasn’t so impressed with his Euroleague play. Djedovic is often (read: basically almost always) foiled by bigger opposition on both ends of the court, a weakness the 6’6” (1.98m) “SF” doesn’t need to face in Serie A. Most believe Djedovic would/should play at the no. 2 spot in American ball; BiE’d like to see that, as it would surely improve his game.

Augosto Cesar Lima PF, CB Granada
Lima brings much flash and excitement to the backcourt … also some questionable ball-handling and too many turnovers. He looks pretty good in ACB play, particularly in rebounding, but Lima’s spare minutes with Unicaja Malaga in the 2010-11 Euroleague season also indicate that some in-the-know feel that he’s not quite ready for prime time.

Milan Macvan PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv
If there’s one young guy in European basketball blessed with NBA poundage a la Barkley, it’s gotta be 6’9”, 265-pound Milan Macvan – plus he’s got that “European skill set” (i.e. as a power forward, he can shoot from beyond 8 feet out) that attracts NBA draftniks. Macvan brings some nice aggression on the boards and is willing to take the tough shots; he could use some work on turnovers, however, and probably will invest 2011-12 in staying on The Continent.

Nikola Mirotic PF, Real Madrid
If there’s one guy who doesn’t want the 2010-11 season to end (necessarily), it’s Nikola Mirotic. This guy seems to grow by leaps and bounds by the match, as his passing is especially notable along with his clutch play in a couple of games for Real Madrid in 2011. Mirotic says that he’s not so interested in playing NBA ball, but if he’s a top 15 pick, how would he resist?

Donatas Motiejunas PF, Benetton Treviso
It’s been a nice season of development for Motiejunas and he even seemed to have gained some of that elusive upper-body strength so badly needed by European big men who wish to jump to the NBA.

Leon Radosevic PF, Cibona
One of the rare bright spots for Cibona Zagreb (Bojan Bogdanovic is the other), Radosevic suddenly appears on the radar of European prospect hunters. The first thing they probably notice, however, is that Radosevic is absolutely pigeonholed into that no. 4 spot. He’s often victimized (or posterized) in post play and cannot outmuscle a typical power forward on the boards. On the offensive side, Radosevic has good speed and a nice jumper; he’s been living and dying by the pick-and-roll quite a bit in 2010-11.

Giorgi Shermadini PF, Union Olimpija
Shermadini could be the next Vlade Divac. Or not. It’s just so damn hard to tell because of the limited court time he’s seen in both Euroleague and Adriatic League play. From the slivers of time, we’ve seen a nice defensive presence in the paint, a good ability to post up, and anywhere-from-competent-to-above-average passing. BiE’d say more, but BiE’d rather see more.

Jonas Valanciunas C, Lietuvos Rytas
You gotta love the aggression in the paint by Lietuvos Rytas’ center, but there’s still one pernicious bugaboo for this Lithuanian: Fouls. While Valanciunas is a machine on the offensive glass, he’s also (still) more than a bit of a hacker. Can he clean up his game in the paint? Can he shoot a 12-foot jumper? What would be the reaction to his, let’s say, physical game in the NBA? Answers: Possibly, not yet, and whoo boy one can only imagine.

Jan Vesely F, Partizan
Vesely’s development has been impressive enough in 2010-11 to earn him FIBA Europe’s “Rising Star” award, a believable accolade for him – seriously, over 65% on twos? Scary to think how good he might have been, had Dusko Vujosevic stayed coaching Partizan this season. Vesely will once again be projected as a top 10 pick and why not? This is one talented player in the Nowitzki mold.

A handful of teams were added into the mix, expanding the pool of contention from 165 to 170 squads in the running for immortality – or what passes for it in the interweb age, which is to say about seven days of niche-level notoriety – though only one such team managed to crack the big 100.

As always, the first number represents the given team’s position this week, while the number in parentheses represents last week’s spot on this chart. And once again in support of Britain’s fledgling national program in the runup to the 2012 Olympics, the no. 100 position is held by the current alpha dogs of British Basketball League. (Sorry, Szolnoki Olaj fans — and yes, that is the highest-ranking Hungarian team at present…)

1. (1) FC Barcelona (ESP), 498.38
2. (3) Real Madrid (ESP), 485.08
3. (2) Montepaschi Siena (ITA), 476.67
4. (4) Panathinaikos (GRE), 475.31
5. (5) Olympiacos (GRE), 467.81
6. (6) Fenerbahçe Ülker (TUR), 460.80
7. (7) Union Olimpija (SLO), 439.24
8 (tie). (8) Caja Laboral Baskonia (ESP), 429.43
8 (tie). (9) Power Electronics Valencia (ESP), 429.43
10. (10) Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR), 428.10

11. (12) Efes Pilsen (TUR), 418.90
12. (11) Partizan Belgrade (SER), 412.63 – Efes Pilsen leapfrogged their Group G mates with its squeaker of a victory at Pionir; at 20-9 overall, the Turkish side may well count the 79-76 win as its most impressive victory of the season.

13. (13) Zalgiris Kaunas (LTU), 403.33
14. (14) Unicaja Malaga (ESP), 394.35
15. (16) Lietuvos Rytas (LTU), 388.10 – Speaking of impressive, how about the Lithuanian giants, who not only battle bigger-budgeted bigger-city squads but also their own bombastic front offices? And how seriously should we take Lietuvos Rytas after the stunner they pulled off in Baskonia?

16. (15) AJ Milano (ITA), 374.14
17. (17) Lottomatica Roma (ITA), 369.76
18. (18) CSKA Moscow (RUS), 340.03
19. (19) BC Khimki Moscow region (RUS), 337.13
20. (20) Cholet Basket (FRA), 325.80
21. (21) Brose Baskets Bamberg (GER), 317.84
22. (22) Asseco Prokom (POL), 311.42
23. (23) Unics Kazan (RUS), 288.92
24. (24) Galatsaray Café Crown (TUR), 266.92
25. (25) Spirou Charleroi (BEL), 227.60

26. (26) Valladolid (ESP), 212.02 – Don’t look now, but even after losing to Asefa Estudiantes this weekend, Los Blancos de Rueda are tied for third place in ACB play with powerhouses Baskonia and Valencia. Surely they’ll be playing at least Eurocup ball next season at this pace, right? Right?

27. (34) Cajasol Sevilla (ESP), 211.77
28. (30) Gran Canaria 2014 (ESP), 209.27
29. (29) Tartu Rock (EST), 207.89
30. (39) Asefa Estudiantes (ESP), 206.22
31. (33) BC Azovmash (UKR), 203.27
32. (28) Cibona Zagreb (CRO), 202.48
33. (35) Benetton Bwin Basket (ITA), 201.36
34. (44) Norrkoping Dolphins (SWE), 201.09 – Gracefully leaping upward 10 spots are the Dolphins, this week’s big gainer. The ‘Fins are 29-19 overall in 2010-11, including a 7-3 mark in three phases of Eurochallenge play and last Tuesday notched an impressive 77-75 win over Ventspils.

35 (tie). (27) Bizkaia Bilbao Baskets (ESP), 200.18
35 (tie). (31) DKV Joventut (ESP), 200.18
35 (tie). (32) Fuenlabrada (ESP), 200.18 – Then again, would you really take Norrkoping over any of these three sides? To be fair, the BiE rankings have the Dolphins at just 0.91 points better, a margin of less than 0.5%

38. (38) Cedevita Zagreb (CRO), 199.74
39. (37) Aris BSA (GRE), 198.48
40. (43) Pepsi Caserta (ITA), 192.96

41. (48) BK Ventspils (LAT), 192.63
42. (40) KK Krka (SLO), 191.77
43. (50) Budivelnik (UKR), 191.26
44. (45) CEZ Nymburk (CZE), 189.74
45. (42) Banvit BK (TUR), 188.05
46. (41) Buducnost (MNT), 184.04
47. (47) VEF Riga (LAT), 182.82 – Here’s what you gotta love about the European multi-league format: Riga has yet to play a game in Latvian domestic ball, washed out of the 2010-11 Eurocup in six games, at 3-5 is clearly outclassed in the VTB United League, and yet … their torching of the Baltic Basketball League at an incredible 13-2 pace will still allow management (and fans, to some extent) to call this season an unequivocal success.

48. (46) Hemofarm Stada (SER), 182.73
59. (49) Siauliai (LTU), 179.82
50. (54) Alba Berlin (GER), 173.92
51. (52) Pinar Karsiyaka (TUR), 172.36
52. (53) PAOK BC (GRE), 170.29
53. (51) Beşiktaş Cola Turka (TUR), 165.44 – Sunday’s score: Banvit 82, Beşiktaş 68. Eagles’ current standing in the TBL: Tied for fifth at 10-7. Think they’re missing Mr. Answer yet? BiE is. Also, a few folks in the ‘States.

54. (58) Le Mans (FRA), 161.96
55. (n/a) Bennet Cantu (ITA), 160.78 – On an 8-2 run since December started, the surprise of Serie A sits in third place at 12-5: Just one game back of second-place AJ Milano. This week, they’ll be hosting Lottomatica Roma.

56. (55) Panellinios BC (GRE), 158.91
57. (56) Rudupis (LTU), 157.96
58. (57) KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje (CRO), 153.96
59. (60) Gravelines Dunkerque (FRA), 149.25

60 (tie). (65) KK Zadar (CRO), 147.51
60 (tie). (59) BG Goettingen (GER), 147.51
62. (62) SLUC Nancy (FRA), 144.46
63. (63) Asvel Basket (FRA), 144.00
64. (66) Dnipro (UKR), 141.10
65. (61) Chorale Roanne (FRA), 141.05
66 (tie). (68) KK Igokea (BIH), 138.01
66 (tie). (69) KK Radnicki (SER), 138.01
68. (70) Turk Telecom Ankara (TUR), 136.74
69. (67) Hapoel Jerusalem (ISR), 136.73
70. (64) Maroussi BC (GRE 135.96
71. (76) Perlas (LTU), 130.99
72. (72) TTU/Kalev (EST), 130.80
73. (75) Spartak St. Petersburg (RUS), 128.90
74. (71) Nevezis (LTU), 128.07

75. (73) Khimik Yuzhny (UKR), 127.39
76. (79) Liepaja Lauvas (LAT), 126.02
77. (80) BC Donetsk (UKR), 125.41
78. (78) Deutsche Bank Skyliners (GER), 124.65
79. (74) KK Siroki TT Kabeli (BIH), 123.80
80. (77) BC Lokomotiv Kuban (RUS), 121.13
81. (83) Lukoil Academic Sofia (BUL), 120.36
82. (88) Hapoel Gilboa/Galil (ISR), 116.28
83. (91) BC Minsk 2006 (BLR), 115.46
84. (82) EWE Baskets (GER), 115.42
85. (81) Honka Espoo Playboys (FIN), 113.96
86. (90) Hoverla (UKR), 111.61
87. (85) Gasterra Flames (NED), 110.71
88. (87) Anwil Wloclawek (POL), 110.29
89. (89) BK Prostejov (CZE), 110.16

90. (84) KK Crvena zvezda (SER), 109.59
91. (86) Orleanaise Loiret (FRA), 107.41
92. (93) Valmiera (LAT), 105.24
93. (96) Barak Netanya (ISR), 101.75
94. (97) Ferro-ZNTU (UKR), 100.58
95. (92) Telekom Baskets Bonn (GER), 100.56
96. (98) Pyrinto (FIN), 100.35
97. (95) Kryvbasbasket (UKR), 99.82
98. (104) Maccabi Haifa (ISR), 99.78 – And BiE welcomes the artists formerly known as the Haifa Heat back into the fold thanks to an impressive run of three wins in four days.

99. Krasnye Krylia Samara (RUS), 93.83.
100. (100) Mersey Tigers (GBR), n/a

Bubbling under: Szolnoki Olaj (HUN), 93.21 points; KTP Basket KOTKA (FIN), 90.96; BC Oostende (BEL), 90.22; Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL), 87.83; PGE Turow (POL), 86.96; Energa Czarni (POL), 86.96; Kalev/Cramo (EST), 83.96; New Yorker Phantoms (GER), 79.58; Paris Levallois (FRA), 75.08; Trefl Sopot (POL), 71.96; Antwerp Giants (BEL), 71.50; Apoel Nicosia (CYP), 71.13; Artland Dragons (GER), 70.64; BC Kyiv (UKR), 69.74; Helsinn Lugano Tigers (SUI), 69.46; Enterprise Dynamo Moscow (RUS), 68.83; Lisboa e Benfica (POR), 67.67; ETHA Encomi (CYP), 65.64; LF Basket (SWE), 65.16; FMP (SER), 63.07.

1. (↔) Maccabi Tel Aviv – The mathematics may not exactly add up, but going into these six games, the Israeli side looks unstoppable with no obvious weaknesses.

2. (↑) Olympiacos – By topping rivals PAO as the visiting side, Olympiacos established itself as one of the powerhouses of Europe. Thanks to the recent loss of Mirza Begic and the standard coach-swapping craziness, the Reds should cruise and become the first team the punch a Final 8 ticket.

3. (↑) FC Barcelona – Seven wins in a row will be put to the test when hosting Maccabi tomorrow night, but Barça is again rounding into (scary) shape.

4. (↑) Real Madrid – BiE loves how Real has played in the ACB this season, admires the stability and relative freedom from injury as compared to 2009-10, digs the way Ettore Messina has things clicking right now, and really is just gushy about their shoring up of an already-decent power game with Begic. This is looking like a Group G winner.

5. (↓) Panathinaikos – Blessed with a seemingly not-too-tough group, PAO will presumably erase memories of the Olympiacos loss and get their 2010-11 EL campaign up and running again by picking apart Lietuvos Rytas tonight.

6. (↓) Montepaschi Siena – Why so low? No Bo! Regardless of the seriousness of McCalebb’s injury, this loss is a torpedo to the quick-moving, always surprising Montepaschi offense. MPS may be able to lose the first two matches in the Top 16 round and still advance, but it’ll be much trickier when facing the sudden mismatches presented by the backcourt of groupmates Efes Pilsen and even Partizan.

7. (↓) Union Olimpija – Is BiE guilty again of underrating Olimpija? Probably, but who else has this side sneaking into the EL’s next round ahead of Maccabi and Barcelona? And is there solace in being the best Top 16 team not to advance?

8. (↓) Fenerbahçe Ülker – Not only did Sarunas Jasikevicius perform the valuable service of saving Lietuvos Rytas’ Euroleague bacon with a well-timed temporary assignment, now he’ll surely be instrumental in removing (the head coach revolving door) Zalgiris Kaunas from EL competition. Saras for L. Rytas MVP!

9. (↑) Caja Laboral Baskonia – After a brutal five-game stretch, Baskonia pulled out of its tailspin to take its final three EL games. Marcelinho Huertas has this offense running better than ever – to the tune of a league-leading 80.5 in the group play stage. The defense is suspect, but running and gunning could get this Spanish side into the elite eight.

10. (↓) Efes Pilsen Istanbul
11. (↓) Partizan Belgrade – And these two might even be ranked higher … if either could win on the road.

12. (↑) Power Electronics Valencia – Last year’s Eurocup champs closed out Euroleague pool play on a 4-1 run to keep the Cinderella story alive. But BiE has to wonder if above-average defense, good depth and okay speed is enough to overcome more talented sides in Fenerbahçe or Žalgiris.

13. (↑) Lottomatica Roma – Roma rises based mostly on others’ falls, but against Group F, does the ranking really matter here at all?

14. (↓) Žalgiris Kaunas – Sheesh, when BiE heard the line about how any coach is given four losses in the Romanov Era, it was taken as a joke. Okay, a half-joke. So now the Greens only get ranked this high because BiE reckons Marcus Brown should be good to coach ‘em to a couple wins in those last two Euroleague appearances…

15. (↓) Unicaja Malaga – Here’s the official Euroleague press briefing: “Shortly before the start of the Top 16, Unicaja has made a shakeup at the top by firing head coach Aito Garcia Reneses and assistant coach Joaquin Costa effective immediately. A press conference has been called for Tuesday afternoon in which a replacement is expected to be named. Coach Garcia Reneses, widely known as Aito, had led Unicaja for the last three seasons. Unicaja was Aito’s fourth team in a 35-year coaching career in Spain.” Here’s the official BallinEurope commentary: “Hey, way to downshift from fourth to second on the highway while using no clutch.”

16. (↔) Lietuvos Rytas – Thank you, Saras. Now say goodnight, Lithuanian Morning…

Group E
Panathinakos
Caja Laboral Baskonia
Unicaja Malaga
Lietuvos Rytas

Group F
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Union Olimpija
FC Barcelona
Lottomatica Roma

Group G
Montepaschi Siena
Real Madrid
Efes Pilsen Istanbul
Partizan Belgrade

Group H
Olympiacos
Fenerbahce Ulker
Zalgiris Kaunas
PE Valencia

Oh, okay, BiE’ll go ahead and say it: Group G is the “group of death.”

Though many of the best individual seasons have thus far been run up by guys mired on non-Top 16 teams, no special consideration was given to those bounced from the competition already. However, looking at the final list, it’s clear an all-star level performance becomes exaggeratedly important to a not-quite tippity-top European club. And let’s get to that list, shall we?

Ladies and gentlemen, yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr BiE All-Euroleague Regular Season All-Stars!

Point guard – Bo McCalebb, Montepaschi Siena. After getting passed up for the 2009-10 All-Euroleague first team for MVP (!) Milos Teodosic – yes, BiE *is* still grinding that axe – it seemed like Bo’s career would take something of a downturn both in terms of statistics and leadership at the point when he signed with an experienced Montepaschi side which would seemingly demand the ball out of his hands more often.

But McCalebb adapted his slash-first game to work the perimeter more while playing better defense than ever: He’s only matched his 2.4 steal per game average in 2010-11 once before – and that was with Mersin BSH in Turkey. Second team: Marcelinho Huertas, who was given the keys to Caja Laboral Baskonia and has driven them well.

Shooting guard – Okay, who figured Keith Langford of BC Khimki Moscow region would be the Euroleague’s overall leader in points and player ranking through 10 weeks? Yeah, surrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre.

Perhaps the only player to truly flourish within now-departed Sergio Scariolo’s system, Langford was a monster for Khimki in 10 Euroleague games. A sliver under 25% of all Khimki’s points and total ranking points, the two-guard was also sent to the line over twice as much often as his next-nearest teammate and was close to tops on Khimki in assists and rebounds as well – even better for Khimki backers: In his last four, Langford has torched the opposition for 24 points per game.

Second team: Chuck Eidson, Maccabi Tel Aviv, who’s threatening to set personal bests in assists (4.6 per through 10 EL games) and steals (a huge 3.1) plus his second-highest rebound average (4.5), or cheat a bit and give it to Panathinaikos’ Dimitris Diamantidis and his 18.7 player rating.

Small forward – Bojan Bogdanovic, Cibona Zagreb. Whoever it was that had Langford at no. 1 overall probably also saw Bogdanovic coming, too. To say the 21-year-old has been the sole bright spot in Cibona’s season would be understatement; to call Bogdanovic the club’s star would be unfair – This lad is a supernova.

After appearing out of nowhere to average 12.6 ppg in Cibona’s five-game Top 16 bid last year and ultimately take a weekly MVP award, Bogdanovic hasn’t looked back. His 18-ppg average in Euroleague play belies four games of 20 points or more and, even more importantly to this depleted squad, the youngster played 34 minutes or more in nine of 10 Euroleague games. Second team: Mirza Teletovic of Baskonia, who probably would have taken this spot in any other year.

Power forward – James Gist, Partizan Belgrade. The former University of Maryland Terp was hastily called in to fill the open non-European slot on the Black-and-White roster before week three of the Euroleague season. With Petar Bozic in foul trouble early, all Gist did was contribute nine points and six rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench against Europe’s top club.

Before you could say “Who the heck is James Gist?” he had established himself as one of the big league’s best pure rebounders with 7.25 per game – mostly still off the bench – not to mention a habitual posterizer. Here’s to thinking the Euroleague hasn’t seen the last of the Gist. Second team: Unicaja’s Joel Freeland, the fantasy basketball stud.

Center – Interesting to note that, while the NBA is celebrating a bumper crop of superstar point guards, the emphasis on The Continent has seismically shifted to the frontcourt. This spot might easily have gone to Baskonia’s Stanko Barac and/or BiE’s main man in Maccabi, Sofoklis Schortsanitis (gee, figure all the big guy needed to reach his potential was more disrespect from the Los Angeles Clippers, a crummy Summer League performance and a move to Israel). Instead, though, BiE’ll go with Olympiacos’ Ioannis Bourousis.

After clearing the roster of “bling-bling players,” the Reds don’t really need more weaponry, but they’ve got one big gun in Bourousis. While Olympiacos enviably need not even go to their big man every night, Ioannis has proven next to unstoppable, with a 60% “shooting” average and some monster lines as a result (8-of-11 shooting with seven boards vs. Unicaja in just 18½ minutes; a 16-and-10 in fewer than 20 minutes at Roma; 19 points on 8-of-10 overall shooting at Spirou Charleroi). Runner-up: Barac.

Tops of the table
1. (↔) Maccabi Tel Aviv (8-1 in Euroleague; 8-1 in Ligat HaAl) – Here comes that blurb again: Forget the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers even (heresy); the best offseason was had by Maccabi Tel Aviv, which once again underwent a complete reboot, as the kids these days might say. Addendum: And now they’re adding Milan Macvan? Sheesh.

2. (↑) Montepaschi Siena (8-1; 8-1 in Serie A) – Trash-talker of the 2010-11 season? BiE’ll vote for Ferdinando Minucci, who more than once grumbled in the offseason about budget cuts and contracts expiring … only to retool with a monster on both offense and defense that’s capable of a quadruple crown season. Hell, Signore Minucci might be up for another Euroleague Executive of the Year award if it weren’t for a certain Israeli front office…

The bona fide contenders
3. (↑) Panathinaikos (6-3; 8-0 in EΣAKE)
4. (↑) Olympiacos (6-3; 8-0 in EΣAKE) – Both Greek sides are hitting a few roadbumps in Euroleague play in going 1-1 over the last two weeks, though each has the inside track to a no. 1 seed in the Top 16 round with one-game leads and tiebreaker advantages. Of all the high weirdness of the 2010-11 edition of the big league, strangest of all may be that although five ACB teams are competing and the Final Four was rescheduled to Barcelona, the EL Final Four at this point looks to be a showdown of teams from three to four countries not named Spain.

5. (↑) Union Olimpija (6-3; 7-4 in Adriatic League) – The Slovenian side looked great in defending home court against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday; even better for 23/24ths of Euroleague fandom, the Red Army’s run of eight straight EL Final Four appearances is officially over. The Olimpijians have the look of an EL championship contender, yet their highest-ranked player in index rating is Kevinn Pinkney at no. 25; their top scorer is 24th (Pinkney again); their top rebounder is 35th (Kenny Gregory); and the team itself is just 19th in total boards … Jure Zdovc for EU President!

6. (↓) Fenerbahçe Ülker (6-3; 9-0 in TBL) – Though this week’s 29-point loss at Siena was ugly in the extreme, Fenerbahçe is nearly unstoppable at home on any level, with an 8-1 record on home turf so far and the sole loss a five-point heartbreaker to FC Barcelona. While going .500 in the Top 16 round won’t get the Turkish side into the knockout stage, Fenerbahçe brings enough skilled big men to give any team troubles on any given night.

7. (↑) Real Madrid (5-4; 9-2 in ACB)
8. (↓) FC Barcelona (6-3; 8-3 in ACB) – Real Madrid is an anemic 1-4 on the road in Euroleague play, with whiffs against the likes of Spirou Charleroi and now Brose Baskets in their countries. Barça’s already dumped six games, the total number they’d dropped until the ACB finals in 2009-10 with essentially the same team albeit far fewer injury woes. Maybe the Blaugrana can blame the problems on bumps ‘n’ bruises, and both can blame parity in Spain for tired players; the truth is both teams will make the Top 16 round and both are to be considered threats for the elite eight. But the fear of Spanish ballers is gone, BiE thinks.

9. (↑) Efes Pilsen (5-4; 6-3 in TBL) – Another Turkish team that can’t lose at home, Efes Pilsen is 8-1 this year in their own comfy confines and last lost there on October 16th. Of course, this also means that the Brewers are just 3-6 away; truly top-flight Euroleague teams have got to compete against the Romas and Valencias of the association in away games.

10. (↑) Caja Laboral Baskonia (4-5; 8-3 in ACB) – Oddity #3,452 of Euroleague 2010-11: Baskonia, a team that managed a five-game losing streak in the big league will likely enter the Top 16 round as one of its hottest teams, assuming they beat Partizan in the win-for-third game next week. Oddities #3,453 and #3,454: While the Basque side was going 0-5 in the EL, they were 6-0 back home; since winning back-to-back Euroleague games in December, they’re 0-2 in the ACB.

11. (↑) Partizan Belgrade (5-4; 5-6 in Adriatic League) – Young they may be, but at least these Black-and-Whites are getting the hang of the whole Pionir mystique.

12. (↑) Lottomatica Roma (5-4; 3-6 in Serie A) – Roma’s taken three of the last four, but guessing they’ll back into the Top 16 as a no. 4 seed after losing to Olympiacos, they’ll be regrouped with either Maccabi Tel Aviv or Panathinaikos/Union Olimpija. So, um, don’t get too optimistic, Roma fans.

13. (↓) Unicaja Malaga (5-4; 6-5 in ACB) – Is it the 3s? Unicaja’s jacked up an even 200, more than any team except like-totalled PAO: And they’re hitting a solid 35%, too.

14. (↓) Žalgiris Kaunas (5-4; 4-1 in VTB United League) – One interesting Christmas tradition in Hungary, Austria, parts of Germany, and probably throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Empire involves St. Nicholas Day. As it is throughout Europe, good little boys and girls receive chocolates and fruit in boots left by the window. However, in these parts, a demonic figure named Krampus (or Krampusz in Magyar) accompanies happy Father Christmas. This devilish dude is the guy who dispenses – surely with relish – switches to naughty children, all the better to spank little bottoms with; in more Germanic cultures he also gets to do socially acceptable lascivious things in public with comely lasses.

And despite the fact that the Žalgiris twelve have certainly been exemplarily good boys, their club is unfortunately inextricably tied in with the Lithuanian Krampusz himself, a.k.a. Vladimir Romanov, a.k.a. Mad Vlad.

Seriously, here were the Greens cruising along at 16-2 overall. On December 11, Žalgiris dropped its first VTB United League game, losing at unheralded Azovmash. On December 15, Žalgiris lost at home in overtime to Baskonia. Romanov again proved himself a harsh supplier of another kind of switch, as a two-game losing streak is more than enough justification to earn no more than a lump of coal for head coach Aco Petrovic – not to mention Žalgiris fans.

Predictably, Žalgiris dumped its first Euroleague game in the Second Rimantis Grigas Era and more than one punter is probably lining up as we speak to cover longshot Kaunas today against their Euroleague city-mates. And with Žalgiris just three points ahead of Lietuvos Rytas (not to mention zero up on Rudupis), conspiracy theorists/Balkan realists will surely find Romanov’s latest Steinbrenneresque move … suspicious to say the least.

Sure, sure, the team will probably right the asylum in spite of the inmate running things: earlier in the season, Žalgiris played cohesively and tightly enough to resemble a Euroleague elite eight team. To make things interesting, ol’ (Krampusz) Romanov set things up to potentially dump his boys into a no. 3 seed for the draw.

Marcus Brown had better be getting his CV ready, ‘cause here’s to thinking his service may yet be deployed again.

Fighting for survival
15. (↔) Power Electronics Valencia (4-5; 5-6 in ACB) – Valencia has looked terrible at times this season, not least of all in a limp effort against CSKA Moscow two EL games ago, but in a must-win against Lottomatica Roma, the Electronics suddenly look ready to advance.

16. (↑) Cholet Basket (4-5; 8-2 in LNB)
17. (↑) Lietuvos Rytas (3-6; 3-2 in VTB) – Both teams are coming off relatively impressive wins (Cholet toyed with hapless Cibona while L.Rytas escaped a depleted Barça in Lithuania), but whichever of these sides represents the Group C no. 4 seed is certain to go winless in Top 16 play.

18. (↓) AJ Milano (4-5; 7-2 in Serie A) – Welllllllllllllllllllllll, Milano’s not eliminated mathematically, but they did choke hard against Valencia. And they do have to win at Panathinaikos next week…

Wait ‘til next year
19. (↑) Brose Baskets Bamberg (3-6; 13-0 in Bundesliga)
20. (↓) BC Khimki (3-6; 4-1 in VTB)
21. (↔) Spirou Charleroi (3-6; 6-1 in BLB) – This trio was outclassed in Euroleague 2010-11 but with the way all are playing in domestic leagues (Khimki is 4-1 and holds second place in the Russian Superleague), we haven’t heard the last of ‘em.

The rest
22. (↔) CSKA Moscow (2-7; 5-0 in VTB) – It’s the end of era … yet few are really broken up about it.

23. (↓) Asseco Prokom (2-7; 2-3 in VTB) – Perhaps BiE’s not quite ready to label these guys a European basketball superpower just yet.

24. (↔) Cibona Zagreb (0-9; 5-6 in Adriatic League) – Is this the only team in all of sports having a worse 2010 than the Minnesota Vikings?

BallinEurope’s latest obsession started with a tweet. Specifically, a message from BiE’s main Lithuanian, Martynas “Air” Pocius. Pocius retweeted a fascinating stat about his Žalgiris Kaunas dug up by In The Game Basket, namely:

Žalgiris turns the ball over every four possessions in the Euroleague. Still they’re 4:3 and one win away from Top16.

Now we can make that 5-3 and still one win or one Baskonia loss away from the Top 16 after another typical 2010 Žalgiris outing against Asseco Prokom last week. In that match, the Lithuanian side eked out a 72-69 away win in Poland, though the home side had slight advantages in shooting (admittedly poor on both ends, as Prokom edged with 32% overall against Kaunas’ 30.5%) and rebounding.

And, of course, there were these statistics for Žalgiris: 59 possessions, 15 turnovers. Or 25.4%.

What gives? Join BiE on a romp through the numbers … and a lesson in that “will to win” principle expressed in real on-court terms.

Statistically speaking, Žalgiris utterly dominates any Euroleague discussion involving turnovers this season. On an individual level, the Kaunas squad has five players *averaging* 2.00 turnovers or more per game through eight: DeJuan Collins (2.75), Paulius Jankunas (2.50), Travis Watson (2.375), Pocius (2.125), and Mantas Kalnietis (2.00).

The effect on team statistics is predictable. The 10 Euroleague teams that turn over the ball most frequently are:

Žalgiris Kaunas, 19.375 turnovers per game
Lietuvos Rytas, 16.0
Cibona Zagreb, 16.0
Power Electronics Valencia, 15.875
Asseco Prokom, 15.625
Olympiacos, 15.555
Efes Pilsen, 15.375
Partizan Belgrade, 15.125
Lottomatica Roma, 15.125
CSKA Moscow, 15.0

A revealing bunch the above is, with just two teams possessing winning records (Žalgiris and Olympiacos) and the remaining eight generally having underwhelming-unto-disappointing seasons in 2009-10 Euroleague play.

As Žalgiris gives up the ball so frequently, BiE’s first assumption was that the Lithuanians must be making the most of every possession and so took a look at points scored per possession (PPP), considering the 10 teams listed above. The results:

Efes Pilsen – 1.223 points per possession (76 points / 62.125 possessions per game)
Olympiacos – 1.218 PPP (79.555 / 65.333)
Lietuvos Rytas – 1.171 PPP (74.625 / 63.75)
Žalgiris – 1.163 PPP (73 / 62.75)
Lottomatica Roma – 1.120 PPP (71.25 / 63.625)
PE Valencia – 1.103 PPP (67 / 60.75)
CSKA Moscow – 1.101 PPP (66.625 / 60.5)
Asseco Prokom – 1.086 PPP (69.75 / 64.25)
Partizan Belgrade – 1.085 PPP (65.75 / 60.625)
Cibona Zagreb – 1.019 PPP (66.875 / 65.625)

So Žalgiris is reasonably, if not stunningly, efficient: They’re scoring at about the same rate as Real Madrid (1.165 PPP) and who’d’ve believed that info bite at the season’s beginning? Incidentally, though the difference of 0.055 PPP between Žalgiris and mighty Olympiacos doesn’t seem like much, the stat says that, were Žalgiris playing with the Reds’ efficiency, the Lithuanians would add over 3.5 points per game to their scoring.

(And if you’ve noticed that serious anomaly in the above table – namely Žalgiris rival L.Rytas’ superior PPP score – the woes of the 2-6 side are explained below. Beware, however, because a whole new can of worms awaits to pile mystery on mystery in a particularly depressing season for L.Rytas…)

Incidentally, other top Euroleague teams have the following marks for PPP.

Fenerbahce Ülker – 1.330 points per possession (79.625 points / 59.875 possessions per game)
Panathinaikos – 1.309 PPP (78.875 / 60.25)
FC Barcelona – 1.270 PPP (75.75 / 59.625)
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 1.245 PPP (79.5 / 63.875)
Montepaschi Siena – 1.222 PPP (77.625 / 63.5)

But the real insight into How Žalgiris Is Doing It In 2010-11 is revealed from within that statistic American observers find bizarre, yet appears designed to define intangibles in certain big men (i.e. Tiago Splitter who dominated the category in ACB and EL play last season) and certain 5-3 Lithuanian teams: Fouls received.

Happily, Euroleague figure-crunchers track the drawn fouls stat, as the Žalgiris picture comes into focus – at least numerically. Of the 24 EL teams, just eight have an advantage balance in the ratio of fouls received to fouls committed; only five have significant favorable numbers:

Real Madrid – 1.187 fouls received per foul given
CSKA Moscow – 1.177
Žalgiris Kaunas – 1.160
FC Barcelona – 1.154
Panathinaikos – 1.095

While already impressive in its evidence of self-control, Žalgiris number is made even more impressive when the frequency of the Lithuanians’ trips to the line is factored in: Žalgiris players are taking a crazy 25.375 free throws on 24.5 fouls drawn per game. Only Panathinaikos is comparable here, with exactly one fewer attempt and one fewer make overall. Additionally, Žalgiris is one of only three teams that’s averaging more than one free throw per foul (Valencia and PAO are the others).

(And here’s the explanation about Lietuvos Rytas: While the team’s PPP rating ranks among the more effective EL teams, L.Rytas’ clearly suffers from a certain aggression. While Žalgiris as a team has taken 203 free throws in eight games, L.Rytas has had just 138 chances from the stripe on 163 fouls received. More specifically, why is this happening? Couldn’t tell ya.)

How important is foul shooting to Žalgiris? A few final stats are quite illuminating. True, Žalgiris is shooting 76.84% from the line, good for only eighth-best in the league, but is putting in 19.5 points per game on free throws: a 26.78% ratio of total points scored. By comparison, PAO is second in the Euroleague at 24.56%, while Partizan’s ratio is 23.38% and no other team is very close thereafter.

Could things for Žalgiris in 2010-11 be as simple as smart play and an “iron will to win”? All things considered, it’s tough to deny the (albeit abstract) contention. How about some love for the Aco Petrovic “Euroleague Coach of the Year” campaign…?

Thanks to the win in fact, Group B has been settled: The Reds join Real Madrid, Unicaja Malaga, and Lottomatica Roma in advancing from the sextet. For those of you, as they say, keeping score at home, 10 of 16 spots have now been filled for the tournament. Only Cibona Zagreb in Group C has been mathematically eliminated, though Žalgiris Kaunas will grab a spot should they defend home court against Caja Laboral Baskonia tomorrow night.

Official highlight video follows the break.