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Euroleague Playoffs games two: Impressions, notes, YouTube highlight clips

March 24, 2012

Games two of the 2011-12 Euroleague Playoffs have gone down … also down and just about out are Gescrap Bilbao Basket, once again outmatched and whipped by CSKA Moscow, 79-60. Unics Kazan may also be in the razor’s edge category as even a lackluster performance by FC Barcelona shooters – seriously, 19-of-57 (33.33%) overall and 13-of-43 (30.2%) not including Juan Carlos Navarro – wasn’t enough to buy the Russian side a win on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Montepaschi Siena managed to even up their series in a pair of thrillers: The former overcame Panathinaikos and lotsa noise for the 95-92 overtime win away, while the latter held off another fourth-quarter comeback by Olympiacos to tally an 81-80 squeaker in the win column.

And now, the BallinEurope YouTube compilation … what better to do on Saturday, anyway?

Right now, the team of destiny is clearly CSKA Moscow, and Andrei Kirilenko may just become the first player since Michael Jordan in any league to be labeled an “MVP of destiny.” With another killer performance – 20 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, performance index rating of 31 – run up last night, AK-47 may yet get a unanimous win for Euroleague Most Valuable Player.

For now, Kirilenko’ll settle for another W and a game two MVP nod. Of special note in the big league’s official highlight clip begins at about 0:30 into the vid: Check out the Russian’s twisty move inside on Roger Grimau plus subsequent two-handed jam and the and-one. (Actually, it seems like half the highlights on this thing involve a Grimau foul…)

Here’s Kirilenko talking with Greece-based Eurohoops.net for a couple minutes earlier in the week. The key quote: “I think next year I’m going to go back to the NBA.” (BiE thinks “think” is not strong enough a word.)

BiE isn’t exactly sure who at the Euroleague offices named match two of the FC Barcelona-Unics Kazan series “game of the week,” but, weeeellllllllllll…

While close throughout, BiE’s main impression was that the game was decided by the seemingly interminable cold-shooting stretches through the 40 minutes. A further bit of a shame beyond the fact that this one was winnable for Kazan was that Russian side appeared to have managed the daunted FC Barça defense with a steady diet of Bostjan Nachbar touches.

The Blaugrana seemed surprised when the ball went through Nachbar on possessions in the half-court – a nice tactic by Evgeny Pashutin after the Slovenian had seen 11 minutes of playing time in the past two games combined – and, reading the Barça mid-range D nicely, Bostjan ended up tallying 16 points.

Also wasted was an excellent 21-point, 10-rebound double-double turned in by Nathan Jawai. The secret to handling Barcelona’s bigs – “one of the best backcourts out there” – says Jawai to Spain-based Euroleague Adventures, is pounding it inside and “giving them something different.”

As for Montepaschi Siena vs. Olympiacos, you know BiE can’t get past Bo McCalebb. As though contributing 21 points from everywhere on the floor (though, let’s face it, mostly in transition) weren’t enough, the Team FYR Macedonia master contributed a buzzer-beater of a different sort, picking Giorgios Printezis’ pocket with seconds remaining to seal an 81-80 win.

Finally, Maccabi Tel Aviv resembled the sleeping giant awakening in coming back to top Panathinaikos in one of the Euroleague’s toughest arenas – though BiE wonders what the short-term effect will be from David Blatt’s going all-in in game two. With Richard Hendrix turning in another subpar game – 3-of-12 shooting for nine points, seven rebounds (to his credit, six offensive) and five PFs in under 24 minutes of court time – Blatt relied heavily on David Blu and Yogev Ohayon, who got 30-plus minutes on the floor while Devin Smith and Keith Langford played 40-plus: more than a regulation game.

In any case, Blatt cannot be happy with his side giving away a 10-point lead in the fourth, nor in giving up 25 points when PAO in desperation opened the floor for the final stanza.

Courtesy the Maccabi club’s YouTube channel, below run 20 minutes’ worth of highlights from the top game two.

By the way, how are you feeling about your EL tournament bracket…?

Mar 24, 2012ballineurope
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This post was published on March 24, 2012
The moment, he owns it (or The best Nikola Pekovic highlight video we’ve seen this week) Andrei Kirilenko to return to the NBA in 2012-13 ... probably
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Comments: 23
  1. RT
    11 years ago

    Andrei Kirilenko may just become the first player since Michael Jordan in any league to be labeled an “MVP of destiny.” With another killer performance – 20 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, performance index rating of 31 – run up last night, AK-47 may yet get a unanimous win for Euroleague Most Valuable Player.

    ———————————————————————————————————-

    Kirilenko just did his usual stand around and pick up open shots or garbage points. Teodosic did all the work on offense.

    I don’t really care for how this site is recently going with a clear emphasis on pushing the NBA is “superior” to the Euroleague marketing angles.

    Teodosic led CSKA in that second game. Not Kirilenko. Kirilenko is like the 4th option of CSKA’s offense. I don’t ever recall a 4th option on offense winning an MVP in NBA or Euroleague.

    If he wins the MVP award it is just a marketing gimmick to the NBA agenda and nothing more than that. Kirilenko deserves to be DPOY and in the first team of All-Euroleague. But he is not the real MVP.

    You should not call a 4th option on offense a league MVP. Kirilenko isn’t having as a good season as he had numerous times with the Jazz. Did he ever win an NBA MVP, being that same do it all role player, all around player, great team defender, and 4th option of the offense? No.

    He should not win an MVP just doing the same role he did in Utah, and have him be called Jordan of Euroleague. I am sorry, but I would like at least a slight modicum of reality to remain here, instead of just a let’s push the NBA marketing line with every single article agenda.

    McCalebb – if his team makes final four
    Spanoulis – if his team makes final four
    Krstic – if his team makes final four
    Diamantidis – if his team makes final four
    Domercant – if his team makes final four

    They would all be more deserving of the MVP than Kirilenko, because they would have helped to have taken a team to the final four as a 1st option on offense and not a 4th option like Kirilenko.

    Lorbek would I think also be more deserving, taking a team to final four as a 2nd option, over Kirilenko’s 4th option.

    And why should Kirilenko be given the MVP over Krstic when they play in the same team and Krstic is the #1 option of the offense and Kirilenko is the #4 option of the offense? Also when Kirilenko missed 1/3 of the season with an injury? This makes absolutely no sense at all. It simply isn’t logical, nor fair in the least.

    And to imply that Kirilenko is Jordan of Euroleague is really an outright insult to Euroleague. How can the #4 option of his team’s offense be compared to the best scorer maybe of NBA history? I don’t get this. Kirilenko was also the #4 option on the Jazz. I don’t recall him ever being compared to Jordan when he played in Utah. But now, being the 4th option on CSKA, he is suddenly Jordan of Euroleague? This sounds like the statement of someone who has not seen even a single CSKA game all season long.

    No, Kirilenko is the Kirilenko of Euroleague, the same exact player he was in the NBA with the Jazz, and nothing more than that. Actually, as I said, he played better in the NBA in many seasons than he is playing now in the Euroleague.

    If this is really supposed to be a European basketball based site, statements like that should not appear here. Because that is what you expect to see coming from a 100% NBA marketing related site like ESPN.

    Considering that Barca probably wins their series, and Olympiacos and CSKA probably win their series, and Maccabi-PAO I think is too hard to call right now; then Krstic, Lorbek, and Spanoulis should definitely be leading MVP candidates over Kirilenko. But you seem to think it should be a unanimous win for Kirilenko? A 4th option on his team’s offense as a unanimous league MVP?

    I would like to know a precedent in history, in any well known and respected level basketball league like NBA, Euroleague, ACB, Eurocup, Greek League, Lega A Series, where a 4th option on offense was named a league’s season long MVP. In respect to Euroleague history, I really don’t ever recall anything like that ever happening.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Again trying to diminish everything NBA or American related. It is not some person in the discussion board saying that Kirilenko is the “MVP of destiny” it is a writer for this website. So Kirilenko is the exact same player in the NBA then he is in Euroleague? Did Kirilenko ever have a season where he led the NBA in blocks and index rating and was 3rd in rebounds while on one of the top two teams in the league like he is doing now in Euroleague? No. Rebounding and defense are part of basketball too.

      And when he does win MVP it would be a “marketing gimmick to the NBA agenda”. That’s the final cry of you losers who can’t accept that the NBA is the top league with the best players as Kirilenko is quoted as saying. When Team USA has again showed it’s domination in international competition it is a marketing gimmick to the NBA. And now when an NBA role player, who hasn’t been an all-star in 8 years, comes to Euroleague and totally dominates so much so that a European journalist is saying he “may yet get a unanimous win for Euroleague Most Valuable Player” that is also a marketing gimmick to the NBA. Reality is hard sometimes.

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      • Gabe
        11 years ago

        And you also contradict yourself. Because you don’t want to come off as a total idiot you admit that Kirilenko deserves to be DPOY and first team Euroleague and yet you also comment that he is “the same exact player he was in the NBA with the Jazz, and nothing more than that” while in the NBA he was never close to being DPOY or first team NBA.

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  2. Erik
    11 years ago

    Kirilenko is the fourth option of CSKA. He averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds a game. “Unanimous MVP of destiny”.

    I have to say it’s completely laughable. All Kirilenko does is play some defense and run around and get rebounds and get some put back points and open dunks and hit some open shots.

    He missed 1/3 of the season and his team was undefeated WITHOUT him.

    If he is named the MVP of Euroleague than that award is an absolute and complete JOKE.

    And Kirilenko is RUSSIAN, not American you dumb ass.

    He isn’t even the MVP of his own team for crying out loud. Thus Gabe guy is such a damn jerk. So annoying. He clearly as hell clear as day has never seen a single CSKA game and here is he telling us how for sure Kirilenko is MVP.

    And so what if a writer for this website said it. If he really believes it then he sure the hell has not watched CSKA this year.

    You don’t give an MVP award to a fourth option of the offense as already said here, and to a guy that missed 1/3 the season as already said here, AND that his team went undefeated without him AND that someone on his same team has had a better year than him (Krstic) AND that is averaging 13/7.

    If you think so Gabe then all I can say is you go to hell because your trolling knows no bounds. IF AK-47 wins that award it will be absolute TRAVESTY.

    Guys like McCalebb and Spanoulis are literally TEN TIMES more deserving of the award than Kirilenko is.

    In short, Gabe I am so sick of reading your trash here that I am not going to be nice to you anymore. You do nothing but cause fights here and post complete garbage. Nothing you say is true nor correct.

    You are a like a curse against this site.

    Kirilenko is not deserving of Euroleague MVP in any way at all. And if the site here thinks so they are being total dumb asses.

    I like what RT said……give an example in a major league where the 4 option in the offense was named league MVP before. GO AHEAD Gabe give one. Otherwise STFU already.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Okay, I know Kirilenko is Russian not American I just commented that people on this site like to belittle any thing NBA related (Kirilenko) or American (players like Anthony Parker etc). And I have never said that Kirilenko should be named MVP I am just commenting that the author of this article did and I have a feeling that for a writer on this site to call him an “MVP of destiny” he is probably not the only one who feels that way. I am also more trusting of people who write articles on this site then people who post comments, sorry.

      And as even RT admitted Kirilenko is deserving of DPOY and all Euroleague first team which is much more of a feat then anything he achieved in the NBA where he has never even been all NBA third team. Also looking at his stats, leading Euroleague in index rating and blocks and third in rebounds (1st in rebounds for teams that have reached the top 16) not to mention a MVP of the month award and three MVP of the week awards including one in the quarter finals and it is no wonder some people see him as MVP.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      And with this 4th option of offense thing. You know you delusional Europeans remind me of the Republicans in America. Just tell lies and then keep repeating the lies, and have other people repeat the lies until they become “facts”. So you say Kirilenko is the 4th option on offense?

      Fact: Kirilenko is the second leading scorer on CSKA, averaging 13.2 points which is only 1.1 points less than Krstic and 2.5 more than Teodosic the only other CSKA player in double digits (not to mention leading the team in rebounds, steals and blocks) and is the leading scorer so far in the playoffs So who cares what “option” he is, the facts are that he is the second leading scorer and top rebounder, stealer and blocker on arguably the best team in Euroleague! I see the MVP award as his to lose.

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  3. Anonymous
    11 years ago

    This article and Gabe are wrong. I have talked to 3 different people that have a vote for this award and all of them said they were voting for McCalebb or Spanoulis, depending on whichever one of their teams wins their playoff series against each other.

    None of them said they were voting for Kirilenko.

    So this article and its staunch defender Gabe, are definitely way off base here.

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  4. Anonymous
    11 years ago

    Also Kirilenko is actually the number 5 option in CSKA’s offense. Since this is being disputed here, it shows that some people here like to comment without having seen any games.

    The options of CSKA’s offense are:

    1. Krstic

    (The offense is designed to go to him)

    2. Teodosic

    (He runs and controls most of the offense and decides who shoots)

    3. Khryapa

    (He runs the offense that Teodosic does not run, playing the Soviet high post center)

    4. Shved

    (He is the next option in running the offense from the guard set after Teodosic and he is the third option in the offense in terms of set plays, after Krstic and Teodosic)

    5. Kirilenko

    (He is used primarily to collect put points off of put back rebounds, to shoot open jump shots, to get baskets in transition, and off of backdoor cuts and pick and roll. He will also get maybe 2-3 post up opportunities in a game, depending on if he has a mismatch.)

    Kirilenko is actually the number 5 option in CSKA’s team sets. Putting him a long way from being the number 2 option of CSKA’s sets as Gabe has implicated.

    Which still would beg the question of why would a number 2 option, which Kirilenko isn’t even anyway, but why would number 2 option even be seen as an unanimous MVP? Let along a number 5 option?

    The only time I recall a number 2 option winning a season long Euroleague MVP was when Anthony Parker won it. I am not counting the old MVPs which were only for single phases of the season and obviously were not held to anywhere near the standard or criteria as the current award.

    I never recall a number 5 option winning it either.

    Since the Euroleague MVP first was formed as a FULL season award, these have been the winners:

    Euroleague MVP award winners (2005-present)

    2004-05 Anthony Parker
    (was the #2 option of Maccabi)

    2005-06 Anthony Parker
    (was the #2 option of Maccabi)

    2006-07 Theo Papaloukas
    (was the #1 option of CSKA)

    2007-08 Ramūnas Šiškauskas
    (was the #1 option of CSKA)

    2008-09 Juan Carlos Navarro
    (was the #1 option of Barca)

    2009-10 Miloš Teodosić
    (was the #1 option of Olympiacos)

    2010-11 Dimitris Diamantidis
    (was the #1 option of Panathinaikos)

    So the voters don’t select 5 options of the offense for the MVP. The only time they took a 2 option was with Parker, who was also seen as an all around type of player and “glue guy” like Kirilenko. But obviously much higher in the offensive pecking order.

    Also, the voters don’t follow what is said in this site, nor do they follow the opinions from the other side of the Atlantic. Because I seem to recall this site declared that Linas Kleiza was and obvious and easy MVP and that he would win it for sure. That the award was basically in the bag. I also recall that the comments from the NBA fans supported it and the questions to it were also scoffed at as “Euro bias”.

    But I remember it being brought up that Kleiza could not be a Euroleague MVP when the whole offense of Olympiacos went through Teodosic and Papaloukas, and all Kleiza basically did was shoot open jumpers and get a couple post ups.

    The response to this from NBA fans was it was a lie, Klieza was their whole offense, he was a “vastly superior” NBA player, playing in a “weak inferior league”, etc.

    Sure enough, Teodosic won the award, because the people that vote for the award, unlike Gabe, and apparently unlike the writers of this blog, actually have to watch all the games. So they saw that Teodosic was creating the offense and all Kleiza did was basically shoot open jumpers.

    That is the difference between obvious stat hounds and box score watches that don’t watch any games (Gabe) and the people who actually vote for the award. This does not say that Kirilenko will not win the award, because a push to help promote the NBA would not surprise me. But if it is based on actual merit, Kirilenko does not deserve the award.

    The day that a number 5 option in an offense, that missed about a third of the year, with his team winning all the games he missed, wins an MVP award in the NBA is the day that hell freezes over.

    But somehow, NBA fans seem convinced that in Euroleague this equals an MVP award, simply because it is a starter from the NBA playing in that “clearly inferior league” that he must be the MVP.

    Well, that was the same opinion here about how Kleiza “must” be the MVP of Euroleague, being how he was a 6th man for a Western Conference playoff team and that he was playing in a “vastly inferior minor league”. The arguments about a guy that is used mostly as a spot shooter cannot be a league MVP were just tossed aside as “Euro homerism”, “anti NBA”, “America haters”, etc.

    Yes, it must be “anti NBA” and “American hating” to simply point out the fact that it does not make sense to give the MVP to Kirilenko simply because he does not deserve it, never mind to declare him an MVP of destiny and a possibly unanimous choice.

    Last year, Diamantidis had a much, much, better season than Kirilenko is having. Many people said it was the best individual season of Euroleague since ULEB began in 2000. Diamantidis, having the “best year of the decade” did not win the award by unanimous vote.

    So the notion of Kirilenko doing so is pretty much laughable. I have not heard a single person say Kirilenko is having as good a year as Diamantidis did last year, let alone a better one.

    Diamantidis – MVP, DPOY, First Team, FF MVP, Champion.

    I guess he must be a “vastly superior NBA player” that was “dominating that inferior scrub Euroleague”. Oh wait……………………………….

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Okay I’ll explain to you Anonymous because you judge a basketball player by what he does on the court not what option he is on the team. That being said Teodosic, Khryapa and Shved must either be really bad or Kirilenko very good that as a 5th option he scores more than the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th option. And the 5th option is also leading the team in scoring in the playoffs now, it would be hard to believe that a team’s 5th option would leave them in scoring and to a 2-0 playoff lead. It’s a good thing they have him!
      And also basketball is not just about offense, let alone who is the option in set plays for offense. It is also about defense, rebounding and hustle, something Kirilenko excels at. We shall see who gets the award but I like how you’re already making excuses if Kirilenko wins it. Like Euroleague would promote a totally different league that they compete against.
      And btw Kleiza was voted All-Euroleague 1st team (meaning top 5 player in Euroleague) by the same people who vote for MVP.

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  5. Apollo
    11 years ago

    The All-Euroleague Team was not a vote of the five best players in Euroleague until this year. Prior to this year it was voted on differently. They only made it a vote for the five best players starting with THIS 2011-12 Euroleague season.

    Just to clarify and keep the discussion factual. When Kleiza played in Euroleague, the All-Euroleague Team was not a vote of the five best players of the league. Even though it seems Gabe is already trying to claim that.

    For this season they changed the rules to be a vote of the five best players. But it was not voted on that way at that time when Kleiza was on the team.

    So please keep the discussion factual at least.

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  6. Phileus
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the clarification, Apollo. Do you have a link describing the change? I’m interested in seeing the rationale behind changing the voting criteria to a more “natural” interpretation (to me) of what the award is supposed to mean.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      You know that’s total bullshit Phileus. It’s not the five best players because Apollo doesn’t like who was chosen. Unless he means since there is only one point guard chosen, 2 sf/sg and 2 pf/c so therefore if the two best players five players in the league are both pgs than you can say that all-Euroleague 1st team is not the best five players but then Kleiza was one of the top two sg/sg. Remember how before he were saying that MVP was not that best player because he didn’t like who was chosen. It makes absolutely no sense that the all-Euroleague team is not who the voters think is the best players. Let’s see Apollo show that link. lol

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  7. Zoran
    11 years ago

    Damn it Gabe STOP TROLLING

    Apollo is 100% right. All Euroleague was a vote of the 4 best players at their position for forwards like Kleiza at that time.

    Now it is a vote of the 5 best players overall.

    TOTALLY DIFFERENT VOTING RULES.

    Is there any reason why Gabe continues to be allowed to taunt and troll here on a daily basis?

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Jeez alright already I understand. I thought Apollo was saying something absurd like All-Euroleague team is just random players from the top teams taken out of the hat, which he claimed for Euroleague MVP when Parker won it. Yeah, All-NBA is the same thing where they basically pick one center, two forwards and two guards although I don’t think the positions are as concrete as they were in All-Euroleague team. And no Kleiza was voted in as a sg/sf since he can play sf. So they same people who vote for MVP voted Kleiza as one of the top two sg/sf in the league.

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  8. Zoran
    11 years ago

    Another thing Gabe Kleiza was a POWER FORWARD not a sg/sf.

    You obviously are the most full of this poster in the history of this site. You don’t know anything.

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  9. Aleksandar Zoran
    11 years ago

    Kleiza plays most certainly as POWER FORWARD in Europe.
    SF in the nba though

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Well then that’s weird that Euroleague voting him in as 1st All-Euroleague team as a sg/sf.

      ReplyCancel
  10. Apollo
    11 years ago

    Gabe all Euroleague team made you vote by position. I also preselected the positions of the players based on how the LEAGUE wanted the voting to go.

    They always listed Diamantidis as a PG despite playing SF for YEARS. They always listed Spanoulis as a SG despite playing PG fro YEARS.

    They listed Kleiza as a SF despite that he played all minutes at PF.

    Hell they even listed Mirotic at SF when he could not play SF if his life depended on it.

    The league itself would select the positions based on how they wanted the vote to go. It was not based simply on what positions the players played. Kleiza never once played SF that year in the Euroleague.

    His role was as a spread the floor, stretch power forward, which he is really much more suited to than SF. He is clearly used improperly in the NBA.

    And stop lying about what I said about Parker. That is the kind of stuff why so many people think you are a troll.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Okay, sorry. Someone said that about Parker. It might have been Erik or Zoran. Maybe it’s because in the NBA the players are bigger? I mean with Team USA James and Anthony are used as pfs while in the NBA they are sfs. Also in 2010 Odom was the starting c when in the NBA he is a pf and sometimes even a sf. 6-8 would be pretty undersized as a pf in the NBA unless you are like Charles Barkley or something.

      ReplyCancel
  11. Aleksandar Zoran
    11 years ago

    Am I the only one who has notice that Zoran and Apollo sound like the same person?
    same choice of word. same sarcastic tone, same grammar mistakes. they both construct their sentences in the way eastern Europeans usually talk in English

    Zoran and Apollo 2 different people? hmm ….. sorry but I don’t buy it

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  12. Phileus
    11 years ago

    Hahaha Aleksander, I pretty much take it as a fact that they’re the exact same person. ACtually I don’t think he’s denied it. He just does it for fun, like someone wearing a different hat depending on the day 😉

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  13. Goran
    11 years ago

    If you go in NBA.com site and look at rosters like half the league power forwards are 6-8 or shorter. And this is considering that almost all NBA players are listed in shoes but in Europe about half players are listed barefoot.

    So I don’t get what Gabe is in argument there. If you average the height of NBA.com and Euroleague.net the Euroleague has taller players than NBA does on average.

    So what in world would being 6-8 matter? I think Gabe just pulled this argument from out of air.

    And I was watching the playoff games tonight. In CSKA game with Bilbao I see Kirilenko try to take over as main player on offense and the result was very poor. Bad shots, missed shots and general just looking foolish on offense. With his team in blow out loss. This is how CSKA looked when I see them play with good opponent and AK-47 was try to elad the team in offense.

    Was not pretty at all. He is never to be consider as lead player of the offense. As others says here he is just a role player in offense and just is not good enough scorer to be more then this. Very talented and great player but in other ways. His ability for scoring from his own shot or creation is average at best for Euroleague level.

    Then in Oly and Siena game I see in first half of game that Spanoulis was faced with doubles and triple the whole time by defense of Siena. He passed ball around and set up with his teammates and they were getting open shots because of the defenders so much worried on him.

    So the question is which is a real and true MVP? Someone with big stats from plays in a club with single coverage and gets most his shots and offense created for him by others? Like AK-47?

    Or one that is facing double and triple team half the game and is creating open shots for others and in his own offense is having to make all the shot creation himself? Like Spanoulis.

    In NBA they give MVP awards to second kind of players like Nash and not to first kind of ones like Amare.

    Maybe some thinks Euroleague does it different but it should not be. Same thing should be applied in both leagues. If you look at box score maybe it seem to be that Kirilenko is MVP but if you watch games and do break down basketball wise of what you see there then he is not MVP but for me is obvious Spanoulis is MVP this year.

    Player that is getting double and triple teams is the real most valuable in his team. With CSKA I watch and every time I see most valuable player of this team is Nenad Krstic instead of Kirilenko. I will not even put Kirilenko as MVP in his team.

    If there is an award for best all around stats then I give this to Kirilenko or Diamantidis. But MVP this year this has must be Spanoulis. I do not remember a player that is double and triple teamed half the game in also about half the games played before in long time.

    Last player I think of in truth was maybe Galis. I am thinking like 20 years time since this has been done to any player in Euroleague. Just as explanation in CSKA game against Bilbao there was no double team of Kirilenko.

    I think this say more than what any box score or stat can say. Just opinion for me. But I last year say Diamantidis should be MVP and will win and he did. So I was right with prediction for this last year. This time I predict it will be Spanoulis.

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  14. Phileus
    11 years ago

    That’s an interesting point, Goran. But actually, in the NBA, fans are confused every year about what “MVP” means. Last year, for example, clearly LeBron James was the best all-around player in the league, but Derrick Rose was in many was the most exciting story of the league (even though he’s arguably not even the best PG in the NBA) and he won it. Maybe it’s because he was the player who voters thought was most essential to his team’s success? Anyway, it’s not consistent from year to year.

    I think I agree with your interpretation of what an MVP should *not* be, but I’m not clear about what you think it should be. Do you think it should be the best player of one of the top teams? Or is it because Spanoulis is the leader of one of the top teams? I’m not sure that being double-teamed is, alone, good enough of a measure, because then it would tend to just be the best offensive player, which I don’t think is what you mean.

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  2. Euroleague: CSKA, Barcelona close in on Final Four – GMA News | LIVING IN BARCELONA
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11 years ago 25 Comments EuroLeague, MoreAndrei Kirilenko, Bo McCalebb, Bostjan Nachbar, CSKA Moscow, David Blatt, David Blu, Devin Smith, EuroLeague, Euroleague 2011-12, Euroleague playoffs, Evgeny Pashutin, FC Barcelona, Gescrap Bilbao Basket, Giorgios Printezis, Juan Carlos Navarro, Keith Langford, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Montepaschi Siena, Nathan Jawai, NBA, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Richard Hendrix, Roger Grimau, Team Macedonia, UNICS Kazan, Yogev Ohayon
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BallinEurope.com was founded in September 2007 by Christophe Ney (who now runs the excellent scouting-themed website European Prospects) and Tobias Seitz, both then bloggers for FIBA.com with over 10 years’ worth of experience in the professional basketball world each. The mission then was to “provide a very unique perspective of Basketball in and about Europe.”
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