23/24 European basketball discussion: Euroleague/BBL/ACB/LegaA/LNB/TBL..

[CLS63]

It looked that Fenerbahche will blow up Barca completely, but they had awful 3rd quarter which let Barcelona to return to the game. In 4th quarter they were solid again and achieved win by 14 points.
What really surprised me is Monaco loss to Olimpia Milano by 18 points at home. Olimpia is most inconsistent team in Euroleague, they can beat anyone and lose to anyone. But with this win they're still in race for 10th place.

In my opinion the Fener win was no surprise at all.
After the domination they showed in the past week Barcelona was just another stepping stone the easily got out of the way.
It's impressive what they are showing at the moment, even though of course they looked a bit troubled in the 3rd quarter. 

I thought about betting on them big   but then the game started so late in my time zone, that's why I didn't.
You could get odd as high as 1.5 for a Fenerbahce win, a true present I think.

After our agreement with Šarūnas Jasikevičius Fenerbahçe's basketball level has really gone up. Despite playing the 3rd quarter very badly Fenerbahçe still managed to win the match by 14 points thanks to a great 4th quarter performance and took a big step to finish the regular season in top 4. After the Olympiacos win Anadolu Efes managed to win against Alba Berlin home despite having difficulties and maintained their claim for 10th place by doing double on the double match week.

[karabiber]

Fenerbahçe completely dominated the game against Barcelona in the first half. The gap increased to like 25 points in the second quarter (40-15). The second quarter ended up with Fenerbahçe's 46-25 lead. As Barcelona won the first match played between them by 8 points it is very important for Fenerbahçe to win by at least 9 points tonight.

Fenerbahce was the superior team at the start of the game and in the first half, both physically and in terms of ball sharing. However, the problem for Barcelona is that they are not aware of their mistakes. Barcelona was ineffective against Fenerbahce in the first half and their inability to convert the open shots into points was one of the reasons for the score difference in the first half.

Honestly, I didn't think Barcelona would be so ineffective. It was surprising that Barcelona relied on Ricky Rubio for a good part of the game, who is still recovering from his mental problems and needs time. The critical moment of the match was the intentional foul on Kalinic. The game was completely in Fenerbahce's favor after this foul. Congratulations to Saras and the team for Fenerbahce's successful result.

[Pulsar77]

I thought Anadolu Efes' chance ran out already after the ASVEL loss.    I would really like to see them joining play-in phase but their job is really difficult at this point. There are multiple teams fighting for the last quota. If Valencia win today they will obtain a good advantage. But their job isn't easy at all against Monaco away.

Turkish teams were really successful in the Euroleague until the 2022/2023 season. But we couldn't see any of them in Final Four last season.

This season I give only Fenerbahçe a chance for making it there even if Anadolu Efes qualify for play-in.

[LTU_btc]

After our agreement with Šarūnas Jasikevičius Fenerbahçe's basketball level has really gone up. Despite playing the 3rd quarter very badly Fenerbahçe still managed to win the match by 14 points thanks to a great 4th quarter performance and took a big step to finish the regular season in top 4. After the Olympiacos win Anadolu Efes managed to win against Alba Berlin home despite having difficulties and maintained their claim for 10th place by doing double on the double match week.

Fenerbahche wasn't bad under Itoudis, but Jasikevicius moved team to new level. Before I didn't considered as big Final 4 contender, now I changed my mind. Today they have match with Olimpia Milano, very tricky opponent.

I thought Anadolu Efes' chance ran out already after the ASVEL loss.    I would really like to see them joining play-in phase but their job is really difficult at this point. There are multiple teams fighting for the last quota. If Valencia win today they will obtain a good advantage. But their job isn't easy at all against Monaco away.

After Efes wasted so much in first part of season, it's good thing that they're still in fight until final rounds. That Jones block against ASVEL in the end was crazy and gave huge relief to Efes fans. Few remaining rounds
Now after 2 wins against Virtus and Baskonia even Zalgiris keep their minimal hope alive.

[CLS63]

It was a heartbreaking loss for us. If we won tonight we were going to go up to 2nd place. Even though we got 17 points behind against Milano today we made a very big comeback. However in the last moments of the match we couldn't especially benefit from free 3-pointers with Wilbekin and we lost. I hope that this loss doesn't push us out of top 4.

[karabiber]

Zalgiris Kaunas vs Olimpia Milano
Two teams that had a very good double match week will face each other. Zalgiris Kaunas had different victories at home against Virtus Bologna and Baskonia. Evans again stands out as the one who carries his team forward. Milano, on the other hand, first won in Monaco and then at home against Fenerbahce Beko, with a hard fought win even though the score difference was widening at times.

For Milano, the win against Fenerbahce Beko was a critical threshold. Milano has 14 wins and is currently inside the play-in threshold. Zalgiris has 13 wins. If Milano loses this game, it would mean the end of their chances. Therefore, Milano will have an aggressive game plan and will play a good offensive game. Also, with the return of Mirotic, Milano has a much stronger offensive line. My favorite is Milano.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Why are all guys here just talk about the Euroleague? 

Aside the local competitions which slowly go on the final stretch of the season there are also other amazing cups to follow.

Chemnitz for example, which play a surprisingly great season in Germany competing with teams like ALBA and Bayern for the top spot had their first semi final in the FIBA Europe Cup yesterday playing @ Bilbao and pretty much destroying them by 25 points after being down by as many as 14 points mid way through the 2nd quarter.

What a great game and 2nd half where they outscored Bilbao 57:27, haha. In an away game at a Spanish club, even when it's just Bilbao, that's a statement!
Bilbao some days earlier beat EL team Baskonia at home by the way.

[LTU_btc]

Few very important games for playin spots tonight. Zalgiris playing with Olimpia and leading a bit after 3 quarters. According to Basketnews calculation, Zalgiris chances for playin is just 0.2%, but they can ruin situation for Milan:
https://m.basketnews.com/news-203858-battle-for-last-place-in-the-play-in-whose-chances-are-the-best.html
Put some money on Partizan and Baskonia tonight.

Why are all guys here just talk about the Euroleague? 

Aside the local competitions which slowly go on the final stretch of the season there are also other amazing cups to follow.

Chemnitz for example, which play a surprisingly great season in Germany competing with teams like ALBA and Bayern for the top spot had their first semi final in the FIBA Europe Cup yesterday playing @ Bilbao and pretty much destroying them by 25 points after being down by as many as 14 points mid way through the 2nd quarter.

I admit that I barely watch other European cups besides Euroleague and Eurocup. Used to watch Champions league until my team dropped out. But will turn in Final 4.
Seems that Germany almost every season have underdog that surprises everyone. Last year it was Ulm who won Bundesliga, or Bonn who had amazing squad last year and won BCL. This year we have Chemnitz. Chemnitz - Varese would be great final, but Varese still have to do their job in 2nd leg.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

I admit that I barely watch other European cups besides Euroleague and Eurocup. Used to watch Champions league until my team dropped out. But will turn in Final 4.
Seems that Germany almost every season have underdog that surprises everyone. Last year it was Ulm who won Bundesliga, or Bonn who had amazing squad last year and won BCL. This year we have Chemnitz. Chemnitz - Varese would be great final, but Varese still have to do their job in 2nd leg.

That's true. In recent years very unexpected teams from Germany performed well.
Bonn with the BCL win last year and going into the playoffs in Germany as the clear number 1 seat just to get upset by Ulm which then also won the title.
If you bet on them before the season you can make very good money.
This season with Chemnitz is even more surprising cause they are only in the first league in Germany for a couple of years.

Everybody always expects the big teams like Alba and Bayern to win it all because they have the big names and a lot of money. But good scouting is just as important as a big wallet.

[CLS63]

Fenerbahçe are the most in form team in the Euroleague now. And I think that we will qualify for final four even if we don't have a home advantage in play-offs. Today we destroyed Alba Berlin.Nigel Hayes broke the point record in the Euroleague by the 50 points he scored. After coming to Fenerbahçe Nigel Hayes' development is also really extraordinary.




https://x.com/BasketNews_com/status/1773796076933275747

[LTU_btc]

Yesterday was full of interesting results between teams fighting for playin spots. Baskonia at home was destroyed by Efes. I don't knowwhat happened to Baskonia, it was hard to recognize them, maybe Efes just needed this win more.
It looked that Partizan control game against Olympiacos, but what happened in 4th quarter is crazy. Oly made big comeback by winning it 10:28 and made Stark arena completely silent. While Bayern after loss to Barca is 99.9% eliminated.
Meanwhile in Eurocup semifinals Besiktas made series with Bourg tied 1:1, decisive game next week in France. Now other semifinal London Lions - Paris is in play, Paris leads series 1:0 and now in 2nd quarter we have close game. One of these 4 teams will play in Euroleague next season, but now I can see them compeing only with Alba and ASVEL, Euroleague is different level after all.

Fenerbahçe are the most in form team in the Euroleague now. And I think that we will qualify for final four even if we don't have a home advantage in play-offs. Today we destroyed Alba Berlin.Nigel Hayes broke the point record in the Euroleague by the 50 points he scored. After coming to Fenerbahçe Nigel Hayes' development is also really extraordinary.
https://x.com/BasketNews_com/status/1773796076933275747

Fenerbahche is hottest team in Euroleague now, I hope they will keep their form in playoffs too. And damn, what a night for Hayes-Davis, never thought that he can make such record, you would expect such performances from Mike James type of player. Amazing.

[ingiltere]

Beşiktaş won at home in the EuroCup to make the series 1-1 and extended the series to the last game. I think Beşiktaş will win this time in Bourg Basket's home in France and reach the final. They deserve a trophy this year, they are fighting very well. Dušan Alimpijević brought a completely different atmosphere to the team. Even if the roster quality is not top-notch, he is tactically very good and everyone is playing above their level. I hope they win something this year.

[CLS63]

Beşiktaş fans absolutely deserve to be in the Euroleague. The new president of Beşiktaş is an old basketball player and he said when he was a candidate that he would do his best to carry the team to the Euroleague. Even if they don't win the Eurocup maybe they can play in the Euroleague with an invitation next year. Frankly when we think that the Turkish Basketball League is one of the most quality leagues in Europe I don't think it is fair to join the Euroleague with only 2 teams.

[LTU_btc]

Beşiktaş fans absolutely deserve to be in the Euroleague. The new president of Beşiktaş is an old basketball player and he said when he was a candidate that he would do his best to carry the team to the Euroleague. Even if they don't win the Eurocup maybe they can play in the Euroleague with an invitation next year. Frankly when we think that the Turkish Basketball League is one of the most quality leagues in Europe I don't think it is fair to join the Euroleague with only 2 teams.

I think that Turkish league is 2nd best in Europe after Spanish ACB. I agree that they deserve to have more than 2 teams in Euroleague, but I think it's impossible to see Besiktas in Euroleague without winning Eurocup. I doubt that Euroleague wants to see 3 teams from same city, they're not already happy with 2 teams from Belgrade in Euroleague. And Besiktas had not high attendance during whole season, they only moved to bigger arena for playoffs.
Meanwhile Paris won 2nd game against London Lions and goes to Eurocup final.

[CLS63]

I think that Turkish league is 2nd best in Europe after Spanish ACB. I agree that they deserve to have more than 2 teams in Euroleague, but I think it's impossible to see Besiktas in Euroleague without winning Eurocup. I doubt that Euroleague wants to see 3 teams from same city, they're not already happy with 2 teams from Belgrade in Euroleague. And Besiktas had not high attendance during whole season, they only moved to bigger arena for playoffs.
Meanwhile Paris won 2nd game against London Lions and goes to Eurocup final.

If Beşiktaş qualify for the Euroleague I'm pretty sure that their stadium is going to be full in every game. I agree with you on the 3 teams from the same city topic. However when we think that the population of Istanbul is nearly 20 million maybe Euroleague board can act more flexible about this topic.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Beşiktaş fans absolutely deserve to be in the Euroleague. The new president of Beşiktaş is an old basketball player and he said when he was a candidate that he would do his best to carry the team to the Euroleague. Even if they don't win the Eurocup maybe they can play in the Euroleague with an invitation next year. Frankly when we think that the Turkish Basketball League is one of the most quality leagues in Europe I don't think it is fair to join the Euroleague with only 2 teams.

I think that Turkish league is 2nd best in Europe after Spanish ACB. I agree that they deserve to have more than 2 teams in Euroleague, but I think it's impossible to see Besiktas in Euroleague without winning Eurocup. I doubt that Euroleague wants to see 3 teams from same city, they're not already happy with 2 teams from Belgrade in Euroleague. And Besiktas had not high attendance during whole season, they only moved to bigger arena for playoffs.
Meanwhile Paris won 2nd game against London Lions and goes to Eurocup final.

Yeah 3 teams from the same city doesn't make too much sense.
Sure the Turkish fan base of every team is always strong and guarantees a great atmosphere but still it's a bit off.

I would also agree that the Turkish league is the strongest league behind the ACB at the moment. Before it was the VTB with CSKA, Unics, St. Petersburg and others because they paid a lot of money. But since Russian teams are banned from international competition the quality of the league declined drastically.

[LTU_btc]

However when we think that the population of Istanbul is nearly 20 million maybe Euroleague board can act more flexible about this topic.

Yeah, Istanbul is one of biggest cities in the world and probably half of Turkish league teams located in this city. And I remember Turkey previously had 3 or even 4 teams in Euroleague, it was Galtasaray, Darussafaka or Pinar Karsiyaka.

Yeah 3 teams from the same city doesn't make too much sense.
Sure the Turkish fan base of every team is always strong and guarantees a great atmosphere but still it's a bit off.

While it looks that Euroleague now is looking for expansion to the Middle East and adding team from Dubai. Offcourse, it's all about the money and I'm not big fan of such expansion. First, this team most likely won't get much interest from locals and all teams would get one extra long trip to Dubai.

[CLS63]

Yeah 3 teams from the same city doesn't make too much sense.
Sure the Turkish fan base of every team is always strong and guarantees a great atmosphere but still it's a bit off.

While it looks that Euroleague now is looking for expansion to the Middle East and adding team from Dubai. Offcourse, it's all about the money and I'm not big fan of such expansion. First, this team most likely won't get much interest from locals and all teams would get one extra long trip to Dubai.

I absolutely have the same idea. However as basketball absolutely needs new sources financially I wouldn't oppose to this move. I think that one of the most reasonable solutions is that final four matches to be played in Dubai or another Middle East country.

The only thing that I want to say is that the Turkish league has a right to be represented by more than 2 teams. But I don't know what would happen about this topic next season. For now the biggest candidate to join as the 3rd team looks like Beşiktaş.

[LTU_btc]

I absolutely have the same idea. However as basketball absolutely needs new sources financially I wouldn't oppose to this move. I think that one of the most reasonable solutions is that final four matches to be played in Dubai or another Middle East country.

The only thing that I want to say is that the Turkish league has a right to be represented by more than 2 teams. But I don't know what would happen about this topic next season. For now the biggest candidate to join as the 3rd team looks like Beşiktaş.

Lack of money is actually probably main issue in Euroleague. Offcourse, it's impossible to compete with football, but still, things like TV contracts, sponsorships, prize money is ridiculously low in Euroleague. When NBA bench warmer is getting more money than Euroleague stars, it's getting hard to attract good players.
Besiktas isn't very stable team, now it looks ok, but just last season there was some big delays with paying salaries that some players even left team. And now it seems that Bourg is closer to Eurocup final, leading in 4th quarter of decisive game. But yeah, I agree about that 2 Turkish clubs in Euroleague isn't enough.

[CLS63]

I absolutely have the same idea. However as basketball absolutely needs new sources financially I wouldn't oppose to this move. I think that one of the most reasonable solutions is that final four matches to be played in Dubai or another Middle East country.

The only thing that I want to say is that the Turkish league has a right to be represented by more than 2 teams. But I don't know what would happen about this topic next season. For now the biggest candidate to join as the 3rd team looks like Beşiktaş.

Lack of money is actually probably main issue in Euroleague. Offcourse, it's impossible to compete with football, but still, things like TV contracts, sponsorships, prize money is ridiculously low in Euroleague. When NBA bench warmer is getting more money than Euroleague stars, it's getting hard to attract good players.
Besiktas isn't very stable team, now it looks ok, but just last season there was some big delays with paying salaries that some players even left team. And now it seems that Bourg is closer to Eurocup final, leading in 4th quarter of decisive game. But yeah, I agree about that 2 Turkish clubs in Euroleague isn't enough.

I absolutely agree with you on this topic. I also think that an invitation should be given for only 1 season already. For teams to make more money the interest in basketball in Europe should increase more. Germany is quite good about this topic. They have started to fill stadiums in every match. They have got amazing achievements at national team level also in the recent years.