Next week the Euroleague 2010/2011 Top 16 begins but let’s step back with some comments about the regular season.
It’s normal that some predictions are subverted and there are surprising results and in this Euroleague there were some. The most sensational has been the elimination of CSKA Moscow, a team that in recent years has played some finals while this time it finished last in its group. Armani Jeans Milano did little better: injuries caused problems but in the last games the team played really bad throwing away a qualification that seemed almost certain.
In the other groups Asseco Prokom did really bad while in the last season on the contrary it was a positive surprise. Cibona Zagreb also did really bad losing all the games.
Group E
Panathinaikos Athens
Caja Laboral
Unicaja
Lietuvos Rytas
Panathinaikos Athens is obviously the favorite to win the group while fighting for second place will be really tough among the other teams that are more or less at the same level.
Sarunas Jasikevicius is a player who won some Euroleagues and changed the destiny of Lietuvos Rytas when he joined the team after the season already begun: he brought the team to the Top 16 and I think he can help it to go to the next round too.
Group F
Maccabi Electra
Union Olimpija
Regal FC Barcelona
Virtus Roma
Maccabi Electra and Regal FC Barcelona are the favorites to go to the next round. Union Olimpija has done an excellent regular season but I think the Top 16 are the highest point the team can reach. Virtus Roma is having a season of ups and downs, so much that the coach has just been fired so I don’t see it as competitive.
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Gruppo G
Montepaschi Siena
Real Madrid
Efes Pilsen Istanbul
Partizan mt:s
Montepaschi Siena started this season after changing a few key players but it took little time to go back to being a very strong team like in previous years so I see it as the favorite to win the group despite the absence for injury of its playmaker McCalebb. Among the other teams I see Real Madrid as the second one that will go to the next round: during the regular season the team hasn’t always played as expected but I think it will do better in the Top 16.
Gruppo H
Olympiacos Piraeus
Fenerbahce Ulker
Zalgiris Kaunas
Power Elec. Valencia
Olympiacos Piraeus starts the hunt for the title and I see it as the favorite to win the group. Fenerbahce Ulker did very well in the regular season in a difficult group so I think that it will be the other team that will go to the next round.
As I already wished at the beginning of the regular season, may the best win! 🙂
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Very excellent and right on analysis on the Top 16. I do think too that Groups F and H are the only ones wherein the top two teams are determined at the end of the Top 16 round, while Panathinaikos and Montepaschi Siena will dominate their respective groups. Anything could possibly happen, though, since this is Euroleague.
The same thing probably went in most Euroleague fans’ minds that CSKA will continue on their final four streak, or at least many did not think that they will go down in the first round. So, the worst anyone could do at this point is to make predictions. However, this will help set the tone for the action that is to come with the Top 16 round.