Since the 7DAYS EuroCup introduced best-of-three playoff series before the start of the 2016-17 season, at least two quarterfinals have been decided in do-or-die Game 3s in each campaign. The 2020-21 season is no exception, as two make-or-break games are scheduled with a semifinals spot on the line: UNICS Kazan faces Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and AS Monaco meets Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Here is a look back at all of the previous Quarterfinals Game 3s in competition history.
Rewind: Quarterfinals Game 3
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5 mins read
In 2017, Lokomotiv and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem swept their respective series, leaving two more series that reached a decisive Game 3. In one f them, FC Bayern Munich hosted Unicaja Malaga. The two teams had traded home wins, but Unicaja stole a road victory at Audi Dome, 69-74, to qualify for the semifinals. Nemanja Nedovic led the winners with 21 points, Dejan Musli added 16 and Kyle Fogg added 12 for Unicaja, which led most of the way. Reggie Redding paced the Bayern attack with 15 points. Free throws by Nedovic sealed the outcome down the stretch.
Valencia Basket had less trouble to knock out EuroCup archrival Khimki Moscow Region 92-76. Sam Van Rossom led six Valencia scorers in double digits with 17 points. Alexey Shved scored 21 points for Khimki, whose last lead came at 26-28. Valencia and Unicaja also reached the 2017 EuroCup Finals, where they exchanged home wins to set up a do-or-die Game 3 for the title at La Fonteta. Unicaja rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final 9 minutes to get a 58-63 victory and raise the trophy. Unicaja won all three playoff series without the home-court advantage and Alberto Diaz was named the 2017 EuroCup Finals MVP.
A year later, there were two other quarterfinals series that went down to Game 3. Bayern played UNICS at Audi Dome and prevailed this time 91-81 win. Redding led the winners with 23 points, Jared Cunningham added 21 while Danilo Barthel, Vladimir Lucic and Stefan Jovic each scored 12 for Bayern. Trent Lockett paced UNICS with 16 points. UNICS led 61-63 late in the third quarter, but an 11-0 run that Stefan Jovic capped with a bomb from downtown put Bayern well on its way to winning the game and series.
In a high-scoring showdown, which is somewhat unusual in a Game 3, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia bested Zenit St Petersburg 105-99 at home. Chris Wright paced the winners with a career-high 25 points, Julian Wright scored 21 and Amedeo Della Valle 20. Evgeny Voronov led Zenit with a career-high 23 points. Reggio Emilia and Bayern, however, were eliminated in the semifinals, respectively, by Lokomotiv and Darussafaka Istanbul. Darussafaka then handed Lokomotiv its only two losses of the entire EuroCup season in the finals and lifted the trophy.
Things were even more balanced in 2019 when three series needed Game 3s to find a victor. Valencia was the only team that swept its quarterfinals series, downing Rytas Vilnius. After trading road wins, ALBA Berlin used the home-court advantage to top Unicaja 79-75 behind 15 points and 10 assists from Peyton Siva. The game came down to the final seconds and Rokas Giedraitis came through with a key basket with 14.2 seconds left and a steal on Unicaja's next possession to help snatch the win.
MoraBanc Andorra upset LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 80-82 at the Astroballe. Dylan Ennis and Jerome Jordan led the winners with 14 points apiece. ASVEL led 80-79, but Ennis stepped up with a wild driving layup and Andorra held the hosts scoreless on its final three possessions. UNICS edged Lokomotiv 69-65 behind 14 points from veteran forward Kostas Kaimakoglou. Free throws by Pierria Henry and Errick McCollum sealed the outcome late. ALBA was the only Game 3 survivor that reached the 2019 EuroCup Finals, where it forced a Game 3. Valencia lived up to its role as the favorite and thrashed ALBA 89-63 at home. Will Thomas was named EuroCup Finals MVP.
The 2019-20 playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, two more series go down to the always-exciting Game 3. In seven previous games, there have been only two road warriors - Unicaja in 2017 and Andorra in 2019. Unicaja was also the only team that played in Game 3 of the Quarterfinals and ended up winning the title. It all can all change in 2021, with two exciting Game 3 showdowns. Stay tuned!