Round 1 concluded with four thrillers that lived up to any preseason hype and put a "can't-miss" tag on all EuroLeague action going forward.
lt translation of A thrilling first Friday proved we can believe the hype
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4 mins read
Well, that didn't take long at all, did it?
With slam-dunk fierceness, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague first week briskly confirmed all the preceding anticipation and hype.
Electricity crackled across Europe as almost 100,000 fans packed arenas from Istanbul to Belgrade, Tel Aviv, Munich, Valencia and more.
If opening night on Thursday seemed destined to be dominated by home teams, Zalgiris Kaunas corrected that notion with not one, but two comebacks from 15-point deficits to leave Virtus Segafredo Bologna fans crushed.
That quickly, we were reminded that anything happen – and usually does – on EuroLeague game nights.
Another Thursday highlight was two-time champ Pablo Laso returning to the bench with FC Bayern Munich to win the German derby by tying a EuroLeague record for the biggest difference on the boards, out-rebounding ALBA Berlin by 49 to 17!
But if Thursday lit the spark, the first Friday blew the roof off this new season. Total unpredictability, the essence of sports drama, was the order of the evening. Consider that:
• At one point, all four Friday games had second-half scoreboard gaps of 4 or fewer points simultaneously.
• Shots in the air over the fourth-quarter buzzer would have change the winners of three games had they fallen. Alas, all missed.
• Two of those three games went to overtime, the most in an opening round since 2000.
• The fourth game saw a Final Four team from last season suffer the season's first upset.
The first overtime came in Istanbul where former MVP Nikola Mirotic poured in a round-high 27 points for his new team, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, but couldn't prevent Fenerbahce Beko from winning 85-82 in OT before its thankful fans. His three-point try to force a second-overtime missed.
The drama reached literary proportions as almost 18,000 Panathinaikos Athens fans held their collective breath for the final shot of regulation time, a potential game-winner from their new hero, Kostas Sloukas, who had the same shot to win the title last spring for their archrival and opponent on Friday, Olympiacos Piraeus. Neither shot fell, however, and in this case Olympiacos ruled in overtime to win 78-88.
The beneficiary of Sloukas's miss last spring, current champion Real Madrid, battled its domestic nemesis Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz all night before stealing away with a two-point road victory, 77-79, despite missing tower of power Walter Tavares for the opener. Markus Howard's good look on the buzzer did not drop, to the chagrin of 14,000-plus fans in Buesa Arena.
And before Friday could finish, Valencia Basket threw its hat in the ring by defeating AS Monaco 70-65 by relying on a cast of newcomers until Chris Jones took over in the fourth quarter to make sure.
Altogether on Friday, there were 29 ties and 40 lead changes over four games spanning less than four hours, and none of the eight teams team all night held more than a 10-point lead during regulation time.
You would say that the fans were on the edge of their seats but, of course, this is the EuroLeague. Most of them were on their feet for most of the night and you could hardly blame them. It was a thrilling start to a season that promises to reach new heights of basketball competitiveness. Believe the hype.