MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - With the first games in the bag, our experts each offer three observations from the opening window.

Igor Curkovic, Simas Baranauskas and Jared Grellet have been following the start of the road to FIBA EuroBasket 2021 carefully. Now, each of them offers three takeaways from the opening window's six games.

Ryan Boatright is almost averaging an unwanted triple-double, but is without doubt one of the most impressive players in the Pre-Qualifiers

Igor Curkovic
1. Certainly didn't expect just one team - The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD) - to have a 2-0 record. But that just shows how evenly balanced these teams are in the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers! Dear teams, keep us guessing all the way, okay? More overtime, too. We love those, and that lady that kept jumping up and down in front of the camera during the Armenia v Denmark extra period showed just how emotional national team games can get...
2. Portugal. What!? They were as close to being 0-2 as they were to being 2-0. Down 13 at Cyprus, they clawed back within two, then down 27 (!?) against Luxembourg just to storm back to an overtime win...talk about an eventful window!
3. Ryan Boatright's near triple-double on average - not in a good way. As great as it is seeing Boatright put up 23 points and 9.5 assists per game, he'll be the first one to tell you he needs to do a better job of "simple" tasks, like turnovers and free throws. His 8.5 turnovers per game and just 5-of-15 made shots from the line most definitely have to do with 77 minutes played in two games. You'll be quick to forget all about it once you see him rising for game-tying three-pointers! Armenia, enjoy it as much as you can!

It was, to say the least, an eventful window for Portugal

Simas Baranauskas
1. This was supposed to be a pretty straightforward affair, was it not? There were a couple of lopsided results, but I was positively surprised by the competitiveness of most of these games. Four of the six fixtures finished in single digits and regular time was not enough to decide the winner in two of those contests. 
2.  I thought that Portugal and Armenia were likely to sail through the Pre-Qualifiers without too much of a fuss, but, apparently, I thought wrong. Both of the teams, Portugal in particular, looked surprisingly vulnerable, splitting their first two games. Heading into the first window, I had more or less penciled them in as the clear front-runners in their respective groups. At this point, it might be wise to get the eraser out of my pencil box and scrub these presumptions away.
3. After looking anything but steady in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers, MKD seem to have turned the tide, looking like the most assured team out there. They have the necessary talent in the shape of the big three of Richard Hendrix and the Stojanovski brothers and they seem to know what to do with it, with coach Jordanco Davitkov giving Vojdan and Damjan more ball-handling opportunities due to a shortage of other playmaking talent. Looks like a smart move so far.

MKD were perhaps the one team to stand out in an otherwise level playing field

Jared Grellet
1. The term 'expert' can obviously be thrown around loosely. I was calling on Portugal to sail through the opening window. Instead, they find themselves 1-1 following one of the greatest escapes in international basketball history. I do hope it remains known as one of the greatest comebacks, rather than a colossal collapse on Luxembourg's part. Now, I am looking forward to seeing Luxembourg host Cyprus on February 22. I am sensing that could be the game of the window. But again, what do us experts know? 
2. Even playing field. Following those opening six games, I think the only team who you could say with some confidence look like being group winners are MKD. Two overtimes and another game decided by a basket is all the evidence you need of this.
3. Armenia are the real deal. For most of us, we were seeing them for the first time this summer when they played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers. OK, they are 1-1, but their loss came in overtime, and I am sensing revenge when they play in Denmark, something Danish head coach Erez Bittman alluded to in the post-game press conference. 

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