06/03/2017
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In-form Cibona top Power Rankings before Quarter-Finals
MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - There are only a couple of turns left in the race for the FIBA Europe Cup title, with the field having already been reduced to just eight teams, all of whom enter the Quarter-Finals as legit contenders.
Having been by far the most dominant side in the Round of 16, Cibona Zagreb leapfrogged previous Power Ranking leaders Telekom Baskets and a number of other teams to move into pole position.
In spite of losing ground due to other teams posting commanding victories, supporters of Telekom Baskets, Elan Chalon, Enisey or Ironi Nahariya really don't have much to worry about, with the rest of the season being a free-for-all at this stage of the competition.
| 1. Cibona (+31) | Cibona were the only team in the competition to win both Round of 16 legs by double digits, hammering Stelmet both on the road in Zielona Gora and at home in Zagreb. Head coach Damir Mulaomerovic even suggested the game in Croatia might have been his side's best performance all season. They are definitely on the right track! |
| 2. Telekom Baskets (+23) | Telekom Baskets haven't lost a single game since the end of January, but still had to concede the number one spot in the Power Rankings. Having won eight straight games across all competitions, they will be even more dangerous when big man Filip Barovic returns to action from his injury. |
| 3. Elan Chalon (+21) | Elan Chalon didn't get any extra style points for tying against Kormend in the second game, though we agree that is quite a feat in itself. In spite of a friendly scoreline, the Hungarian club joined the ever-growing list of teams who will be having nightmares about Elan Chalon playmaker John Roberson, who has punished everyone who has got in his way this season. |
| 4. Telenet Oostende (+7) | When you have a player like Dusan Djordjevic on your roster, you can't help but hum "Relax, take it eaaaasy!", knowing he'll take care of business. Mr. Clutch from Serbia got the job done in France, barely missing out on a triple-double against Pau-Lacq-Orthez. However, can he do it on a cold and snowy night in Krasnoyarsk? |
| 5. Usak (+16) | Down by double figures after the away leg? Not a problem for Usak. Having registered a 26-point win at home in Turkey against CSM CSU Oradea, the Turkish side completed the biggest turnaround in the Round of 16. Where will the FIBA Europe Cup rollercoaster take Usak next – even higher up or all the way back down again? |
| 6. Enisey (+2) | Alexey Vzdykhalkin surpassed Pau-Lacq-Orthez guard Elie-Franck Okobo as the author of the most clutch shot of the season, helping Enisey make it past Demir Insaat to the Quarter-Finals. The Siberian team's coach Oleg Okulov would have lost plenty of hair during the double overtime drama in Istanbul, were he not bald already. |
| 7. Nanterre 92 (+7) | Chris Warren did his best James Harden impersonation in the series against Proximus Spirou, making 8-of-10 from three-point range. The bearded Nanterre playmaker was the architect of the French side's second-leg triumph as well with a game-high 23 points and will likely be the main factor in the series against Usak as well. |
| 8. Ironi Nahariya (+6) | All's well that ends well! Ironi Nahariya had the biggest first-leg lead in the Round of 16, but saw it nearly go to waste in Gaziantep. A lesson learned? That will be put to the test on the road in Bonn on Wednesday. |
FIBA
