2017's Most memorable moments in the Basketball Champions League
With 2018 fast approaching, we took the moment to take stock of 2017 and look back at some of the most stand-out memories from the Basketball Champions League.
MIES, Switzerland (Basketball Champions League) - With 2018 fast approaching, we took the moment to take stock of 2017 and look back at some of the most stand-out memories from the Basketball Champions League. In no particular order, here are our most memorable moments of the year:
Tenerife Take the Title
It wouldn’t be possible to do a most memorable moments of 2017 article without mentioning Iberostar Tenerife winning the inaugural Basketball Champions League title in front of their home fans. They got a 63-59 win over Banvit in the championship final, knocking down 12 three-pointers including a late dagger from Davin White. Marius Grigonis picked up Final MVP, finishing with 18 points and making 4-of-7 shots from deep. Rickey Paulding timelessness Estudiantes v Venezia as well with Landesberg buzzer beater
Triple Doubles
Hitting double digits in three statistical categories has only happened twice in Basketball Champions League history and they were both in 2017. First, Chris Kramer went off for 16 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists while a member of the EWE Baskets Oldenburg team in a January win over Muratbey Usak Sportif, and then more recently, Butkevicius had 19 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks to fire Neptunas to an 82-69 victory over PAOK.
Venezia Win in Triple OT
The Basketball Champions League has had its fair share of thrillers over the year, but perhaps none more so than Umana Reyer Venezia’s triple OT victory over Banvit. Gediminas Orelik turned from goat to hero, after an ill-advised foul allowed Banvit to force a second OT from the line, but then making the big shots in the third overtime as the Italian club won, 108-101.
Nanterre Avellino Double OT Thriller
On the topic of thrillers, the other major standout was the double-OT contest between Nanterre and Sidigas Avellino. Avellino blew two 4-point leads in the final minutes of the first and second overtime periods, as Jamal Shuler and Lahaou Konate both came up with huge buckets down the stretch to give the French side the victory.
Monaco's Perfect Start
AS Monaco have been on a tear through the start of the 2017-18 season, opening up on a 9-0 winning streak pushing aside all opponents in their path. Including their third place classification win at the Final Four, their streak has already reached double digits. It represents the longest winning streak since the Basketball Champions League's inception, already smashing the previous record (8 – by ASVEL in 2016-17), and they show no sign of slowing down any time soon.
Christopher Evans Takes No Prisoners
There have been so many huge dunks over the course of the year, but none were bigger and more memorable than Christopher Evans’s poster on Gameday 9. Getting out on the break, the AS Monaco forward went full extension as he cocked it back and exploded for a facial on the UNET Holon defender as they both took to the floor in the aftermath.
Martin Zeno Explodes for 42
CSM CSU Oradea’s Martin Zeno started off 2017 right as he tied the Basketball Champions League scoring record of 42 points in January, that was set the month before at the end of 2016 by Jimmy Baron. Zeno went 11-of-17 from two, and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc whilst leading his side to a 101-91 win over Kataja Basket for one of the most memorable individual moments of the year.
Theodore Sends Banvit to Final Four
Jordan Theodore, last season's MVP, had no bigger shot than the coast to coast drive and finish in the dying seconds that gave Banvit a 146-145 aggregate win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg to book their place in the Final Four. Theodore floated his way to the rack and kissed his lay up off the glass to give Banvit a 59-53 win over Ludwigsburg after losing the first leg 92-87.
Landesburg Comes Through in the Clutch
One of the more memorable winners in the 2017-18 season so far, Sylven Landesberg hit an incredible game-winning three to give Movistar Estudiantes an 81-80 victory over Umana Reyer Venezia. Trailing by one on an inbounds play, Landesburg received the kick out in the corner, pump faked and then let it fly as the ball dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded.
Orelik Fades Away for the Win
Gediminas Orelik provided one of the most dramatic game winners in the Basketball Champions League last season at the start of 2017, with a fadeaway from the wing at the horn to give Banvit a 95-94 victory over Aris. With 1.7 seconds on the clock, Orelik got the shot off and made it, giving him 17 points for the contest, and cementing his status as a big game player, with his shot avoiding the outstretched defender's finger tips by an inch.
Michael Morrison's Efficient 35
Last season Fraport Skyliners' Michael Morrison went off for 35 points against Pinar Karsiyak - the fifth biggest individual scoring performance in Basketball Champions League history - but perhaps the most impressive thing about it, was only missing two field goals in his seventeen attempts. Morrison added 7 rebounds and 3 assists to finish with a player efficiency rating of +40 and led the Frankfurt side to their first win of the play-off qualifiers.