Big leads can be deceiving in Basketball Champions League Play-Off Qualifiers

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - The fat lady that everyone is so fond of in basketball? You may think she's already singing after some of the heavy defeats by a few clubs in the opening legs of the Play-Off Qualifiers in the Basketball Champions League.

The reality is that she most assuredly is not. Every team, no matter what its margin of defeat several days ago, is still in the hunt.

A team that lost by 22? It can turn around and win the second leg by 23. Unlikely, yes. But out of the realm of possibility? No.

Don't fret, Romeo Travis. Strasbourg have a fighting chance

Let's take a look at the opening ties.

MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg beat Maccabi Rand Media, 83-66. Be careful, German club. The Rishon Le Zion outfit has you right where it wants you! Okay, that's not true, but don't take your foot off the pedal MHP RIESEN.

Maccabi Rand Media coach Arik Shivek would rather have won the opening leg but the fact is, the game is at half-time with MHP RIESEN hosting the second leg on Wednesday, 22 February.

Big leads in a European basketball tie can disappear very quickly, which Shivek himself knows only too well.

"From my experience, these series are never over. It looks bad, but it's never over." - Shivek

He was at the helm of Dexia Mons Hainaut in 2010 when they thumped Valencia Basket in Belgium, 78-63, to take the inside track to qualification for the Eurocup. It seemed a huge lead to take to Spain but alas, it was not.

Valencia won the second leg 79-61 and prevailed on aggregate by three points. The strange thing about that tie was that the Taronja were up 15 at the end of regulation in the second leg, which meant the game had to go to overtime.

We all know what happened then. Mons went into the EuroChallenge and had a good season while Valencia not only reached the Eurocup but won it.

Shivek, whose Maccabi Rand Media side reached the Play-Off Qualifiers by the skin of its teeth after winning four of its last five games in the Regular Season, looked angry and frustrated after the loss to MHP RIESEN, yet also composed.

Maccabi Rand Media have a big hole to climb out of in Germany

When asked if his team's Basketball Champions League adventure was over, Shivek answered: "From my experience, these series are never over. And that's something I told my team when we were down 12: 'Don't play like it's one game because it's not.' It looks bad, but it's never over."

Shivek had said a few days before that home-court advantage did not matter in this tie so he'll be hoping that is borne out in the second leg.

In the other Play-Off Qualifiers, the teams playing at home used the advantage to better effect.

In Sardinia, Dinamo Sassari blew out CEZ Nymburk, 94-72. Sassari, remember, was the team that lost back-to-back games at home to buzzer-beating jump shots by Besiktas Sompo Japan and MHP RIESEN in the Regular Season.

CEZ Nymburk need to wake up, but it may be too late

Sassari finished 7-7 and fifth in Group D but still advanced, and here they are now with a 22-point lead heading to the Czech Republic and looking good bets to reach the Round of 16 to face fellow Italians Sidigas Avellino.

Have CEZ Nymburk thrown in the towel? You better believe they haven't.

"I hope the home court is different," Nymburk coach Ronen Ginzburg said. "Of course the gap is big, but I've seen everything in basketball."

Sassari coach Federico Pasquini fully expects a hard 40 minutes in the Czech Republic.

"We know this is just the first half," he warned. "We have to play a game of 80 minutes. We know they are a great team. Now, we have to prepare ourselves for the most important part of our war."

The roller-coaster, unpredictable nature of the Basketball Champions League was seen in Ventspils where the Latvian team rebounded from a 30-point home mauling against PAOK and beat Umana Reyer Venezia, 74-67, to thrill their home fans.

The Italian club's been blown out on occasion this season but shown a completely different face the next time out. I'm predicting the oro-granata will indeed win by at least eight points and progress.

Pinar Karsiyaka have been similar to Umana Reyer in that they've had a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde character. Look for this team to come back strong at home against Fraport Skyliners. This is going to be a great second leg with the notoriously boisterous fans of the Turkish club set to play a key role.

Fraport, last year's FIBA Europe Cup winners, have won their last four games in the Basketball Champions League. The performance by Mike Morrison last week was simply incredible. He had 35 points! His previous season-high in the competition was 13. 

PAOK didn't win at home but did stay within striking distance of Partizan after falling, 76-74. The Serbian team owes a huge debt of gratitude to William Hatcher because without his 27 points, they'd be facing a big deficit. Expect the Pionir to be rocking for the second leg.

The fans of PAOK and Partizan get along so well, by the way, that it was as if there was a family reunion at the game in Thessaloniki.

Home advantage was huge for Aris against Strasbourg. Aris thrashed the French club, 71-52, and now it's going to take something extraordinary for SIG to progress. I wonder who coach Henrik Dettmann, let go by SIG Strasbourg after a narrow defeat at Sidigas Avellino on Gameday 2, is pulling for?

Tip your hat to Juventus Utena, who despite playing against a big-name club from Greece, AEK, only lost 78-77 at home. AEK have since parted with Jawad Williams, letting him move to Italian side Reggio Emilia, and signed Australia international Brad Newley as his replacement. Newley is tough as nails and will make this team better.

A very intriguing game will be played in Oldenburg, Germany, between EWE Baskets and Avtodor Saratov. The first game was brilliant, won by Avtodor by just three points, and the second one should be fantastic as well.

EWE Baskets coach Mladen Drijencic spoke of the cold outdoors in Saratov, and the cold indoors. He also predicted a very hot gym for the second encounter. The player that deserves a lot of praise from the opener was Avtodor guard Branden Frazier, who had 18 points - just two off his season-high - and 10 assists.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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