Canadians in Europe: Euroleague Play-Offs Preview
After thirty-four gruelling weeks of competition across the continent, the Euroleague is one step closer to crowning the 2021 champions. Of the twenty that began the tournament only eight have made it the playoff stage and under the pressure of a bad result sending them home, now have to prove their results so far merit them a shot at the title.
The eight teams have been drawn into four playoff series, based on their final Euroleague standings. (First seed plays eighth, second plays seventh and so on) A maximum of five games will be played, the first team to win three advancing to the next round of competition. With the stakes higher and the room for error smaller, it's out of the frying pan and into the fire for the contending teams.
Two Canadian players will be taking part in the first round of playoffs. Here is a rundown of what they are likely to face:
CSKA Moscow vs Fenerbahce, Dyshawn Pierre
There is a lot of history between these two teams, with many of their recent outings being very close contests, as well as the Euroleague final of five years ago, where CSKA denied Fenerbahce the title.
The rivalry is evident in their 2020-21 results: first CSKA bettered Fenerbahce by a single point in October, with Fenerbahce later scoring the bigger victory, defeating CSKA by six in round twenty-one.
The latter result saw Dyshawn Pierre net ten points, one of sixteen double-digit performances from the Canadian in the regular season, his best being a team-best eighteen against Valencia back in November. Pierre has been a highly dependable role player for Fenerbahce this season and providing support to the team's big hitters, Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely, in this playoff series will be a vital component in the Turkish team's offensive arsenal.
It will be a tall order to overcome the Russian titans of European basketball, though. The 2020-21 CSKA unit is as dogged and determined for success as the team has ever been and continue to play perfectly as a unit and follow their intricately drawn game plans to the letter.
After a slow and uncertain start to their season, ten wins in a row powered Fenerbahce up the order and five more in their last eight games earned them this playoff place. This shows the 2020-21 Fenerbahce team can get the required results when they need them and with their Euroleague campaign now on the line, that tenacious form should re-emerge in the playoffs.
FC Barcelona vs Zenit St. Petersburg, Kevin Pangos
Zenit, the last team to secure their place in the playoffs, have it all to do in their first round series. As the eighth seed they will have to face the team with the best record at the regular season's conclusion, Barcelona. The Spanish club may enter this first round of playoffs as the favourites, they have not been invincible, with one of their ten losses so far coming at the hands of Zenit.
Conversely, the Russian team enter the playoffs having scored three out of four emphatic wins to end the regular season, results that earned them their post-season place. Their form throughout has been an uneven one, they started out winning their first six fixtures but then fell down the order after picking up more losses as the season went on. The wins they got in between kept them in the top eight and when the curtain fell on the regular season they were sat comfortably in eighth place.
Kevin Pangos has been highly valuable up front for Zenit throughout the season, regularly among the high scorers, with his very best coming against Panathinaikos Athens. When Zenit hosted the Greek club in April, Pangos netted 33 points and also dished 11 rebounds in their biggest win of the year, 112-83. A level that Zenit really need to be at it if they are going to pull off a massive upset in round one.
With Barcelona boasting big men Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies, who have been key assets for the Spanish team all season, it will be a big help for Zenit having a player with the stature and offensive abilities such as Pangos to navigate a towering opposition, as well as providing assistance on the other end. Zenit have pulled off plenty of surprises so far this season and if they are at their best against Barcelona could pull off yet another.
The winner of the Barcelona - Zenit tie will then face either Olimpia Milano or Bayern Munich in the final four, while Efes Istanbul or Real Madrid await either a victorious CSKA Moscow or Fenerbahce. From there it's just one win to the Euroleague final and a chance at bringing home the title. Check back here for regular updates on the playoffs and visit the official Euroleague website for more.
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