Crvena Zvezda and CSKA Moscow put on an amazing game and Jordan Loyd took matters into his own hands to secure the win for his squad
By Stefan Djordjevic of eurohoops.net / info@eurohoops.net
While three games have been postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus troubles in the squads, 12 teams still stepped on the court in Round 5 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and they’ve put on a show.
Four players put on career-highs, some of them broke personal or club records, and there was plenty of quality basketball including two overtime games that were decided in the last seconds. And an El Clasico.blob:https://sneakershoptalk.com/8512372f-70e5-4fcc-8d03-0656ffb717d8
MVP: Jordan Loyd
Another MVP award for Jordan Loyd by Eurohoops after another big and clutch performance. This time against CSKA Moscow as Crvena Zvezda came out with a close overtime win, sealed by Loyd’s game-winning driving layup.
And there was much of that throughout the whole clash as he finished with a career-high 31 points while also grabbing six rebounds. In fact, Loyd is the only player so far this season to have scored 30+ points twice and it doesn’t come as a surprise that Zvezda is 2-0 on those occasions.
- Nemanja Nedovic: The explosive Serbian guard couldn’t find his rhythm in the first few games but that certainly wasn’t the case against Fenerbahce BEKO. He banked career-high seven threes on his way to 28 points.
- Tyler Dorsey: Another outstanding shooting performance as Dorsey made career-high eight threes on his way to a career-high 26 points vs. Khimki to help Maccabi Tel Aviv bounce back from three straight tough, close losses.
- Jordan Loyd: Keep it going.
- Brandon Davies: Fans or not, El Clasico always brings with it a different atmosphere with lots of pressure and it’s always commendable when a player rises through it. Davies was the key in Barca’s win over Real Madrid with 14 points, four boards, two assists, one steal and four blocks. Defensive presence at its best.
- Bojan Dubljevic: Perhaps not as flashy as the above but Dubljevic’s constantly good performances and leadership have Valenciain a very good spot early on. He posted 16 points and five boards against a Zalgiris squad that was rolling on a winning streak but the Spaniards put it to an end.
Special mention: Daniel Hackett
The game between Crvena Zvezda and CSKAcould have gone either way and had it gone the latter’s, Daniel Hackett would be our pick for the MVP and it wouldn’t be even close.
His career-high 39 PIR was far above the second-best 28 in this round and he collected it with career-high 29 points on 6-8 from deep, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and four drawn fouls.
What makes it even more impressive is that he turned over the ball only once and made no fouls while visibly fulfilling almost all his tasks on the defensive end, aggressively pressuring the guards.
Coach of the Week: Andrea Trinchieri
While there has been much uncertainty due to COVID in this early stage of the season and that without a doubt influenced the standings, nothing can be taken away from the amazing effort and success that Bayern Munich showcased for the past few weeks.
The German team suffered a close overtime loss vs. Olimpia Milano at the start but have since logged four straight wins – against Alba Berlin, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Fenerbahce BEKO, and Olympiacos.
So, a convincing win over a rival, a close one, a comeback from 22 points down, and a victory over perhaps the most experienced team in the league. In that order, and in fact, this is the first time ever Bayern won four consecutive wins in EuroLeague. Once can be a fluke, twice can be a fluke, but four times…
Game of the Week: Zvezda – CSKA, Obradovic– Itoudis, Loyd – Hackett
While Maccabi and Khimki also put on a great game, the clash between Crvena Zvezda and CSKA was just too good and it featured everything a fan of the sport can possibly ask for. Quite possibly the best game so far this season and perhaps for a long time going forward.
Already from the very start and through the first half, one could see the influence of the coaching staff’s preparation for the duel. It was evident the two coach’s priority was to put their players in offensive situations most comfortable to them.
Sasa Obradovic opted for a lot of high screens that allowed Loyd and Corey Walden to cut straight to the basket and pick and choose what they’d like to do next while, on the other side, Dimitris Itoudis’ scheme seemed to include a lot of plays with wide off the ball movement which created spacing all around the floor. That was especially deadly when Zvezda tried to double-team.
Those were the case pretty much most of the game but two players – Loyd and Hackett – stood out and used those strategies to the fullest, and when the plays would crumble down, the two were completely in the zone as they would create and make a tough basket, after a tough basket. Such a shame one side had to lose.
