Let’s see what we can learn from the games the semifinalists played against each other this season
Examining regular-season matchups to understand the semifinals
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5 Mins read
Thanks to the league format of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, no teams can meet in the postseason without having previously butted heads twice in the regular season. What can we learn about the semifinals from the duels between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens or the clashes between Olympiacos Piraeus and AS Monaco? Below is just some of the data that is useful to know ahead of the games on Friday, May 23.
Fenerbahce vs. Panathinaikos
The Greens are 4-1 against Fenerbahce in the Ergin Ataman era with wins in the last four games. This season, those victories were a 76-81 road win in Round 5 and a 91-90 thriller in Athens in Round 25 in February. Kostas Sloukas was Panathinaikos’s best weapon against Fener this season with 13 points on near-perfect shooting and 3 assists for a PIR of 20 in less than 20 minutes in the first meeting and 23 points in the second clash.
Fenerbahce star Nigel Hayes-Davis’s two games against Panathinaikos could not have been more different. In the first, he scored a season-low 3 points and had a PIR of negative-4. It was one of six games in his three seasons with Fener in which Hayes-Davis had a negative PIR. Two of those came against Panathinaikos. The next time they met, he was back to his old self with 21 points and 9 boards for a PIR of 26.
The rosters also underwent changes between the two meetings. Panathinaikos centers Mathias Lessort and Omer Yurtseven combined for 26 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks against Fener in October. Neither played in February. Juancho Hernangomez, who was a non-factor for the Greens in Round 5 (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 PIR in 28 minutes) was a major factor in Round 25 with 15 points and 8 boards for a PIR of 20.
Fenerbahce's second-best scorer in both games against Panathinaikos was a guard who did not play in the other game. The first time it was Wade Baldwin with 14 points and 4 assists, but an injury kept him from playing in the rematch. Errick McCollum, who was not yet with the club in their first Panathinaikos encounter, poured in 18 in the second. With both healthy for the semifinal, the Fenerbahce backcourt is that much stronger.
When it comes to team numbers, very little has separated these teams. For instance, they were nearly identical on the boards (Fenerbahce took 1 rebound more than Panathinaikos over the two games). Where they were different was in turnovers and outside shooting. Fenerbahce’s 13.5 turnovers per game against Panathinaikos were 4.0 more than the Greens committed. However, Fenerbahce made up for that by bagging 25 of 61 three-pointers (40.9%), while Panathinaikos made only 18, though at slightly better accuracy (41.9%).
Olympiacos vs. Monaco
Olympiacos and Monaco split their two regular-season meetings this season, with each triumphing on the road. The Reds raced to an 80-89 victory in Round 13 before Monaco claimed a 77-80 victory at Peace & Friendship Stadium in Round 32. The stars did not disappoint in either encounter, though it is worth noting that Mike James, the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, did most of his damage as a passer.
James dished a dozen assists in both games against Olympiacos, while scoring 10 in the first encounter and 11 in the second. The Olympiacos defense held James to 40% shooting on two-pointers and 30% on threes. Monaco's best scorer against Olympiacos this season has been Jaron Blossomgame with 30 points between the two games, including a career-high 18 in Round 32. Alpha Diallo scored 21 in Round 13.
Sasha Vezenkov was his rock-solid self against Monaco with averages of 17.5 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2 steals in the two games. In the game at Monaco, Evan Fournier and Shaquielle McKissic combined for 37 points, but they accounted for just 13 in the home leg, in which Alec Peters scored 15.
Olympiacos outrebounded Monaco by an average of 6 rebounds per game, though both teams played without complete frontcourts at times and should be deeper in Abu Dhabi. Foul shooting had an impact on the results in both games. Monaco shot only 4 times from the charity stripe – and made only 2 – in the game that it lost and Olympiacos was an abysmal 19 for 33 (57.6%) when it lost as five players missed multiple free throws.
Could foul shooting be what decided the outcome of this game? Will it be a strong shooting night from Mike James? Or a moment of brilliance from Sasha Vezenkov? Or someone unexpected stepping up? I know you can’t wait to find out!