The Dominican guard has been on fire all season long
Andres Feliz carried Joventut to the quarters with another MVP-level display
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Playoff games are when the stars tend to shine most, and that was particularly true of Andres Feliz on Tuesday night. The Joventut Badalona guard was a man inspired at ratiopharm arena and ensured that his team came away with a 79-88 triumph against ratiopharm Ulm.
His numbers were very impressive, recording career highs in points (28) and PIR (36), but it was also the way in which he stepped up whenever Joventut needed him. Early in the game, Feliz and Vladimir Brodziansky got Joventut going by combining for 19 first-quarter points – Feliz had 10, Brodziansky 9 – which was the entire total for Ulm in the first 10 minutes, with the visitors leading 19-27 entering the second quarter. While Brodziansky cooled off somewhat, Feliz kept going and had 17 points going into the break, with Joventut up by 18 points, 32-50.
“Feliz hurt us big time,” recognized Ulm head coach Anton Gavel during the post-game press conference. Indeed, the Dominican Republic international added a further 11 points in the second half to move to 28, but the timing of those points is the most interesting part.
Midway through the third quarter, with Ulm having cut the gap to 42-54, Feliz then reeled off four straight points to extend the margin once more, 42-58. The second of those scores, a tough make under serious pressure, is the type of basket that will leave defenders pulling their hair out. Later in the quarter, Feliz was always there as an option for Joventut, selling his defender with a Euro step before knocking down baseline jumper to set a 51-65 score.
Having notched 23 points after three quarters, Feliz would go on to set a new career high of 25 points – his previous best was 24 – by showing his speed and scoring a layup, 55-67, early in the fourth. Ulm was making the game a real fight, showing a never-say-die attitude that helped it become the German League champion last season, but Feliz’s three-pointer following tight defense by Karim Jallow felt like the dagger, 60-76, with 6:44 left.
Although the 26-year-old would not score again, his mere presence on the floor and his ability to act as a playmaker meant that his teammates were benefiting – the sign of a true MVP. Then, once Tyler Cook went 2-for-2 from the line to wrap up the 79-88 win with 7.6 seconds to go, Feliz would hear “MVP” chants from the Joventut fans who had made the trip to Germany to see their team. He certainly deserved that sort of ovation.
During the post-game press conference, Joventut boss Carles Duran acknowledged just how key Feliz is to the team: “Andres is very important for us, it’s clear. I think Andres played very well today because the team played well. He has a lot of talent, but he [also] defended really well against Juan Nunez. I’m really happy for him. He’s a very good player and a very good guy.”
Next up for Joventut and Feliz is a quarterfinal bout on the road at Paris Basketball, where it lost 89-82 in Round 16. This game, however, will take place at adidas arena, rather than Halle Georges Carpentier. It will likely be a tricky contest for both teams, but that’s something the Dominican craves.
“Tough games are made for tough players,” admitted Feliz in the post-game flash interview. “I am very happy that I gave my team the win today so that we can move forward in the playoffs.”
In a battle between two potential MVPs, Paris’s T.J. Shorts and Joventut’s Feliz, whoever advances to the semifinals may also see their MVP argument get a major boost, too.