While we are only six games into 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season, the last several weeks have felt much longer for some teams than others – a fact that has surprisingly little to do with where those teams currently sit in the standings.
Stats Review: Pressure possessions
The graph above tracks the percentage of each team's total fourth-quarter possessions this season where the margin on the scoreboard has been no more than 5 points. So far, nearly 43% of all possessions in the fourth quarter of EuroCup games have been played under those circumstances, though the spread among teams is significant.
On one extreme, Gran Canaria has played 69% of its fourth-quarter possessions with the score inside of 5 points. That's a little confusing given the team has a pair of double-digit wins and an 11-point loss, but the math works nonetheless as the Spanish club has kept things close in the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter of nearly every game this season before seeing the scoreboard swing wildly one way or the other. The team's Round 6 matchup with Dolomiti Energia Trento was the notable exception; neither team ever led by more than 6 points in one of this season's closer contests.
In contrast, the London Lions have seen relatively little drama in their games. A mere 20% of their late-game possessions coming under duress despite a 3-3 record that includes a pair of road wins. When the Lions have won, they've won big, but the pendulum has swung just as far the other way in several of their losses.
The respective group leaders at present, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in Group A and Turk Telekom Ankara in Group B, both fall in the middle of the pack. Second place-teams Joventut Badalona (A) and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (B) have dealt with significantly less late-game stress to this point. Interestingly, Bourg and Turk Telekom are the only two teams eclipsing +20 close-game fourth-quarter point differentials. For that duo, their high level of play in close games has been dramatically more relevant to their record than the volume of opportunities.
ratiopharm Ulm and Veolia Towers Hamburg represent the other outliers, keeping fans on the edges of their seats night-to-night. Hamburg, in particular, has put up a ton of fight on the road against quality opponents. That leaves room for optimism after their 2-4 start. Ulm, on the other hand, has already played three games with final margins of 2 points or less and earned a 106-105 win in Round 6 after scoring only 54 points in Round 5. Wild finishes in close games have been perhaps the most consistent characteristic of their season to this point.
Hapoel Tel Aviv falls on the other end of the spectrum with three blowout wins and only a single one-possession loss. When Hapoel has found an early rhythm, it has been very difficult to beat.
Ultimately, the competitiveness of the EuroCup in its current format means there will always be plenty of heart-racing action week to week. Some teams even seem to gravitate to it, but that does not always mean as much to their record as one might expect.