Tibor Pleiss had one of the best games of his career when his team needed him most on Thursday to help Anadolu Efes Istanbul clinch its spot at the Final Four.
Pleiss put Efes on his back and carried it to Belgrade
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His line of 25 points with just 1 missed shot, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks gave Pleiss a performance index rating of 37, which was the second-highest of his career. No center has scored more than 25 points in a playoff game over the last decade, with Pleiss tying All-EuroLeague big men Brandon Davies and Ioannis Bourousis for that distinction.
It appeared that Pleiss would have a big game early when he made a pair of threes in his team’s 8-0 start and then finished the first quarter with 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block as Efes led 19-11.
Even more impressive than Pleiss’s raw numbers was how much the team struggled when he sat. Pleiss played 33:29 and recorded a +/- of 14. That means that Milan outscored Efes by 9 in the 6 and a half minutes in which Pleiss rested.
Some of the points came with Pleiss sitting at the start of the fourth quarter. But when he returned with Milan leading 62-66, Efes when on an 11-2 run to take control. Pleiss contributed 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in that stretch.
“I just tried to give my team what they needed the most,” Pleiss said after the game. “I tried to do my job, helping my team win this game. I don’t think so much about what I’m doing, I’m just happy that we won together.”
Pleiss also notched a pair of milestones in the win as he blocked the 200th shot of his career and grabbed the 1,200th rebound of his career. The center is sixth in career blocks and 12th in career rebounds and will be able to continue adding to his numbers at the Final Four in Belgrade.