2008–09 Euroleague

The 2008–09 Euroleague was the 9th season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 52nd season of the premier competition for European men's clubs overall. The season, which featured 24 teams from 13 different countries, culminated in the 2008–09 Euroleague Final Four at the new O2 World arena in Berlin, Germany.[1] It was won by Panathinaikos, who defeated in the final, the defending champions, CSKA Moscow.

Main article: EuroLeague
Euroleague
The Final Four was held in the O2 World in Berlin
Season2008–09
Teams24
Games played188
Dates22 October 2008 – 3 May 2009
Final positions
Champions Panathinaikos
5th title
Runners-up CSKA Moscow
Third place FC Barcelona
Fourth place Olympiacos
Awards
MVP Juan Carlos Navarro
Final Four MVP Vassilis Spanoulis
Rising Star Novica Veličković
Best Defender Dimitris Diamantidis
Coach of the Year Duško Vujošević
Statistical leaders
Index Rating D'or Fischer 21.5
Points Igor Rakočević 18.0
Rebounds Mirsad Türkcan 8.6
Assists Theodoros Papaloukas 5.2

While the general structure of the competition was identical to that used in recent seasons, changes were made to the format for two of its phases, the Regular Season and Quarterfinals.

Top 16 game between Real Madrid and Maccabi Electra

Teams of the 2008–09 Euroleague
Key to colors
     Champion
     Runner-up
     Third place
     Fourth place
     Eliminated in Quarterfinals
     Eliminated in Last 16
     Eliminated in the regular season
Country (League)TeamsTeams (ranking in 2007-08 national championship)
Spain (ACB)5 [2] Tau Cerámica (1) FC Barcelona (2) DKV Joventut (SF) Unicaja Málaga (SF) Real Madrid (QF)
Italy (Lega A)4 Montepaschi Siena (1) Lottomatica Roma (2) Air Avellino (SF) Armani Jeans Milano (SF)
Greece (ESAKE A1)3 Panathinaikos (1) Olympiacos (2) Panionios Forthnet (3)
Turkey (TBL)2 Fenerbahçe Ülker (1) Efes Pilsen (SF)
France (LNB Pro A)2 Nancy (1) Le Mans (SF)
Lithuania (LKL)1 Žalgiris (1)
Germany (BBL)1 Alba Berlin (1)
Croatia (A1 Liga)1 Cibona (SF)
Russia (Superleague A)1 CSKA Moscow (1)
Israel (BSL)1 Maccabi Electra (2)
Slovenia (SKL)1 Union Olimpija (1)
Serbia (KLS)1 Partizan (1)
Poland (PLK)1 Asseco Prokom Sopot (1)
  • DKV Joventut qualified as ULEB Cup winners.

Team rosters
Main article: Euroleague 2008–09 Rosters

Format

Regular Season

The first phase was a regular season, in which the competing teams were drawn into four groups, each containing six teams. Each team played every other team in its group at home and away, resulting in 10 games for each team in the first stage. The top 4 teams in each group advanced to the next round. This was the first year for this particular format; previously, the competing teams were split into three groups of eight teams each, with the top five teams in each group plus the best sixth-place team advancing.

If two or more clubs finished level on won-lost record, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:[3]

  1. Head-to-head record in matches between the tied clubs
  2. Overall point difference in games between the tied clubs
  3. Overall point difference in all group matches
  4. Points scored in all group matches
  5. Sum of quotients of points scored and points allowed in each group match

Games were played from October 22, 2008 to January 15, 2009.[4]

Top 16

The surviving teams were then divided into four groups of four teams each, and again a round-robin system was adopted resulting in 6 games each, with the top 2 teams advancing to the quarterfinals. Tiebreakers are identical to those used in the Regular Season. Games began on January 28 and ended March 12.

Quarterfinals

In the quarterfinals, the top placed teams from each Top 16 group played second placed teams from a different group in a best-of-five playoff series, with the winners of those series advancing to the Final Four. This was the first season in which the quarterfinals were best-of-five; previously, they had been best-of-three. The quarterfinal matches were played from March 24 until April 9.

Final Four format

The culminating stage of the Euroleague in which the four remaining teams played a semifinal match and the winners of those advance to the final. The losers played in a third-place playoff. The team which was victorious in the Final (Panathinaikos) would be Euroleague champion. The Final Four semifinals were played May 1, with the third-place game and final on May 3.

Regular season

The regular season began on October 20, 2008 and concluded on January 15, 2009.

Key to colors
     Top four places in each group advanced to Top 16

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. Unicaja Málaga 1082771698+73
2. Olympiacos 1064815748+67
3. Maccabi Electra 1064815811+4
4. Cibona VIP 1055760772-12
5. Air Avellino 1037754814-60
6. Le Mans 1028747819-72

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. FC Barcelona 1091813650+163
2. Montepaschi Siena 1082835750+85
3. Panathinaikos 1073763707+56
4. Asseco Prokom Sopot 1028675734-59
5. Žalgiris 1028716812-96
6. Nancy 1028706855-149

Group C

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. Tau Cerámica 1082916808+108
2. Lottomatica Roma 1064814786+28
3. Fenerbahçe Ülker 1064779755+24
4. Alba Berlin 1046691748-57
5. DKV Joventut 1046800810-10
6. Union Olimpija 1028725818-93

Group D

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. CSKA Moscow 1073774644+130
2. Real Madrid 1064740707+33
3. Armani Jeans Milano 1055734745-11
4. Partizan 1055706687+19
5. Efes Pilsen 1046713762-49
6. Panionios Forthnet 1037668790-122

Top 16

The Top 16 stage was played from January 28 to March 12, 2009.

The draw was conducted on January 19 at Euroleague Basketball Company headquarters in Barcelona. The group winners in the Regular Season were drawn from one pot, the runners-up from one pot, the teams in 3rd place from one pot and those in 4th place from one pot. Teams that played in the same group in the Regular Season could not meet again in the Top 16. Also, teams from the same country could not be drawn into the same pool unless it was necessary to prevent teams from the same Regular Season group from being drawn together.

Key to colors
     Top two places in each group advanced to quarterfinals

Group E

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. Olympiacos 651496446+50
2. Tau Cerámica 642556474+82
3. Armani Jeans Milano 624455529-74
4. Asseco Prokom Sopot 615444502-58

Group F

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. FC Barcelona 651508429+79
2. Real Madrid 651505487+18
3. Maccabi Electra 624459481-22
4. Alba Berlin 606427502-75

*FC Barcelona wins the group over Real Madrid by the head-to-head point differential.

Group G

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. Panathinaikos 651503428+72
2. Partizan 642420434-14
3. Unicaja Málaga 624484461+23
4. Lottomatica Roma 615441525-84

Group H

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1. CSKA Moscow 651454377+77
2. Montepaschi Siena 642472456+16
3. Cibona VIP 624423456-33
4. Fenerbahçe Ülker 615384444-60

Quarterfinals

Team 1 hosted Games 1 and 2, plus Game 5 if necessary. Team 2 hosted Game 3, and Game 4 if necessary.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg 3rd leg 4th leg 5th leg
Olympiacos 3–1 Real Madrid88–7979–7363–7178–75
Regal FC Barcelona 3–2 Tau Cerámica75–8485–6262–6984–6378–62
Panathinaikos 3–1 Montepaschi Siena90–8579–8472–5391–84
CSKA Moscow 3–0 Partizan56–4777–5067–56

Final four
Main article: 2009 Euroleague Final Four

The Final Four was played on May 1 and on May 3. Semifinal games were played on Friday, while the third-place playoff and Final were played on Sunday. The event was hosted at the O2 World in Berlin. It was the first time the event was held in Berlin.

 
Semifinals
May 1		Final
May 3
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Regal FC Barcelona78
 
 
 
 CSKA Moscow82
 
 CSKA Moscow71
 
 
 
 Panathinaikos73
 
 Olympiacos82
 
 
 Panathinaikos84
 
Third place
 
 
 
 
 
 Regal FC Barcelona 95
 
 
 Olympiacos 79

Individual statistics

Rating
Rank Name Team Games Rating PIR
1. D'or Fischer Maccabi Electra1327921.46
2. Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena1937719.84
3. Mirsad Türkcan Fenerbahçe Ülker1427119.36

Points
Rank Name Team Games Rating PPG
1. Igor Rakočević Tau Cerámica2137717.95
2. Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena1932817.26
3. David Logan Asseco Prokom Sopot1525316.87

Rebounds
Rank Name Team Games Rating RPG
1. Mirsad Türkcan Fenerbahçe Ülker141218.64
2. D'or Fischer Maccabi Electra13997.62
3. Ioannis Bourousis Olympiacos221627.36

Assists
Rank Name Team Games Rating APG
1. Theodoros Papaloukas Olympiacos221145.18
2. Omar Cook Unicaja Málaga16825.13
3. Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena19844.42

Other Stats
Category Name Team Games Stat
Steals per game David Logan Asseco Prokom Sopot152.67
Blocks per game Fran Vázquez FC Barcelona231.74
Turnovers per game David Logan Asseco Prokom Sopot152.93
Fouls drawn per game Sani Bečirović Lottomatica Roma136.23
Minutes per game David Logan Asseco Prokom Sopot1534:18
2FG% Luboš Bartoň FC Barcelona230.800
3FG% Marco Mordente Armani Jeans Milano120.555
FT% Louis Bullock Real Madrid200.953

Game highs
Category Name Team Stat
Rating Lior Eliyahu Maccabi Electra42
Points Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena35
Rebounds Pat Burke Asseco Prokom Sopot20
Assists Theodoros Papaloukas Olympiacos13
Steals7 occasions6
Blocks Loren Woods Žalgiris7
Turnovers3 occasions8
Fouls Drawn Sani Bečirović Lottomatica Roma12

Awards

Euroleague 2008–09 MVP

Euroleague 2008–09 Final Four MVP

All-Euroleague Team 2008–09

[5]

PositionAll-Euroleague First TeamClub TeamAll-Euroleague Second TeamClub Team
PG
 Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena Theodoros Papaloukas Olympiacos
SG/SF
 Igor Rakočević Tau Cerámica Ramūnas Šiškauskas CSKA Moscow
SG/SF
 Juan Carlos Navarro FC Barcelona Vassilis Spanoulis Panathinaikos
PF/C
 Ioannis Bourousis Olympiacos Erazem Lorbek CSKA Moscow
PF/C
 Nikola Peković Panathinaikos Tiago Splitter Tau Cerámica

Rising Star

Best Defender

Top Scorer (Alphonso Ford Trophy)

Coach of the Year (Alexander Gomelsky Award)

Club Executive of the Year

MVP Weekly
Main article: EuroLeague MVP of the Week

Regular season
Game Player Team Rating
1 Will McDonald Tau Cerámica32
2 Pops Mensah-Bonsu Joventut Badalona37
3 Igor Rakočević Tau Cerámica34
4 Mike Hall Armani Jeans Milano28
5 Edu Hernandez-Sonseca Joventut Badalona38
6 Lior Eliyahu Maccabi Electra42
7 Rawle Marshall Cibona34
8 Sani Bečirović Lottomatica Roma38
9 Immanuel McElroy Alba Berlin38
10 Oğuz Savaş Fenerbahçe Ülker41

Top 16
Game Player Team PIR
1 Nikola Peković Panathinaikos28
D'or Fischer Maccabi Electra28
Lior Eliyahu (2) Maccabi Electra28
2 Novica Veličković Partizan29
3 Ersan İlyasova FC Barcelona39
4 Tiago Splitter Tau Cerámica28
5 Charles Gaines Maccabi Electra33
Mike Hall (2) Armani Jeans Milano33
6 Mike Batiste Panathinaikos35

Quarter-finals
Game Player Team PIR
1 Romain Sato Montepaschi Siena36
2 Erazem Lorbek CSKA Moscow33
3 Ramūnas Šiškauskas CSKA Moscow30
Matjaž Smodiš CSKA Moscow30
4 Terrell McIntyre Montepaschi Siena37
5 Ersan İlyasova (2) FC Barcelona26

MVP of the Month
Main article: EuroLeague Monthly MVP Award
Month Player Team
October 2008 Ersan İlyasova FC Barcelona
November 2008 Sani Bečirović Lottomatica Roma
December 2008 Lior Eliyahu Maccabi Electra
January 2009 Igor Rakočević Tau Cerámica
February 2009 Novica Veličković Partizan
March 2009 Erazem Lorbek CSKA Moscow

See also

References and notes
  1. EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL, AEG ANNOUNCE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT, May 3, 2008
  2. El AXA FCB, quinto español en la Euroliga... y el Kalise GC, a la ULEB Cup
  3. "Euroleague Basketball Top 16 Draw procedures". Euroleague. 2008-01-29. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  4. New competition system for 2008-09 Euroleague
  5. http://www.euroleague.net/final-four/berlin-2009/main-page/i/49161/2768/2008-09-all-euroleague-mvp-announced
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