Last Round  - Apr 10, 2003
Maccabi Tel Aviv 83 - Benetton Treviso 84 All stat
Maccabi (21+20+18+24): Goree 20 + 8 rbs, Vujcic 16 + 5 rbs, Shelef 10, Besok 9, Udrih 9 - 1/5 FG, Sharp 8, Burstein 5, Lewis 4, Lubin 2
Benetton (27+20+13+24): Langdon 20 - 4/4 3FG, Garbajosa 17 - 3/4 3FG, Nicola 15 + 8 rbs, Bulleri 14 - 5/7 FG, Edney 9 - 1/1 3FG + 5 as + 5 rbs, Pittis 4, Markoishvili 4, Marconato 1
Virtus 85 - Tau Vitoria 110 All stat
Both teams have no chance to qualify to the Final 4, so this one was only for the records. Both teams, one of the best in Europe in the last seasons, still struggle to make it to the playoffs in their domestic leagues. Virtus survived for one half, but then came a 12-27 3rd quarter by Tau, led by Foirest and Scola, that decided the game. Virtus will finish the Top 16 with 0 wins, unless something very strange will happen next week in Treviso.
Virtus (24+25+12+24): Scarone 28, Koturovic 14 + 11 rbs, Sekularac 13, Frosini 11, Dial 10, Avleev 4, Gagneur 3, Belinelli 2
Tau (26+27+27+30): Foirest 25 - 5/6 3FG, Scola 18 - 7/9 FG, Nocioin 16, Vidal 12 + 5 rbs, Wolkowysky 11, Calderon 8, Sims 8, Gadou 7, Corrales 5

 Mar 27, 2003
Maccabi Tel Aviv 98 - Virtus Bologna 71 All stat
Maccabi (27+19+20+32): Vujcic 22 - 9/12 FG, Udrih 15 - 6/6 FG, Bluthenthal 14, Sharp 11, Goree 10 + 6 rbs, Shelef 9 + 5 as, Ljubin 7 + 4 as, Besok 4 + 5 rbs, Sheffer 4, Burstein 2
Virtus (16+23+15+17): Sekularac 19 + 7 rbs, Koturovic 16 + 8 rbs, Belinelli 12, Scarone 8, Avleev 6, Dial 4, Brkic 3, Gagneur 3
Tau Vitoria 75 - Benetton Treviso 84 All stat
Tau had to win in order to keep their Final Four dream alive, but couldn't find an answer to the supreme offense of Benetton for more than one half. Benetton took off in the 3rd and waved bye bye to Tau. Ivanovic and Tau are out of the race way sooner than they imagined and got used to. Benetton is getting closer to a 2nd Final Four appearance in a row.
Tau had a good start as Foirest shot for a 13-11 lead. Bulleri was everywhere and Nicola drowned a 3 pointer right before the end of the first quarter, 18-21 for Benetton after 10 minutes. Tau couldn't make a run in the 2nd and Denis Marconato took advantage of that with an alley-oop play that set the score on 30-31 for the visitors. Tau replied with a 10-4 run, but Bulleri was there to make sure Benetton will stay only one possession behind at the end of the first half, 42-40.
Benetton closed its gate in the 3rd and Tau was left behind. Nicola and Pittis opened a 9 pt lead for Benetton, 54-63, and after Bennett got injured and had to leave the court Benetton had a much easier job. 60-69 after 3 quarters. Tau's defense was much better in the last quarter, and enabled Dusko's players to be down by only 6 with the ball in their hand, but Wolkowyski missed a triple, and Nicola sealed the deal for Benetton.
Tau (18+24+18+15): Nocioni 14 + 7 rbs, Foirest 12, Scola 11, Gadou 10, Calderon 9, Wolkowysky 7, Vidal 5, Palladino 3, Griffith 2, Bennett 2
Bentton (21+19+29+15): Bulleri 16, Marconato 14 + 8 rbs, Nicola 12, Edney 11, Langdon 11, Pittis 9 + 7 as, Garbajosa 9 + 7 rbs, Markoishvili 2

Mar 20, 2003
Benetton Treviso 93 - Maccabi Tel Aviv 80
Maccabi dominated the game for 27 minutes, despite a Quincy Lewis' injury. Then Messina joined Bulleri to Edney, and Benetton took off. The last quarter was 100% green and Maccabi could only escape with minus 13. Vujcic and Udrih had a great game, but Maccabi's chances to close a 13 point gap in the 2nd leg are very small. Benetton stays perfect after 3 games and for the 2nd time win by 13 at home.
Benetton (21+20+25+27): Edney 24 - 3/3 3FG + 4 as, Garbajosa 17 + 7 rbs, Bulleri 15 - 1/5 3FG, Pittis 11 + 6 as, Calabria 9, Nicola 8, Langdon 7, Marconato 2
Maccabi (20+25+15+20): Vujcic 28, Udrih 16, Bluthenthal 10 + 8 rbs, Goree 8, Lewis 6, Burstein 6, Saffar 4, Shelef 2
Tau Vitoria 93 - Virtus Bologna 73
Tau came back home after two very bad road games and got its first win in the Top 16. Virtus arrived to Vitoria without too many players and after 2 home losses. Only two years ago, the two teams faced each other in a 5 games series on the Euroleague crown. This season Virtus had to go to the end of the bench and pull 16 yr old Marco Belinelli to the floor. Tau didn't have to work too hard for its first Top 16 win.
Virtus were down by only 3 after 10 minutes in the game, 28-25. Griffith, which came back from his injury to face his team in the last 2 seasons, dominated the boards and along with Scola pushed Tau forward. Brkic with a number of 3 pointers, and Belinelli with some good moves didn't allow Tau to get too far. 48-39 at half time. Tau and Bennett opened the 2nd half with a big strike and by the end of the 3rd Tau took a 72-47 lead. The last quarter was a 10 min. garbage time, and Virtus could only cut the margin a little, but no more than that.
Tau (28+20+24+21): 20, Wolkowysky 12 + 8 rbs, Bennett 11 + 10 as, Nocioni 10 + 9 rbs, Calderon 9, Foirest 8, Griffith 8, Vidal 6, Palladino 5, Gadou 4,
Virtus (25+14+8+26): Koturovic 23, Brkic 15 + 7 rbs, Belinelli 9, Bell 7, Murdock 6, Gagneur 5, Avleev 5, Sekularac 3

  Round 2, March 6, 2003 
Maccabi Tel Aviv 100 - Tau Vitoria 77
Maccabi and Tau met 7 times (including this game) in the history of the Euroleague, since the 98/99 season. Until tonight Maccabi won only two while Tau celebrated 4 times. The thing Tau's biggest win against Maccabi ever was by 6 and if you sum all 4 wins together you won't get more than 13. Maccabi on the other hand beat Tau once by 40 points and another by 29. This structure was kept tonight with Maccabi crush Tau by 23 points, and now Ivanovic will need a miracle to make it to the Final Four. Maccabi, with their 18 win in a row will battle with Benetton Treviso on the ticket to Barcelona.
It begins with Gur Shelef, with the best Euroleague game of his career, that along with Burstein supplied the bulk of Maccabi's offense. Than there were Goree, who did a fantastic job defending the rim, and Vujcic, equally splendid attacking the opposite one. There was Udrih, who looked like the epiphany of a point guard, and there was the bench - Saffar, Sharp, even young Halperin - with important contribution in crucial moments.
Completely uncharacteristic for Maccabi's games against Tau this year, the yellows were at their best in money time, locking their defense in the second half and executing many fast breaks. The highlight of the night came near the end of the third from Derrick Sharp, who single handedly demolished a 4-player Tau fast break, and immediately broke forward, feeding Goree an earthshaking alley-hoop. In the last quarter the game turned into a battle over the margin - ever so important in the top-16 - and Maccabi withstood this mission as well, with Udrih and Vujcic mercilessly attacking the rim, while Tau seemed unable to do anything but nailing the occasional three-pointer. It was Sharp once again who sealed the night with a bang, as he positioned himself in the corner to receive a full-court roll-pass, and clenched a buzzer-beating trey.
Maccabi's second half exhibition followed a tight first half, in which Tau, led by Nocioni's offensive prowess and excellent shooting by Palladino, kept close to the yellows, and even gained the lead for a few moments in the beginning of the second. fortunately for the yellows, Shelef and Burstein kept them ahead, while Udrih drew a third foul from Nocioni, which began Tau's falling apart.
Maccabi (22+24+27+27): Shelef 21 + 5 rbs + 5 as, Vujcic 20 + 8 rbs + 3 bl, Burstein 17, Udrih 12 + 6 as, Saffar 11, Goree 10 + 8 rbs, Sharp 6, Halperin 3
Tau (21+19+17+20): Nocioni 17 + 6 rbs, Palladino 15, Scola 11, Foirest 11, Bennett 9 + 9 as, Wolkowysky 6 - 2/3 3FG, Vidal 5, Gadou 2, Sims 1

  Round 1, Feb.27, 2003 
Virtus Bologna 73 - Maccabi Tel Aviv 83
A successful debut for MTA in the Top 16 phase of the Euroleague with a road victory over Virtus, which looks like the underdog in this division. Exploiting the weakness of their rival’s backcourt Maccabi played a guard’s game, and was rewarded by a solid performance from Tal Burstein (199-G-80) and Beno Udrih, both of whom had a lukewarm season till this game.
Maccabi was experimenting in the first half, using many player combinations, which allowed the Italians to keep close. Nevertheless, the yellows were on top in both first periods, with Udrih and Burstein providing most of Maccabi’s offense while Virtus went inside to Koturovic for its points. In a fluke of events, Burstein set the halftime score (43-38) with a half-court buzzer-beater, minutes after Derrick Dial did exactly the same in the end of the first quarter.
Maccabi’s defense came together in the third period and frustrated the Italians time after time, while Gur Shelef cut through their defense with three consecutive assists, and Burstein &Udrih continued their offensive onslaught. After leading by 13 in the end of the third, Maccabi seemed to be coming apart at the beginning of the fourth as they allowed Virtus an 8-0 run. Sharp with a money-time trey kept Maccabi ahead, and Saffar did the same two minutes later immediately after replacing the lack-luster Marcus Goree. Udrih regained control of Maccabi’s offense with 5 consecutive points, and Derrick Dial’s fouling out finally put the last nail in Virtus’ coffin.
Virtus (19+19+15+20): Koturovic 18 + 8 rbs, Dial 10, Murdock 10, Brkic 10, Smodis 10, Scarone 9, Frosini 6
Maccabi (22+21+23+17): Burstein 23, Udrih 18, Vujcic 10 + 11 rbs, Saffar 9, Sharp 5, Goree 4, Shelef 4, Besok 4, Sheffer 3, Lewis 3
Benetton Treviso 81 - Tau Vitoria 68
Both teams had a very busy weekend in their domestic cup games. Benetton won the cup, and Tau lost in the finals. Today Benetton proved they are better than Tau, at least in Italy.
Palladino tied the score 13-13 late in the first quarter, but then came a 13-3 run by Benetton until the first buzzer. Benetton kept stepping over Tau in the 2nd, with triples by Langdon and Nicola, and after 16 minutes the lead was 19, 42-23. By half time 43-27 to the hosting team. Tau, of course, made their way back to the game in the 3rd, but the closest they got was 57-48 in the 29th minute. Benetton didn't allow more surprises in the last quarter as Edney secured the win for the Italian cup holder.
Benetton (26+17+14+24): Marconato 18 + 11 rbs, Edney 15, Langdon 14, Nicola 11 + 7 rbs, Garbajosa 10, Pittis 7, Calabria 4, Bulleri 2
Tau (16+11+21+20): Scola 22 + 9, Nocioni 12 - 4/13 FG + 10 rbs, Bennett 11 + 8 as, Vidal 8, Palladino 8, Gadou 4, Foirest 3

 Group F preview - Feb 26, 2003 - by Yarone Arbel
Group F contains 3 teams that played last season in the Final Four - Benetton, Maccabi & Virtus, and Tau Vitoria, that was one win short from the Final Four last season and one win short from the Euroleague title 2 seasons ago. Virtus-Benetton is the key game of the group, or else, Maccabi or Tau will have to do something no other team in Europe was able to do this season in order to stop Benetton from another Final Four appearance.
Benetton Treviso
Benetton made it to the Final Four last season, and was stopped only by 3 future NBA players - Jaric, Ginobili & Rigaudeau. Benetton, like Virtus, had to say goodbye to 2 of its players that left to the new world during the summer - Tskitishvili and Nachbar. Unlike Virtus, Benetton's players weren't dominating the team as much as the 3 guards from Bologna. But Benetton also had to seek for a new coach, after Mike D'Antoni went back to the NBA as well. Benetton signed the best available coach in the market - Ettore Messina, the same coach that was between them and another Euroleague final.
The story of Benetton this season is the story of the two coaches. Messina, who earned himself a reputation for the tough defensive he taught at Bologna, took in his hands the best offensive team in Europe. For the first time in many years Messina had to coach a team he didn't build by his basketball knowledge and philosophy. But instead of breaking the system and try to build a "Messina team" he took what D'Antoni bequeathed him and added a "Messina touch". Now Benetton isn't only the best offensive team in Europe. They also have a deadly defense, without taking any credit off D'Antoni's Benetton defense. With only 8 players in the rotation, and not for lack of money or injuries, Benetton is dominating the Euroleague.
Benetton is leading 4 stat categories in the Euroleague. Points, 2 point %, Assists and steals. They are also 3rd in 3-point % and Defensive Rebounds. Garbajosa is the best stealer in the Euroleague, not many PF/C in the history can say that, and with Edney and Pittis in the way, a pass against Benetton is almost a death wish. Most of Benetton players has an average of one 3 pointer in a game. Only Nicola, that shots more than twice from beyond the arc than inside it, and Langdon stand on 2.5 three pointers in a game, but the bombs can come from almost anyone, anywhere, anytime in any shape and color. Edney made three 3 pointers or more in 3 games, Garbajosa gunned 3 times from there in 3 different games as well, Nicola nailed three or more in 8 of the 13 games he played in the first round and Langdon…well, Langdon made 7/10 and 5/6 from 3 this season. Add Marconato, who holds the best 2 point FG% in the Euroleague, under the boards, and you get an almost unstoppable offensive machine.
After 2 losses in the first 5 games of the season Benetton won 8 of the last 9. Benetton is also the only team in the Euroleague that was able to win in Zagreb. They won by 29 points (Their biggest Euroleague win), where Barcelona lost by 17. Another issue that separates Benetton from Barcelona, a much more crucial one, is the margins. 73% of Benetton wins were in double digit (12 to 29), and unlike Barcelona, that never lost by less than 12, even if you add all the margins of Benetton's losses you won't reach 10. Benetton lost twice by 1 point, and once by 7.
This means it's almost impossible to win Benetton by goal difference, and any team in Group F that would like to make it to Barcelona will have to do one of the two things that no other team in Europe was able to accomplish this season. Either beat Benetton twice, or win only once, but in a bigger margin that Benetton will win the other game.
Tau Vitoria
Ivanovic was one win short of the Final Four last season, and from the title 2 seasons ago. He doesn't mean to give up on the prize this season. "Not give up" is probably the best way to describe Ivanovic's team. Tau, no matter what happens, how bad the situation is, how many players are injured (and in Tau's case - a lot), Tau never give up on a game, and always know how to make a comeback. For Tau the game is over only when the final horn is sound and one of the teams has more points than the other.
Tau is probably the team that made more changes in its roster than any other Euroleague team, especially under the boards. The latest addition to the team is, how surprising, another Argentinean player. Ruben Wolkowyski left the NBA last season and joined a Euroleague team in time for the Top 16. Apparently he turned this into a habit. Last season he joined CSKA, now it's Tau. Once Griffith is back Tau, like last season, will have a very dominating power under the boards. Scola is in the same place. Griffith and Wolko replace Tomasevic and Oberto. Not as good as, but certainly better than things were up till now.
And up till now things weren't that bad for Tau. Despite all the injuries Tau managed to finish 2nd in the toughest group of the Euroleague, with the 6th best record in the league. Tau is ranked first only in fouls committed (less than the other 23 teams). For a team that played most of the games with a very short bench, it's a must. Now that Ivanovic's bench is a little longer, Tau can allow itself to play more aggressive on defense.
Tau doesn't do anything much better than the other teams, other than playing with all its heart, and never give up. They won only one game vs. a Top 16 team by more than 7 points. That was in the last game vs. Unicaja that decided Tau's final standing, and Tau won by 16 points. Tau also did very well vs. mid-level teams. They won 5 of the 6 games against Unicaja, Olimpija and Maccabi, The teams ranked 3-5, but when it came to the big one, they lost twice to the group leader, Panathinaikos - one game by 3 points, another by a single point.
Something was missing for Tau to win at least one game vs. Pao that could win them the first place in the group. A winner's touch. Maybe that's why Ivanovic decided to release Jerome Allen and bring back Elmer Bennett to the roster, although Bennett had to sit out for almost 6 months due to his…injury. Bennett hit 3 bombs from downtown in the last quarter vs. Barcelona, last weekend in the Copa del Ray finals, and showed he still got it. Tau lost in overtime, but the deadly Bennett is here again.
Before the Copa del Ray it felt like Tau arrives to the Top 16 in a very bad shape. They lost 3 of the last 5 games in the Euroleague, and in the ACB they fell to the 10th place. But never under estimate an Ivanovic team. Tau's real test will be already on the first game day at Treviso, vs. a top Final Four team like Panathinaikos. Tau's big heart can win any team, anywhere, anytime, but can they be the first to break Benetton's perfect home record?
Virtus Bologna
Kinda like Tau, Virtus suffered from injuries throughout the entire season, but unlike Tau, it doesn't look like Virtus has a big heart at all. Virtus' coach, Bianchini, said in an interview a few days ago, that the Final Four isn't really a target for Virtus and that they will try to use the Top 16 games to stable the team for the Italian league.
If that's the case Virtus' roll in the Top 16 is very clear. They can ruin the party for one of the teams. And the top candidate to be ruined is Benetton. Although Virtus and Tau met in the Euroleague finals 2 years ago, there's still no big tradition of rivalry between the teams. The only big story can be "The return of Griffith to Bologna" if the center will heal in time for the game. The same goes with Maccabi. Virtus-Benetton on the other hand, is a different story. For coach Messina of Benetton this is more than just a game, and although it's very likely at least some of the fans at the Palamalaguti will support Messina, Virtus still has some pride, and might be a little more motivated to beat their ex-coach.
When two teams from the same country meet in the Euroleague it's a different story. There's no comparison between a Barcelona-Efes game and a Benetton-Virtus one. The game isn't anymore between a top candidate to the Final Four and a team that just wish to survive and move on. The two teams know each other much better than two teams from different countries, and the result doesn't necessarily match the performances of the teams in the Euroleague before and after that game. It's no big surprise Benetton's biggest loss in the Euroleague was vs. an Italian team (Skipper), although that team is ranked 9th in the domestic competition. And on top of all of that, let's not forget. Virtus already met Benetton at the Palamalaguti, in the Italian league, and won 84-81, in Benetton's first lost in Italy this season. The two teams will meet in Bologna, already in the 2nd game day.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
If you wake up in the morning and feel like you wish to tell the world that "Everything is possible in the Euroleague", and someone dares to doubt you, tell that person about Maccabi Tel Aviv's way to the Final Four last season. To make a long story short, Maccabi came to Vitoria in the last game day of the Top 16 knowing all they need is a 5 point win. The tough nut was that Tau's home court was a true fortress. Most teams lost any hope to win there by half time, and were allowed to leave the town only with 20+ margins. Maccabi, that lost in Tel Aviv to Tau, shocked the thousands in Vitoria, with one of Tau's biggest defeats ever, 65-94, and won the ticket to the Final Four for the 3rd time in row. Such unexpected results do happen, and give Maccabi some optimism.
Another reason for Maccabi to be optimistic is the good finish of the first round. Maccabi will enter the Top 16 with 3 wins in a row in the Euroleague, and a total of 13 consecutive wins in the three leagues Maccabi play (Adriatic and Israeli as well). Maccabi defense was one of the best in the 2nd leg of the first round, and helped to save the team whenever the offense doesn't function. One of the main reasons Maccabi scored only once more than 80 points in the last 8 games is Beno Udrih's shape. The young Slovenian still didn't adjust to the team, and lately spent a lot of minutes on the bench.  Maccabi doesn't play with a dominating PG for a long time now, but still manage to survive. On one thing there's no doubt. When Udrih is in shape, Maccabi is playing very well.
Maccabi arrives to the Top 16 from the 5th place in Group B, and ranked in the 4th seeding group, but it doesn't mean they had the worst first round between the 4 teams. Virtus won one game less than Maccabi, and played in a weaker group. On the first game day Maccabi is playing in Bologna, and they have a chance to make it clear who's the worst team in Group F.
Maccabi already lost twice to Tau this season, but according to coach Blatt it's not such bad idea for Maccabi to face Tau again. Blatt thinks that it's very difficult for a Euroleague team to beat another Euroleague team 4 times in one season. He got a good point there. Maccabi isn't a favorite to win the group. They lost 3 homes games in the first round, all of them to teams ranked above them (Pao, Tau, Unicaja). Maccabi didn't play well in front of the 10,000 fans at Yad Eliyahoo, that put a lot of pressure on the team, but in order to get a ticket to the Final Four, Maccabi first has to learn how to beat big teams at home, and in a decent margin, or they'll need another huge game, as the one that happened last season in Vitoria. A big win in Treviso is a perfect description for "another huge game". The problem is such games don't come very often.