After an eventful opening week, there were high expectations for week #2, which featured Panathinaikos versus CSKA in an all-time classic, an all-Spanish duel between Real Madrid and Unicaja, Union Olimpija’s road trip to Milan, Baskonia’s exhibition to Gdynia, Rytas’ home opener against Montepaschi Siena and Cibona’s clash wth Fenerbahce among others.

Here are my random thoughts. Advanced boxscores, as always, in the sidebar.

RANDOM BITS

BASKONIA GOING STRONG: Baskonia is well on course for top position in the group after winning the difficult away game in Gdynia. Not a masterpiece, but they are grinding out results. Several key reasons: 1) They have a valid point guard tandem (Marcelinho Huertas / David Logan) for the first time in years after the backup point guard spot had usually been reserved for some late NBA-drop out or midseason free agent. Both players started and spent 19 minutes (35:29, +6 during the span) on the floor together against Prokom’s two-guard lineup. 2) Mirza Teletovic is stetching the floor like noone else. Teletovic made five three pointers, three of them of rather difficult nature. You cannot give him an inch of space, which is very problematic especially considering he’s a power forward. Ronnie Burrell didn’t leave Teletovic out of sight during most of the game (Jan Jagla did), strictly staying with him on the Logan/Huertas-Barac pick and roll, which opened up room for the play to be executed. Here’s a compilation of Mirza’s five three pointers on Wednesday. Notice the bad defensive rotation (JR Giddens‘ fault, not Jagla’s in this case) on the pick and pop (play #2), but also two well contested shots that Teletovic still makes. That’s obviously one of the difficulties defending Mirza: One moment he sets a screen for the guards, next he’s using a screen to receive the ball at the three point line and shoot it in motion.

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