New competition system for 2008-09 Euroleague
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 The Euroleague Basketball General Assembly, meeting in Berlin, Germany on Monday and presided over by Eduardo Portela, the ULEB President, discussed various topics related to current economic, athletic and social state of the organization and approved several changes for the upcoming 2008-09 season and beyond. Starting next season, there will be two TV timeouts per half during Euroleague games, as well as two extra minutes added to halftime, which will now be 17 minutes long, for the purpose of advertising. Also next season, the use of video instant replay, previously used in end-of-game situations only during the Quarterfinal Playoffs and the Final Four, will be expanded to full-season use. The replay is only applicable in cases of doubt with no time left on the game clock. Among the broader changes approved by the Assembly was a new competition structure, starting in 2008-09, which shortens the regular season from 14 to 10 games by reorganizing into four groups of six teams each, while lengthening the playoffs to best-of-five-game series. The Assembly also approved a plan to restructure the license system that governs participation in the Euroleague, allowing for up to 16 indefinite licenses, up to seven which will belong to national leagues and one awarded to the new Eurocup competition. The assembly also approved enacting, in time for next season and pending a final FIBA World approval, a rule limiting offensive fouls under the basket by using a semicircle, no-charging zone. The rule change was adopted by FIBA World earlier this year and is being implemented early by Euroleague Basketball. The Assembly meeting came on the eve of the 2008-09 Euroleague Draw, to start at 12:00 CET on Tuesday in Berlin.
| REGULAR SEASON | Oct. 22, 2008 to Jan. 15, 2009 |
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Round-robin system. Each team plays 10 games within its group.
The best 4 teams from each group advance to the Top 16. |
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Maccabi Electra | Montepaschi Siena | Tau Ceramica | CSKA Moscow | Olympiacos | FC Barcelona | Fenerbahce Ulker | Partizan Igokea | Unicaja | Panathinaikos | Virtus Roma | Real Madrid | Cibona Zagreb | Zalgiris Kaunas | Union Olimpija | Efes Pilsen | Le Mans | Prokom Trefl | DKV Joventut | AJ Milano | Avellino | SLUC Nancy | Alba Berlin | Panionios BC | | |
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| TOP 16 | Jan. 28 to March 12, 2009 |
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Round-robin system. Each team plays 6 games within its group.
The best two teams from each group advance to the Quarterfinal Playoffs. |
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Team 1 | Team 1 | Team 1 | Team 1 | Team 2 | Team 2 | Team 2 | Team 2 | Team 3 | Team 3 | Team 3 | Team 3 | Team 4 | Team 4 | Team 4 | Team 4 |
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| QUARTERFINAL PLAYOFFS | March 24 to April 8, 2009 |
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Best-of-five series between first- and second-placed finishers from the Top 16.
The four series winners advance to the Final Four |
Quarterfinal 1 | Quarterfinal 2 | Quarterfinal 3 | Quarterfinal 4 | First-place E | First-place F | First-place G | First-place H | Second-place F | Second-place E | Second-place H | Second-place G | | | | | |
Berlin, Germany | FINAL FOUR | May 1 to 3, 2009 |
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The four quarterfinals winners will meet in single-game semifinals
The semifinals losers will play one game for third place
The semifinals winners will play in the single-game Final
The winner of the Final will be the Euroleague Champion |
Semifinal A | Semifinal B | Winner Quarterfinal 1 | Winner Quarterfinal 2 | Winner Quarterfinal 3 | Winner Quarterfinal 4 | | | |
Third-Place game | Semifinals Losers | | | FINAL | Semifinals Winners |
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Champion 2008-09
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Euroleague.net
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