Game 5 revisited: Andersen, Vidal meet again
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 As Regal FC Barcelona and Tau Ceramica prepare for their winner-take-all fifth and final game in the Quarterfinal Playoffs on Thursday, one player on each bench can say that he has been there and done that already - remarkable, considering that only once before in European competition history has a Game 5 been played. That one previous Game 5 happened eight years ago next month and had a lot of similarities with Thursday's showdown. One of the same teams, Tau Ceramica, is playing again, and has the same coach now as in 2001, Dusko Ivanovic. And eight years later, two players who very much made their names as 20-year-olds in that series will face each other again. If in 2001, it was Kinder Bologna vs. Tau in Game 5 to lift the Euroleague trophy, this time it is Regal FC Barcelona vs. Tau to reach the Final Four in Berlin starting May 1. Both times, however, Sergi Vidal of Tau Ceramica and David Andersen of Barcelona, were active witnesses to European basketball history.
Best-of-five series never took place in European competitions until the new millenium. In the opening Euroleague Basketball season in 2000-01, best-of-five playoff series were introduced for the semifinals and finals. The 2001 semifinals saw Kinder and Tau sweep their semifinals against Paf Bologna and AEK, respectively, to advance to the finals. Kinder had an all-star lineup, arguably one of the strongest squads ever seen in European club basketball: future Olympic gold medalist Manu Ginobili and soon-to-be world champion Marko Jaric, legendary swing-man Antoine Rigaudeau, big man Rashard Griffith, and two players who would become multiple Euroleague champs, Matjaz Smodis and Andersen, all coached by another legend, Ettore Messina. At the same time, Tau had its own collection of stars in future Olympic champs Luis Scola and Fabricio Oberto, legend Elmer Bennett, record-breaking shooter Saulius Stombergas and big man Victor Alexander, all coached by Ivanovic.
 Just as in the current series, Tau struck first with a resounding road win in Game 1, that time by 65-78 behind 21 points and 19 rebounds from Alexander. Kinder tied the series with a 94-73 home victory in Game 2, as Rigaudeau led the winners with 23 points in 17 minutes. In Game 3, Kinder regained the home court advantage by thrashing Kinder 60-80 with 27 points from Ginobili. Tau stayed alive by beating Kinder 96-79 in Game 4 behind 19 points and 8 assists from Bennett. It all came down to Game 5, in which Rigaudeau had 18 points to lead Kinder to a 82-74 win against Tau in Bologna, enough to clinch its second continental crown.
As a young center, Andersen played the most minutes for Kinder in the two road games, averaging 20 minutes, 6.8 points and 4 rebounds for Kinder to lift the first of his three Euroleague titles. Vidal, then in his first season with Tau, didn't play in the final series opener, but saw his minutes rise from 2 in Game 2 to 18 in the fifth game in Bologna. The Final Four format was chosen in 2002 and no more best-of-five series were played again until this season, when a new format extended the Quarterfinal Playoffs to add more drama and excitement. Andersen has made a total of five Final Fours since that season, while Vidal can qualify for his fifth in a row with Tau if they win on Thursday. Of course, this time, Andersen is hoping for the same ending as eight years ago, while Vidal is wishing for anything but the same as he and Tau continue aiming for their first Euroleague crown.
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Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Euroleague.net
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