Hello everybody, here I am again! This is Bootsy Thornton of Efes Pilsen, back with you all right at the Top 16 break and days before the Turkish Cup final eight. We started the Top 16 pretty well despite a loss in Madrid, as we managed to beat Montepaschi in front of our fans in Istanbul. We played really well and Montepaschi did not shoot the ball they way they are used to. We managed to win the game and went to Tel Aviv to face Maccabi, knowing that they always play great at home. We were in the game for the best part of it but Alan Anderson played really well and a lot of their players had small contributions that helped Maccabi to win the game. So here we are, with a 1-2 record and hosting the next two games. We were angry when we lost in Madrid because we led for the best part of it. We control the majority of the game and came up short in the final 5 minutes. Louis Bullock made a lot of big shots at the end of the game - which he normally does. Charles played well, it was a special game for him as he went back to Madrid, but Bullock made all big shots down the stretch.

Coach Ataman has changed the rotation a little bit lately. Ermal Kuqo, who was not playing much in the Euroleague, is now seeing a lot of minutes. He is a good player, a banger, really well-coached. He knows how to play back to the basket and that gives us an extra chance in offense. He played in Spain, for Valencia, so he stepped on the floor against Madrid and did really well. He was familiar with everyone out there. He makes us more unpredictable, too. We now can play with two big players on the floor or use Nachbar or Shumpert at the '4' position. Of course, it is a bit more difficult for our coach,... more

What's up everybody? I am Bootsy Thornton and if you are a good Euroleague fan, you probably know who I am already. In case you don't know me yet, I already call myself a Euroleague veteran after playing for three different teams in the competition - Montepaschi Siena, Barcelona and Efes Pilsen, where I am in my second season. I have been to three different Final Fours, with Montepaschi in Tel Aviv, with Barcelona in Prague and back again with Siena in Madrid. Hopefully I can get there a fourth time with Efes Pilsen! We managed to make it to the Top 16 when it looked more difficult for us. We needed to beat Orleans in France and expect Unicaja to beat Lietuvos Rytas in Vilnius. We could not control it, so it was a bit strange to be in that situation. There was little we could do other than win our game and see what happened. I have to thank my buddy Omar Cook for winning the game in Vilnius down the stretch. Of course, we didn't see the game - both were played at the same time -, but we soon heard that Unicaja won and that Omar did well in the final minutes. We definitely owe him for that.

One way or another, we are in the Top 16, which is great. Last season with Efes, I missed the Top 16 for the first time in my Euroleague career. It was very tough for all of us. We were really unlucky last season and came dangerously close this time. Even with that, the Top 16 is a new start for everybody. We had a really tough regular season group with a lot of difficult teams. We can't say we have been lucky in both draws this season, as we play against Maccabi Electra, Montepaschi Siena and Real Madrid in the Top 16. We cannot complain, because all games will be tough from now on. Every single team in... more