For a unique perspective on the most exciting months of the season, Euroleague.net brings you media blogger Flavio Tranquillo, a ranking expert on world basketball at its finest. Flavio has long been known as the voice of basketball in his native Italy- and for good reason. But in addition to communicating his expertise as an announcer, Flavio has the background of a coach, the curiosity of a journalist, and most importantly, the devotion of a basketball lover!

I really think that the difference between going to heaven and the playoffs is that to enjoy the latter you don't have to go through what you must with the former … It's too good to be true: hard-nosed basketball, emotions and devotion, constantly changing strategy; just the best. It's really what I think, not the company line. And the fact that after three games there are no reservations for Paris is a big plus, as well.

A series that was definitely meant to contain some drama was Barcelona-Real Madrid. All the implications - the "clasico" ingredient, Messina vs. Pascual after last season's semifinal, the history between the teams in Spain - were already enough to guarantee a series for the ages. Then Real Madrid scared Barcelona in Game 1 and won on the road in Game 2, thus virtually getting the series started. In Game 3, Barcelona rebounded, and one possible way to read the whole thing is that the blaugrana felt some pressure in the first two episodes of this saga. The most basic indicator to prove this theory right is three-point shooting. Barcelona shot 11 for 48 from long range in the frirst two games. Game 1 was decided by a 2-for-3 three-point performance by Pete Mickeal, who took only 17 more threes in the rest of the season (one attempt...

For a unique perspective on the most exciting months of the season, Euroleague.net brings you media blogger Flavio Tranquillo, a ranking expert on world basketball at its finest. Flavio has long been known as the voice of basketball in his native Italy- and for good reason. But in addition to communicating his expertise as an announcer, Flavio has the background of a coach, the curiosity of a journalist, and most importantly, the devotion of a basketball lover!

And then there were...six! Two more teams to qualify, four still trying, while 14 have been eliminated since the start of the regular season. Raise your hand if back in October you correctly predicted that Fenerbahce Ulker would have not made the Top 16 and that Panathinaikos would have been the first team ousted from the Top 16, joined the following week by Efes Pilsen, Montepaschi and Unicaja - while Prokom and either Maroussi or Partizan advance. Please, I want you to play lotto on my behalf week-in and week-out …

Still to be decided are the winners of the Maroussi-Partizan and Khimki-Caja Laboral battles. The Group E rivals, Maroussi and Partizan, play both on the road, @Panathinaikos and @Regal Barcelona, respectively. Coach Vujosevic's Partizan team has won one more game but has a minus-5 differential in the head-to-head matchup with Maroussi. Last week, both teams were beaten soundly by the two prohibitive favourites in the group. I think Panathinaikos in Belgrade showed the power of a clear mind. Once eliminated from playoff contention, the former defensive champions forgot the shooting blues and made 11 of 19 threes en route to a 16-point win. The basketball becomes so light when you don't have anything to lose or gain …. Witnessing the game...

For a unique perspective on the most exciting months of the season, Euroleague.net brings you media blogger Flavio Tranquillo, a ranking expert on world basketball at its finest. Flavio has long been known as the voice of basketball in his native Italy- and for good reason. But in addition to communicating his expertise as an announcer, Flavio has the background of a coach, the curiosity of a journalist, and most importantly, the devotion of a basketball lover!

Well, there are so many things to talk about after the fourth episode of the Top 16 saga … First and foremost, let's celebrate the Game and its being as good as it is unpredictable. And this Game can be very unpredictable. Panathinaikos being eliminated with two games to be played and Prokom virtually advancing already...is that unpredictable enough? If not, try these...

• Regal Barcelona shocking the world by putting together an 18-3 run in OAKA, of all places, to dethrone Panathinaikos.
• Real Madrid looking so down for three quarters, risking elimination, coming all the way back, apparently allowing Siena to save the point differential between them with 5 seconds to go, and then going crazy for Sergio Lull pulling a 3+1 that definitely brought some good memories to coach Messina.
• Olympiacos having the game apparently won in Zagreb, then allowing Cibona back in it, and then re-winning it down the stretch.
• Caja Laboral, after being dismantled by Real Madrid in the national cup, winning against Khimki in Moscow with its back to the wall and also getting even in the oh-so-important point differential department.
• Partizan and Maroussi battling each other...

For a unique perspective on the most exciting months of the season, Euroleague.net brings you media blogger Flavio Tranquillo, a ranking expert on world basketball at its finest. Flavio has long been known as the voice of basketball in his native Italy- and for good reason. But in addition to communicating his expertise as an announcer, Flavio has the background of a coach, the curiosity of a journalist, and most importantly, the devotion of a basketball lover!

Let's get re-started in here, please! No disrespect to the Black Eyed Peas, but the last three games of this Top 16 will be more exciting than great music, more thrilling than a Hitchcock movie, more surprising than an Easter Egg. To think that defending champs Panathinaikos is one loss away from elimination, that freshly-minted national cup winners FC Barcelona, Maccabi and Montepaschi still have to fight for qualification, and that only two teams are still unbeaten, well, that makes for some great basketball. I think we all have to bask in this Devotion thing, fans included, fully understanding that to enjoy such parity means that at least three or four teams will be eliminated due to small details. At the same time, a couple of possessions here or there will be the key for three or four others making it to the playoffs. That's the beauty of this very competitive beast!

Just for the sake of understanding how teams are positioned after an odd number of games (three), I stole something that former Real Madrid coach George Karl (best wishes to the man) uses to sort the NBA...