Quarterfinal Playoffs: Game 3 review
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Maccabi, CSKA, Tau roar into Final Four!
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 Maccabi Elite, CSKA Moscow, Tau Ceramica won their do-or-die third games in the Quarterfinal Playoffs on Wednesday and Thursday to continue their impressive Final Four traditions and fight for the Euroleague title in Madrid from May 2 to 4. CSKA and Tau advanced to their sixth and fourth consecutive Final Fours, respectively, while Maccabi returns for its seventh of the decade. Those three teams join Montepaschi Siena, which punched its ticket to Madrid last week as the only team to sweep its playoff series. The semifinals, in Madrid, Spain on May 2, will be: CSKA vs. Tau and Montepaschi vs. Maccabi. CSKA Moscow stormed past Olympiacos Piraeus 81-56 on Wednesday thanks to a fine shooting night from Ramunas Siskauskas, who drilled a career-high 5 triples in 6 attempts en route to 24 points. The game was relatively close through the first three periods, but CSKA outscored Olympiacos 20-6 in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Siskauskas, who won the title last season with Panathinaikos, will be the only 2007 Euroleague champion to play in the 2008 Final Four. Also on Wednesday, Tau Ceramica dumped Partizan Igokea 85-68 by controlling the paint for the first time in the series. Pete Mickeal scored a season-high 19 points and Tiago Splitter finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds to pace Tau, which sent Partizan home after a thrilling season. Although Tau is an experienced Final Four team, head coach Neven Spahija and four of his players will make their first trips to a Final Four. On Thursday, Maccabi rolled past AXA F.C. Barcelona 88-75 in a heated game that saw two players from each team ejected for fighting. Maccabi got 21 points each from Will Bynum, while Yotam Halperin added 17 and 9 assists. Bluthenthal made 5 of 6 three-pointers. As such, another storied Euroleague power punched its ticket to Madrid for what promises to be a Final Four to remember! |
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Game 3, Wednesday-Thursday , April 9-10, 2008
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GROUP QUARTERFINAL 2
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Tau Ceramica vs. Partizan Igokea
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GROUP QUARTERFINAL 3
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Maccabi Elite vs. AXA FC Barcelona
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GROUP QUARTERFINAL 4
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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CSKA Moscow vs. Olympiacos
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STANDINGS Top 16
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GROUP D
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W-L
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PTS
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1-Montepaschi Siena*
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4-2
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+38
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2-Partizan Igokea*
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4-2
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+10
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Panathinaikos
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3-3
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-16
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Efes Pilsen
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1-5
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-32
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GROUP F
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W-L
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PTS
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1-Maccabi Elite*
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4-2
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+20
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2-Olympiacos*
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4-2
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+7
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Real Madrid
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3-3
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-4
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Zalgiris
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1-5
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-23
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GROUP E
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W-L
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PTS
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1-Tau Ceramica*
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5-1
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+43
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2-Fenerbahce Ulker*
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3-3
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+5
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Lietuvos Rytas
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2-4
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-1
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Aris TT Bank
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2-4
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-47
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GROUP G
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W-L
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PTS
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1-CSKA Moscow*
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4-2
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+62
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2-AXA FC Barcelona*
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3-3
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+10
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Unicaja
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3-3
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-6
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Lottomatica Roma
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2-4
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-66
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* Qualified to playoffs
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Euroleague.net
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