Mohammed to Gajovic Alley Oop Double

In his first game for BC Mures, explosive shooting guard Alhaji Mohammed showed that scoring is not his only trait. He dished out 9 assists, two of those ended up becoming spectacular alley oops dunked home by forward Goran Gajovic.

Rezultatele echipelor mureșene din 9-11 octombrie

Rezultatele obținute de echipele mureșene în acest weekend (în paranteză numărul victoriilor și înfrângerilor):

LNBM Dinamo București - BC Mureș Tîrgu Mureș 81-69 (1-1)

U13M Lucky Dragons Tîrgu Mureș - Bihorul Oradea 47-104 (1-1)

U13M U-Mobitelco 2 Cluj-Napoca - LPS Tîrgu Mureș 74-61 (0-1)

U13F CSS Al. Ceușianu Reghin - CSS Gheorgheni 53-29 (2-0)

U14M Gladius Tîrgu Mureș - Olimpic Baia Mare 71-15 (1-1)

U14F Crișul Oradea - CSS Al Ceușianu Reghin 60-48 (1-1)

U14F BC Sirius Tîrgu Mureș - CSS Gheorgheni 59-47 (1-0)

Meciuri in weekend (10-11 octombrie)

Săptămâna trecută a început faza de calificare a campionatelor naționale de juniori. În prima săptămână niciuna din echipele din Tîrgu Mureș nu a jucat pe teren propriu. Din această săptămână însă avem meciuri de urmărit la diferite categorii de vârstă. Mai jos aveți meciurile, locațiile și ora de start. Vizionare plăcută!

U13M Lucky Dragons Tîrgu Mureș - LPS Bihorul Oradea, duminică 11 octombrie ora 14, Sala Electromures

U14F BC Sirius Tîrgu Mureș - CSS Gheorgheni, sâmbătă 10 octombrie ora 13, Sala Sporturilor

U14M Gladius Tîrgu Mureș - Bihorul Oradea, sâmbătă 10 octombrie ora 14,
școala 20

Nu uitați, vineri de la ora 20, în direct pe Digisport 2, BC Mureș joacă pe terenul celor de la Dinamo București.

How to Call a Time Out When There is None Left?

BC Mures lost to Energia Tirgu Jiu 81-78 in the 25th round of the LNBM after a tightly fought game against the Eurochallenge prodigy. 

Towards the end of the game, with only 4 seconds remaining on the clock, BC Mures had a 1 point deficit with Giordan Wattson at the free throw line for two shots. With all three time outs exhausted, coach Prakuraitis gathered his players at the sideline and explained what he expected from them in the last attack of the game. Even while the players were preparing for the free throw, he was drawing on the tactical board and showing it to his players. And it almost worked, Polyak having an unexpected open shot at the buzzer, which unfortunately for his team, but to the joy of the Energia fans didn't go in.

The 39 Minute Player

In basketball there are a few extremely talented players who can make shots from any position and in tough circumstances. They just feel it. It can't be trained, taught or practiced. It just comes from the God given talent that they possess.

They (usually) defy basketball: don't need set plays, won't get discouraged if they miss three in a row, taunt their adversaries and many times ignore the coach's indication. They are loved by the fans and hated by the opposition.

Any coach would want such a player on the court in the final minutes of a close game. Just give him the ball, sit on the bench and see the opponents shake in their sneakers. They usually deliver.

There are a few players there, who can do these things, they have the talent, the attitude, the works, but only during the first 39 minutes of the game. They score 20+ points in a game, make tough shots, exasperate the opposing coach and send the fans into heaven. But come the last minute, they fall into an unknown abyss and simply forget about everything and become doombringers for their teams. They commit turnovers, miss shot after shot, and if they are kept on the court, they most probably lose the game all by themselves. 

Such a player is Matija Ceskovic from CSU Atlassib Sibiu, previously at BC Mures. His talent and basketball skills can't be contested. When he is on fire, almost nothing can stop him from scoring. He is a pain in the arse for any defender and defensive system. He can score from way beyond the arc or he can penetrate to the basket even against much taller opposition.

But all this only in the first 39 minutes. If a coach had the bad decision of leaving him on the court, moreover gave him the ball in hope that he would win the game, it would mean almost certain doom for the team. There are many examples from both his BC Mures and CSU Sibiu periods and I won't bother to line them all up here. A perfect example was today's match against Pitesti, which Sibiu lost in the final minute. 

After taking the lead with less than a minute to go, thanks to a 3 pointer by Ceskovic, Sibiu gained possession due to a Lee rebound. Ceskovic received the ball with less than 40 seconds on the clock and tried to wind down the clock as usual for a team in lead. After a failed inside pass to Lee, the ball bounced to Bojovic, who passed it to Ceskovic. With the shot clock winding down he was forced to shoot a desperation three, but wasn't even close and on the ensuing fast break Pitesti scored with an easy dunk. Sibiu called for a time out and the coach decided to give the ball to, you guessed right, Nr. 26. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Ceskovic attempted to pass the ball to Lee under the basket, and he succeeded, but committed travelling in the process and there was no more time left for a miracle in Pitesti.

I have nothing personal against Matija Ceskovic, he is a very talented and versatile player. I liked him both time he played for BC Mures, but if I were the coach, I would have left him on the bench every time when there was a clutch situation within the final minutes of a game.

35 What About a Real Final Four?

Energia Tirgu Jiu is very close to qualifying for the last eight phase of the Eurochallenge, Europe's third basketball club competition. With two home games left, Energia has a 3-1 record, and have their faith in their own hands. 

If they win any of their two home games they are 100% in the next round, with a victory against Astana they even have the first place assured. There is only one realistic possibility to lose their place in the top 8. If they were defeated in their last two games at home and Okapi Aalstar beat both Enel Basket and Astana on the road, only then would Antonis Constantinides' side miss the chance to make it into the next phase.

There is still the possibility that all four teams will finish with a 3-3 record and then the total goal difference of the group will decide the qualifying teams. In this case Energia will have to limit harshly the margin with which they lose, to heighten their chances of qualifying.

If Energia makes it into the Quarter Final Playoffs, they will meet one of the top 2 teams from Group J in a "best of three" encounter, with two matches played on the better placed team's court. Group J is still open to all possibilities, but Le Mans is currently holding first place, with Nanterre and Usak in joint second.

The winners of the Quarter Final games will play in the Eurochallenge Final Four. The host of the event will be chosen out of the four teams that have made it there. 

It would be nice to see such an event organized in Romania, it would mean a great deal for the image of Romanian basketball. In my opinion the chances for Energia to get there are bigger than that of getting the organizing. To organize the Final Four the team has to assure a hall with a minimum of 3000 seats, so the Tirgu Jiu Arena is out of the question. There are other halls which live up to the standards, but there is the question whether the club wants to organize an event in another city, where most of their faithful fans won't have the chance to see their favorites.

We will have to wait and see, first whether Energia makes it or not so far (I sincerely hope they do), then if there is enough will and financial power to organize such an event. Until then let's root for them because they showed on the court repeatedly that they deserve our respect.

34 Ex-Tiger to Coach Universitatea

Flavius Lapuste has been named as the new coach of National League team Universitatea Cluj-Napoca. This comes after Carmin Popa has announced his resignation after 18 games in charge of the team which had a 0-18 win loss record.

Lapuste, who is 37 years old, and just recently hung up his basketball shoes, will make his coaching debut against one of his former teams, BC Mures Tirgu Mures. He spent two seasons in Tirgu Mures before leaving to play for Energia Rovinari.

The Pitesti born player, played many seasons in Cluj-Napoca, but for another team, U-Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca. He also played for the Romanian National Team.

Flavius Lapuste's new team has a mountain to climb if they want to avoid relegation at the end of the season. The coach's job is to make his players believe that the goal is still achievable.

Universitatea Cluj vs. BC Mures will see two teams who can't afford to lose if they want to achieve their pre-season objectives: remaining in the National League for the hosts and making the playoffs for the visitors.

Although I am sure that BC Mures fans can't concede a defeat at the hands of Universitatea, they all wish a long and fruitful coaching career for Flavius, but only after Thursday night's game. 

33 The Romanian Cup Final Four to be Held in Pitesti

The Romanian Cup Final Four has been awarded to Pitesti. The team which has one Cup title to its name, has won the auction which started at 10.000 lei. The other two teams qualified for the Final Four are CSU Atlassib Sibiu and BC Mures Tirgu Mures. CSU Asesoft Ploiesti and BC Timisoara will play a double for the last spot on the 18th and 25th of March.

The Final Four will take place in the Trivale City Arena between the 2nd and 3rd of April (Thursday and Friday). The schedule of games is as follows:

1. CSU Atlassib Sibiu - BC Mures Tirgu Mures

2. CSU Asesoft Ploiesti / BC Timisoara - BCM U Pitesti

The winners of these two games will play for the Romanian Cup.

The Trivale City Arena is the smallest of all four possible locations. Basketball is highly regarded in Pitesti and most probably there will be a full house, at least for the local team's games. There would be a problem accommodating the visiting fans, but given that the tournament will be held in the middle of the week, the probability of large groups of visiting fans is small.

Ploiesti is 126 km, Sibiu 161 km and Tirgu Mures 275 km's away from Pitesti.

The starting ours are not known at this time.

The games will be broadcast live, but the channel is still unknown.

32 BC Mures to Meet Universitatea Cluj on Thursday

BC Mures will play their first official game under the reign of coach Audrius Prakuraitis when they visit winless outfit Universitatea Cluj Napoca.

After the bittersweet parting from coach Sekulovic, all fans are waiting to see what can Mr. P put on the table on such a short notice. One thing is clear, this game must be won! 

The hosts rely heavily on their american contingent but they have genuine local talent on the roster that can help the team. Alin Borsa, who played for BC Mures a few seasons ago, had a few remarkable games for Cluj, making the Mures fans regret his departure.

BC Mures has no roster change. Coach Prakuraitis can count on the same players as his predecessor. This game will probably give him the opportunity for rotation tests, but one wouldn't want to keep the score close for the final minutes.

The game will be played on Thursday in the Horia Demian Gym, starting at 19:00.

31 The Schedule for Liga 1 Has Been Announced

The semifinal phase of Liga 1 will start on the 22nd of February. BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures will play in the group reserved for satellite teams alongside Steaua Bucuresti, CSU Ploiesti, Universitatea Cluj Napoca, Timba Timisoara and Energia Tirgu Jiu. The results against Energia Tirgu Jiu remain from the first round so the team starts with a 4 point tally.

In the first game, Geroge Trif's team will play in Cluj against Universitatea, while the first home game will be against Timba Timisoara a week later. The first three teams qualify for the final tournament.

The full schedule of games can be found here.

30 Seven Minute Offensive Drought Seals the Game for BC Mures

BC Mures suffered their 9th defeat of the season tonight in an important game in the race for the playoffs. Coach Sekulovic's outfit couldn't take advantage of two important absences from the Timisoara squad and lost after a low scoring game, 67-77.

BC Mures took a flying start and forced coach Petricevic to call a time out after an 8-0 run. Timisoara got back into the game slowly but surely and at the halftime buzzer the score was 44-39.

The third quarter was a close one, but BC Mures stretched their lead to six. The fourth quarter proved to be a nightmare for the hosts, it was not enough that they couldn't score for 7 minutes and 5 seconds, but they had allowed 18 points in this interval, giving Timisoara a 12 point lead with 3:10 remaining of the game. 

From here on was catch me if you can for Timisoara and BC Mures proved unable to up their game. The final whistle found the visitors' bench on their feet celebrating a hard fought and deserved victory, while the BC Mures fans booed their favorites for the first time in a long time.

In Jovanovic's absence Pilcevic took on the leading role successfully and put his teammates in clear scoring positions. Kelvin Lewis sat out the game against Energia and was full of energy tonight being the top scorer for his team in Persic's absence.

BC Mures relied heavily on Dykes and Adamovic, and if the latter had a decent game offensively, the american couldn't deliver his usual fireworks, being limited to 10 point by the Timisoara defense. Peciukas didn't receive many usable balls in offense, while Barro continued his poor form of late. Ivanovic had one of his worse games in Tirgu Mures with only six points. Lazar and Capusan were useful while on the field and Polyak gave Adamovic some needed breathing time in defense. Gajovic played 20 minutes but couldn't step into the limelight.

Scorers:

BC Mures: Adamovic 19 points, 8 assists, Peciukas 10 points, Dykes 10 points, 6 rebounds.

BC Timisoara: Kelvin Lewis 19 points, 7 rebounds, Vladimir Tica 19 points, 6 rebounds, Radenko Pilcevic 17 points, 8 assists.

After this game BC Timisoara consolidated their playoff position, while BC Mures made their life miserable, and can't afford another slip up in the regular season. 

29 BC Mures to Meet BC Timisoara on Saturday

On the 17th gameday of the LNBM BC Mures Tirgu Mures will host BC Timisoara. The game will be played in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena on Saturday, starting at 18:00.

BC Mures has six foreign players, after parting with Matija Ceskovic, and signs are that all six of them are healthy and ready to play. BC Timisoara has announced that two of their most important players are injured and won't play on Saturday. It will remain to be seen, how the two lineups will look after the two coaches sign the scoresheet, 10 minutes before the game.

The two teams have the same number of points, but BC Timisoara has a game in hand. In this tight race for the playoffs none of the two combatants can really afford losing points, so we can expect a close encounter.

BC Mures will probably rely on the foreign rotation, but the minutes given to Capusan, Polyak and Lazar, and consequently the breather minutes given to Ivanovic, Barro and Adamovic can influence the final result.

Timisoara relies heavily on Jovanovic, his alleged injury and absence from the field could give the edge for BC Mures, but his teammates could close the ranks and play more as a team in their captain's absence. If Persic proves to be injured and out for two games also, there will be only five foreign players on the scoresheet for Timisoara.

The game can be watched live on www.bcmures.ro/live .

28 Transilvania Cup for U12 Kids

Saturday will start the 2015 edition of the Transilvania Cup. It is a friendly competition for kids below the age of 12. 

This year will see three categories at work: U10 boys, U10 girls (baby basket) and U12 boys (mini basket). The games will be played in two locations: T. Vladimirescu Gymnasium (School Nr. 20) and Electromures Highschool. 

You can find the rules and schedule of the competition on the official site. There you can also follow the results and standings of the teams.

27 Weekend basketball

There is a rich basketball offer in the weekend.

1. BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures - ACS Vipo Bucuresti, U18M, UPM Gym, Saturday 10:00

2. Nova Vita Tirgu Mures - BCM Tymes Timisoara, LNBF, Sala Sporturilor, Saturday, 15:00

3. BC Mures Tirgu Mures - BC Timisoara, LNBM, Sala Sporturilor, Saturday, 18:00

4. CS Muresul Tirgu Mures - Dan Dacian Bucuresti, U16M, Sala Sporturilor, Sunday, 10:00

5. BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures - CS 4 Sports Bucuresti, U16M, LPS Gym, Sunday, 10:00

6. BC Sirius Tirgu Mures - Phoenix Galati, Liga 1F, UPM Gym, Sunday, 16:00

There are also the games counting for the Transilvania Cup, a friendly tournament for kids under 10 years of age. The games will be played at T. Vladimirescu Gymnasium and Electromures Highschool.

26 About BC Mures 2 & Interview with George Trif

BC Mures 2 qualified for the semifinal phase of the Liga 1. This feat has been achieved mainly by using only U20 players, although the rules allowed the entering of five older players on the score-sheet. During the season the team lost a few of its players. Raul Puscas "the veteran" of the team left first, he went to work in a foreign country. Madalin Potcoava left after the Christmas break, he had been bought out by Dinamo for a bargain. Dimitris Rasty left on a loan to Stiinta Bucuresti until the end of the season, to help them achieve their goal of advancing into the National League. He will return for next season.

Despite of these losses the team fared well and managed to top all satellite teams from the group. Coach Trif enlisted BC Mures veteran Jakab Cristian to help out in the paint, after losing two of his tall players. And Cristi, as fans know him, didn't disappoint. Beside the help he provided under the baskets, he motivated his younger teammates, making them perform even better.

In the semifinal phase the team will play against CSU Asesoft Ploiesti, Universitatea Cluj-Napoca, Timba Timisoara and Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti. The results against Energia Tirgu Jiu will remain and count for the standings. To make it to the final tournament, BC Mures will have to finish in the top 3 of the group, which even if it's hard, is not impossible.

I have asked coach George Trif about a few things related with the team and he was kind enough to answer.

What are the objectives of the team after qualifying for the top 6?
The team's target is to grow young players, to make them capable of playing for the first team. We don't have an objective, except of making these players raise their level from game to game.

For various reasons the team has lost Puscas, Potcoava and Rasty. Will you promote other young players from the U18 team to replace them?
All young players who have quality and potential to become professional basketball players, and who really want to succeed, will get the chance to play at the BC Mures satellite team. We wish to promote local talent, to have more local players in the first team in a few years time.

In the last game we have seen Jakab Cristian playing and he played quite well. Does his experience help his younger teammates to grow?
Cristi's presence on the court gives confidence to the younger players making them play better. Moreover he is a special teammate, that counsels and guides them all the time. The young players can only learn from Cristi's vast experience.

The semifinal phase will begin in two weeks time. The schedule is still unknown.

25 Liga 1 - The Semifinal Phase

The 2014-2015 Liga 1 (the Romanian second division) season has an unprecedented and interesting system. There are two types of teams: satellites of National League teams and standalone teams. The standalone teams have the right to advance to the National League, while satellite teams only play for medals and financial benefits for the next season.

In the first phase of the competition all the teams were drawn into three groups, no matter of their type and there were weekly rounds when every team played two games against all other teams. As the first phase is over, we know the teams that have made it into the semifinal phase. 

Standalone teams: Phoenix Galati, Politehnica Iasi, CSM Miercurea Ciuc, Stiinta Bucuresti and Dinamo Bucuresti. As there is only one standalone team in group B, the sixth qualifier will probably be the best third placed team from the other two groups, in this case CSU Cuadripol Brasov.

Satellite teams: CSU Ploiesti, Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti, Universitatea Cluj, Timba Timisoara, BC Mures and Energia Tirgu Jiu.

In the case of standalone teams the goal is clear: make it to the Final Four tournament and place in the first two places. This means automatic qualification for next year's LNBM. To motivate satellite teams to play their best, the federation decided to add financial incentives. This way the winner of the final tournament will receive a 20% deduction  from next season's fees. The second 15% and the third 10%. These deductions will be applied to the first team so the sum is not negligible.

In the second phase, the semifinal group, all six teams will be placed in a single group and will play each other twice. Four standalone teams and three satellite teams will qualify for the final tournaments of their segment.

In the satellite teams' segment, teams will play weekly matches against each other. Teams coming from the same qualifying group won't play again, their group result will count. The standings before the semifinal phase are as follows.

Place	Team	Goal difference	Points
1	BC Mures Tirgu Mures	189-122	4
2	CSU Ploiesti	166-143	4
3	Universitatea Cluj-Napoca	154-146	3
4	Timba Timisoara	146-154	3
5	Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti	143-166	2
6	Energia Tirgu Jiu	122-189	2

24 BC Mures Surprises Pitesti in the 3rd and Comes Away with the Win

BC Mures proved to be one of the most unpredictable teams of the championship. After a surprising loss against Craiova, Srecko Sekulovic's team managed a 7 point victory against BCM U Pitesti, one of the better teams of the league.

The game started badly for the visitors, as Pitesti took a 10 point lead early on. Srecko Sekulovic used nine of his ten players in the first half, and the substitutes didn't let him down, managing to tie the game at 28. Pitesti picked up the rhythm and managed a 9 point run, but a similar run of the visitors took the score to 37-37. From here on the to teams went neck and neck until the break, BC Mures having the last word with an Ivanovic buzzer beater, and the scoreboard showed 39-41 at the half.

The third quarter was a nightmare for Pitesti, many turnovers, missed shots and most of all many uncontested shots left for BC Mures, whom at one point had a 25 point lead, 47-72. Hristu Sapera used most of his available players to press a suffocating defense and it almost worked out. The BC Mures substitutes were left on the bench for most of the second half and the starters started to tire as the minutes counted down. This spurred an unlikely  Pitesti comeback and made it a close encounter right to the finish. Despite a valiant effort, Pitesti couldn't cut into the Mures lead enough and had to concede a seven point victory in the end.

The seven point margin equals the difference from the first game, so in the case of a two way tie at the end of the regular season, the total point difference in the championship will decide the order. This was the reason why both teams, and most of all Pitesti, tried to score up until the end, even if the winner had been already decided.

Scorers:

BCM U Pitesti: Sutalo 21 (3), Milosevic 19, Djapa 13 (1), Ross 13 (1)

BC Mures Tirgu Mures: Adamovic 23 (3), Ivanovic 16 (), Dykes 16, Gajovic 12 (4).

After this game Pitesti has a 9-6 and BC Mures a 7-8 standing. The battle for the playoffs is still very much open.

23 BC Mures 2 Victorious in the Last Regular Season Game

BC Mures 2 went to Craiova with only nine players but came away victorious. George Trif couldn't count on Rasty who left for Bucharest, on Jakab who went to Pitesti with the first team and on Botos.

BC Mures led with 10 after the first quarter and never looked back. All players put their name on the scoresheet, but Engi, Boloni and Oprea were the stars of this game with 20+ each.

Scorers: Engi 21 (5), Boloni 21 (3), Oprea 20 (1),  Tibirna 9, Stefan 5, Ilicov 4, Barabasi 3, Szabo 3, Baki 2.

This was the last game of the regular season of Liga 1. BC Mures finished in 3rd place in the group behind Dinamo and Stiinta Bucuresti, with 10 victories and only 4 defeats. This means that George Trif's team qualifies from first place to the satellite teams' semifinal group.

22 Drunk Dwriting

Never drink and drive they say! But drink and write?! Is that allowed?! I think yes! :D

I am drunk, so let' try! It is Saturday, or is t Sunday already? I keep correcting my typoes, but I think it would be funnier if I didn't.

My kid is asleep or is he?! I keep abusing of the ?! but who cares?! right?!

I might fall asleep while typing and wake up to see a genioyus text on my blog, but prrobably not :p

How many shots are too many? I think I reached the number, but I just can't remember. Oh well...

I won't share this, but I am curious if someone will, hihi....

See you tomorrow sober world.

Over and out!

21 Four Live Games in the 16th Round of LNBM

The 16th round of the LNBM starts today and spans over three days. There are at least four very interesting encounters and all of them will be live on Digisport.

CSM U Oradea - U-BT Cluj-Napoca start us off into this long weekend of basketball games. Both teams come after victories in the previous round, Cluj beat Medias and Oradea won in Ploiesti in a dramatic fashion. Both teams have new point guards, Alexandar Vlahovic replacing injured Marcus Hatten and Frank Turner being signed to back up Curtis Millage. On paper the game should be a tight one, both teams needing the win to consolidate their playoff positions. The game starts at 18:00 on Friday and will be LIVE on Digisport 2.

CSU Atlassib Sibiu - CSU Asesoft Ploiesti will see a packed Transilvania Arena. In last year's regular season the game between the two teams ended with a Sibiu rout and Ploiesti manager had to be escorted off the court. It will be interesting to see wheter the Sibiu fans will prepare a special choreography for the game. Ploiesti is without point guard D Brown, who left the team, but still start as favorites given their star studded lineup. The game starts at 17:30 on Saturday and will be LIVE on Digisport 3. 

SCM U Craiova - CS Gaz Metan Medias will bring the 10th and 11th placed teams on the court. Although both teams are basically out of the playoffs, none of them can sit relaxed, Timba Timisoara fighting hard to pass them in the table and save themselves from relegation. Craiova is coming after an impressive home win against BC Mures, while Medias is in a slump, losing both their games after the Christmas break. The game starts at 19:00 on Saturday.

Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti - Universitatea Cluj-Napoca is the most one sided game of the round. Steaua want to make amends for exiting the Romanian Cup at the hands of BC Mures, and will probably put on a show against the winless Cluj side. The game will start at 19:00 on Saturday.

BC Timisoara - CS Energia Tirgu Jiu is a game between two playoff contenders. Both teams have identical 7/6 table lines and a loss can damage their chances for the playoffs. Energia beat Pitesti in the previous round while Timisoara dispatched of fellow townies Timba. The game will start at 19:15 on Saturday and will be LIVE on Digisport 3.

BCM U Pitesti - BC Mures Tirgu Mures is one of the interesting games of the round regardless of the two teams' position in the standings. Pitesti is a solid team which can beat any opponent, but they had two unconvincing performances in the championship this year, beating Timba after OT at home and losing to Tirgu Jiu on the road. BC Mures are at their 3rd consecutive road game splitting the first two. BC Mures is in desperate need of a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Pitesti will want to stop their slump in order to maintain their top 4 place for the first round. 

Pitesti parted with two foreign players and now have only six, but BC Mures still have seven, so it will be interesting to see who will sit out this encounter. The game will start at 19:50 on Sunday and will be LIVE on Digisport 1.

Timba Timisoara will be the team to sit out this round.

20 Struggling Nova Vita to Meet Universitatea Cluj in the Women's Top Division

Nova Vita Tirgu Mures has become in just two weaks, out of a playoff contender, a team that hopes to evade relegation at the end of the season. Three defeats at the hands of Craiova, Galati and Brasov, none of them top teams, means that Ionel Brustur has to concentrate on salvaging what he can, before the playout begins. 

Universitatea Cluj is one of the fellow sufferers of the league. Both teams need this victory, to have a better position before the real battle, the playout begins. This season two teams will drop into the quasi non-existent second division and home court advantage in the playout could prove decisive in avoiding it.

The game will be played on Wednesday at 17:00 at the Sala Sporturilor City Arena.

19 BC Mures 2 Surprises Stiinta Bucuresti for the 9th Win of the Season

BC Mures 2 played against Stiinta Bucuresti tonight and came away with both points after a highly contested game. Final score 68-65.

Stiinta started with a 9-0 run, but the hosts never gave up and came back with a run of their own in the second quarter to lead at half time 39-32. The third quarter started well for the visitors, who scored 14 points in a row, without allowing a single basket. George Trif's team closed the ranks and answered with a 14-0 run of their own, and after a tied third quarter, still held a 7 point margin.

The fourth quarter brought a physical game from both teams, where fighting had become the name of the game. Coach Eugen Ilie received a technical foul, followed by Cristian Craciun, and Urucatu was handed an unsportsmanlike foul by the referees. Although the visitors managed to win the last quarter, they couldn't complete the comeback.

With this win BC Mures 2 cement their 3rd place in the standings, with one game left of the regular season. Only Dinamo and Stiinta, two contenders for moving up to the National League precede the young squad coached by George Trif.

Scorers:

BC Mures: Engi 20 (3), Boloni 13 (1), Oprea 11, Rasty 7 (1), Tibirna 6, Barabasi 6 (1), Jakab 5 (1).

Stiinta:  Craciun 21 (1), Sandu 20, Olaru 10 (2), Zarojanu 6,  Urucatu 5 (1), Corneanu 3.

For the last game of the regular season BC Mures will travel to Craiova, while Stiinta will host Rapid.

18 Too Many Individual Errors to Hope for the Victory

BC Mures lost their 15th round game against a completely revamped SCM U Craiova, 72-66.

Coach Sekulovic decided to leave out Matija Ceskovic from the roster, fielding Goran Gajovic for a better height advantage. Andelko Mandic started with Santa in the center position and it proved to be an inspired decision. The Tirgu Mures born big man scored 13 points and collected 3 rebounds before fouling out in the last minute.

The key of the game was the disastrous shooting percentage of BC Mures, a team used to outscoring their opponents from high range. Only Peciukas and Gajovic had a decent shooting night, and Ivanovic an acceptable one from the paint but only 5 of 10 from the free throw line and 0 of 5 from 3 point range. Dykes and Barro were only 4 of 10 from inside and Adamovic had a season low 3 points total. There were many forced shots throughout the game, and almost no rebounding, Craiova having 16 (!) more rebounds in the game with 17 offensive ones.

BC Mures couldn't take advantage of Craiova's foul trouble. Marojevic left the game early in the 3rd quarter and Santa played with 4 fouls almost the entire second half. Barro's game remained in the slump and Lazar was left on the bench after acquiring 3 fouls in 48 seconds in the first half. Instead of dominating the paint, BC Mures allowed point guard Boltic to get 12 (!) rebounds many of them followed by three point plays.

Even with Marojevic, Santa and Boltic out BC Mures didn't seem capable to turn the game around, imprecise shooting proving the be the doom of the team. Craiova didn't have a much better shooting percentage but their superior rebounding meant  second and many time third chances to score.

The MVP of the game was definitely Boltic with a double double (12p-12r) and 5 assists, followed closely by revelation Santa. Despite his 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, Ivanovic turned over 5 balls, and missed 5 free throws. His almost 40 minutes were maybe a bit too much for the veteran. Except of Peciukas and returning from injury Gajovic, the whole team had a miserable performance, one they should forget as soon as possible if they were remain a contender for the playoffs.

For Craiova the next game is at home against Medias, while BC Mures travels to hard to beat at home BCM U Pitesti for a do or die encounter.

17 Oradea Steals the Points in Ploiesti

A game worth telling your grandchildren about, in Ploiesti tonight. Oradea went into the game without a handful of injured players, and most of all without a point guard, and came away with the victory. Final score 100-101.

You wouldn't have wanted to be in the shoes of coach Cristian Achim before the game. Beside long term injuries of Gutoaia, Tibirna and Popescu the team lost point guard Marcus Hatten on Wednesday and new signing Alexandar Vlahovic couldn't play because of his unfinalized transfer. But he pulled the rabbit out of the hat, like a magician, by using Daniel Dillon as a playmaker, a position he seldom if ever plays. The Australian player didn't just cope with the situation, he performed admirably, scoring 14 points, getting 13 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists, for a formidable triple double in almost 39 minutes on the floor.

Oradea led 98% of the game only to see Ploiesti come back on the final stretch to tie it and then take the lead inside the last minute. But the visitors didn't crumble under the pressure and with two consecutive baskets, counting  Subotic's buzzer beater, came away with a well deserved victory. One wouldn't want to disregard Ploiesti's performance, they had a solid game, in spite of the loss, but Oradea simply wanted it more. 

Despite the countless injuries Oradea had the longer rotation, all nine players entered on the scoresheet playing at least 9 minutes. Ploiesti only used seven, Szijarto the only Romanian player of the team who got minutes from coach Arnautovic.

With this Ploiesti suffered its 3rd defeat of the season, while Oradea moved up to 3rd in the table with 9 wins.

16 Weekend Basketball in Mures

Here are the games to be played in the following weekend in Tirgu Mures.

1. U18M BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures - CSS Ploiesti, Saturday, 10 o'clock, UPM Gym 119-80

2. U16M BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures - ABC Athletic Constanta, Sunday, 9:30, LPS Gym 68-77

3. U16M CS Muresul Tirgu Mures - CSS Tulcea, Sunday, 10 o'clock, Sala Sporturilor City Arena 99-48

4. Liga 1F BC Sirius Tirgu Mures - CS Universitatea Cluj-Napoca, Sunday, 14:00, Sala Sporturilor City Arena 57-59

5. Liga 1M BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures - Stiinta Bucuresti, Monday, 17:15, Sala Sporturilor City Arena

15 Gameday 15 LNBM

This Saturday and Sunday will take place the 15th round of the LNBM. Six games are scheduled, half  of them on Saturday the other half on Sunday.

CS Energia Tirgu Jiu - BCM U Pitesti is a local derby. The home team comes after a spectacular victory in Eurochallenge against Belgian team Okapi Aalstars. The visitors played an overtime  at home against Timba Timisoara before coming away with a contested victory. In Pitesti Energia won 60-83. Former Olympiakos center Andreas Glyniadakis arrived to Tirgu Jiu at the Christmas break and proved already an important aquisition for the team. Pitesti signed former Oradea playmaker Nemanja Maric. The game will be played on Saturday starting at 17:00 and will be live on Digisport 2.

Universitatea Cluj-Napoca - CSU Sibiu is on paper the most one sided game of the round. The hosts don't have any victory this season but their three new signings could prove important on home court. Sibiu qualified for the Final Four of the Romanian Cup, ousting Tirgu Jiu after a controversial game in Sibiu. The score of the first game between the two teams was 102-66 for Sibiu. The game will be played on Saturday starting at 19:00.

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti - CSM Oradea is usually one of the highlight games of the championship. I say usually because an already injury ridden Oradea lost point guard Marcus Hatten on Wednesday. He had a season ending knee injury. With no pure playmaker in the team, Oradea looks a sure casualty in front of a star studded Asesoft. Ploiesti has nine foreign players to choose from, but any six of them form a formidable core. Oradea lost their home game 73-90. The game will be played on Saturday starting at 20:00 and will be live on Digisport 3.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca - CS Gaz Metan Medias has  a clear favorite in the home team, but Medias proved that they can beat any opponent who underestimate them. Cluj has a longer rotation and the advantage of home court. Medias has the heart and the fighting spirit to compensate for the short rotation. In Medias the score was 71-86 for Cluj. The game will be played on Sunday starting at 18:00 and will be live on Digisport 2.

BC Timisoara - BC Timba Timisoara is a must win for both teams. The hosts must win to keep their playoff position, the visitors to keep their survival hopes alive. In the first game BC Timisoara won 70-82. The game will be played on Sunday starting at 18:00.

SCM U Craiova - BC Mures Tirgu Mures will probably be one of the closest encounters of the round. Craiova changed its core of foreign players, and it proved beneficial in their Balkan League victory on Wednesday. BC Mures lost forward Vlad Corpodean who will probably sign with Oradea. Both teams need this victory to stay in playoff contention. In the first game Craiova came away from Tirgu Mures with a 75-77 victory. The game will be played on Sunday starting at 19:45 and will be live on Digisport 2.

Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti will sit out this round as the 13th team.

14 Here There Be Tygers

BC Mures kept their traveling fans on the edge of their seats in Medias, but came away with a hard fought and vital victory. Before the game the two teams were standing in 9th and 10th place, with the same number of points.

BC Mures took the better start and took a six point lead, but Medias fought back and had only a two point deficit at the first interval, 19-21. In the second period the hosts took control and built up a six point margin, only to see it shrink to three after a reckless foul by Nikolic on an Adamovic desperation buzzer beater: 40-37.

In the first half BC Mures had a horrific 16% 3 point shooting, only one successful shot from behind the arc. Fortunately this percentage improved after the break and this was one of the keys of the game.

In the second half, Medias stepped away from their opponents and a 10 point lead in the 25th minute made coach Sekulovic ask for a second time out in five minutes. This proved to be the biggest lead of the game, from here on the Tigers had taken control. Slowly but surely, they clawed back into the game and after tying it at 65 they never looked back. Medias payed the price for their short bench, they couldn't keep up the pace in the fourth quarter.

Filip Adamovic was the top scorer of the game with 21 points, adding 5 rebounds. He also had 7/7 free throw percentage. Ivan Ivanovic had a few bad decisions during the game, including a three point attempt in the last 20 seconds, when he should have kept the possession, to run down the time, but he ended up with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Kyndall Dykes started slowly, and his point tally of 11 wasn't spectacular, but he made up for it by collecting 13 rebounds. Vaidotas Peciukas scored 11 points and brought energy to the game. Ousmane Barro had one of his worst days so far, losing many balls under the basket, some of them unforced by the opponents. Lazar Laszlo stepped up the defence in the second half, made the Medias offense run into a wall under the basket, scored 6 points and collected 6 rebounds. Andrei Capusan scored 7 points with 3 rebounds. Matija Ceskovic didn't score from the field, but his four free throws in the final minutes proved to be decisive. Polyak Laszlo played only a few minutes and couldn't show anything in that time. Corpodean didn't play.

All in all BC Mures struggled to get the victory, but deserved it in the end. Medias put up a valiant effort and gave hope to their fans, but the longer rotation proved to be decisive in the end, where Nikolic, Navickas and Durkovic were all very tired after playing almost 40 minutes each.

Top scorers:

Gaz Metan Medias: Pustahvar 19 (3), Durkovic 18, Navickas 16 (3).

BC Mures: Adamovic 21 (2), Ivanovic 14 (2), Dykes 11 (1), Peciukas 11 (1).

Full statistics on the FRB website.

In the next round BC Mures will go to Craiova, and Medias will travel to Cluj to play against U-BT. 

13 Unlucky 13 for Windows 7 Users

As of today Microsoft has stopped its free support for Windows 7. Less than a year after stopping their total support for Windows XP, one of the most popular Microsoft OS's ever, Windows 7 was sidetracked. By this, Microsoft is trying to make way for their brand new product, Windows 10.

Windows 7 is estimated to be used on half of the world's computers. It is generally stable, user friendly and with acceptable system requirements. These attributes kept it a favorite, although Windows 8 has been on the market for a long time now. There were many users who bought Windows 8 and reverted (downgraded) to Windows 7 after testing it. This will still be possible in the future.

image credit NetMarketshare

The end of free support means that no more improvements will be made and users with software problems will have to pay if in need of assistance regarding their OS. It doesn't mean that Windows 7 will be vulnerable, unsafe or impossible to use, security patches will still be available for free. 

Probably most of the software makers will stop creating programs with Windows 7 support and new hardware already comes, in most cases, with drivers only for Windows 8. There are solutions to circumvent these problems but most home users will find it easier to buy the new OS.

Windows 10 will be announced soon, and probably will be released in the second half of 2015. Beta testers say it is stable, but not in any way revolutionary. I bet that most users will be happy to stick with stable and user friendly versus revolutionary and unpredictable. In my opinion Windows 7 is here to stay for a while longer, no matter how good Windows 10 will prove to be, if only for the lesser system requirements. In today's economic depression buying a new PC only to be able to use a new, and not much better OS, will be an unwise decision. But let's give Microsoft some credit and wait to find out.

12 And Here We Go Again

This Wednesday begins the second half of the LNBM season. In a season where 12 of the 13 teams are still with a chance to get into the playoffs at the Christmas break we can look forward to an interesting second act. Most of the teams made a few moves on the transfer market for the final straight of the season, all of them hoping to achieve their season's goals.

Although there were supposed to be six encounters in the 14th round (the first of the second half of the season), three of them got postponed for different reasons.

CSM U Oradea (5) vs. Universitatea Cluj Napoca (13) is on paper a one sided encounter. Oradea is 5th in the standings while Cluj is in last place with no victory so far. Universitatea transferred three new players, but only DeAndre Mays will play on Wednesday. Oradea has still got health problems, but they have the better all-round team and shouldn't have problems securing the victory. The game starts at 19:00 in the Antonio Alexe Arena.

BCM U Pitesti (3) vs. BC Timba Timisoara (12) is the third consecutive game between the two teams. In the previous two encounters Pitesti won after tight games and secured their place in the Romanian Cup Final Four. Timba needs a win desperately to keep up their hopes for salvaging a spot for next year's LNBM. On the other hand Pitesti can't afford to lose points on home court on their quest to finish in the top 4 at the end of the regular season. The game will be live on Digisport 3 starting at 18:00.

CS Gaz Metan Medias (10) vs. BC Mures Tirgu Mures (9) is the closest duel of the day from the standing's perspective. None of the two can afford to lose this game if they still want a place in the playoffs. Gaz Metan was quiet on the market and kept their roster intact. On the other hand BC Mures released Sammy Emile and signed Kyndall Dykes. The visitors come with a high morale after knocking out championship front runners Steaua from the Romanian Cup. The game will start at 18:00 in the Medias City Arena.

Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti (1) vs. BC Timisoara (7) has been postponed for the 3rd of February, because the home court of Steaua is used for military processions.

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti (2) vs. U-BT Cluj Napoca (6) has been postponed for the 24th of February due to Ploiesti's involvement in the Last 32 of the Eurocup.

SCM U Craiova (11) vs. CS Energia Tirgu Jiu (8) has been postponed for the 11th of March due to Tirgu Jiu's involvement in the Last 16 of the Eurochallenge.

11 To Fit or Not Too Fit

Next weekend (17-18 of January) will start the semifinal phase of the Romanian youth championships. The first categories to start are the U16 and U18. The first games should have been played a week ago but the federation decided to postpone the start with one week due to problems with many players failing their individual yearly fitness and aptitude tests.

Starting this year every team qualified for the semifinal phase has to have at least eight players who have passed these tests. Eight is a minimum number of players a team must have at the start of any game in the Romanian youth championships. The rules proclaim that no player should be eligible to play without passing the tests.

After the first round of tests held in December, only about 35% of the players were eligible to play, many teams having only two or three valid members. This led to the situation that only a few teams were eligible to play in the semifinal phase, out of the 16 that qualified from the first round.

This situation compelled the federation to rethink the system. The season got postponed by one week to give teams the possibility to take the tests again with their players who failed the first time. After this second round of tests teams who still couldn't achieve to have eight valid players, would be deducted points as follows: teams with less than five eligible players a 2 points deduction at the start of the second phase and teams with less than eight eligible players a 1 point deduction to start the season. During the semifinal phase all players would be considered eligible after the points were deducted.

Players who couldn't pass the tests will have one more chance before the Final Tournament. Players who didn't pass their tests won't be eligible for the Finals and neither will be teams with less than eight eligible players on their rosters.

So we are looking forward to an interesting second part of the season, with many good teams having to cope with 1 or 2 points deducted at the start, having to fight harder than expected to reach the Final Tournament. And even if they reached it, they first would have to qualify at least eight players, with their test completed, for the official roster.

You can read the list of eligible players and teams after the second round of tests here. 

You can read the full schedule of the semifinal pahse of the youth championship here.

10 Hard Birth After Heavy Labor

Romanian Cup

Quarter Finals Second Leg

BC Mures Tirgu Mures - Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti

88-94

(17-23, 28-22, 18-29, 25-20)

Aggregate: 179-173

BC Mures lost their quarter final return leg against Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti, but qualified for the Final 4 due to a higher aggregate score. 

Steaua came determined to turn around the first leg's 12 point deficit and had 11 points advantage in the first half, only to see BC Mures come back before halftime for a 45-45 score at the break. In the second half Steaua pulled away again and didn't give up the lead until the end. The visitors even had a 15 point lead with 12 minutes remaining, but BC Mures managed to claw back into the game and after a tight endgame succeeded in keeping a 6 point aggregate lead and qualify into the quarter finals.

Steaua played with only four foreign players due to the mysterious departure of Travis Wattson and without two injured point guards Mihai Paul and Adrian Tudor. Coach Bavcevic was also forced to field Ionel Dodoc for a considerable period of time (28 minutes) due to Terrell Everett's early foul trouble. The seven player rotation didn't prove enough for turning around the tie. Titus Nicoara was easily the MVP of the game, his 27 points and 11 rebounds mounting to an efficiency of 32.

BC Mures used a ten player rotation, all of them putting points on the board. Laci Lazar managed to substitute Ousmane Barro with the best +/- score of the team, Polyak and Corpodean gave their colleagues much needed breathing time and Capusan's 6 rebounds were vital in the final count. The two best home players were Filip Adamovic and Vaidotas Peciukas. Kyndall Dykes, although far from his first round performance, contributed consistently to the team effort. Ivan Ivanovic had early foul trouble but managed to play almost 30 minutes and be an important presence under the boards. Matija Ceskovic brought his oscillating, up and down game, alternating amazing shooting skill with stupid turnovers, two of them inside the final two minutes putting his team in a delicate situation.

All in all BC Mures deserved the Final 4 berth, but Steaua proved that even with a truncated rotation, they can be a formidable opponent. After the final whistle both managers accused the referees of influencing the final result. This can only mean that even if there were mistakes at both ends, the officiating had been equitable. 

BC Mures joins BCM U Pitesti and CSU Sibiu in the Final 4 and waits for the winner of the Asesoft Ploiesti - BC Timisoara aggregate winner to join them there.

Best scorers:

BC Mures: Adamovic 23 (3), Peciukas 16 (1) and Dykes 13 (1)

Steaua: Nicoara 27 (2) and 11 rebounds, Barac 21 (3) and Ikonic 14 (3)

Full game stats on the FRB site.

9 Sammy Says Sayonara

Sammy Emile was the first foreign transfer of BC Mures at the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. The American forward was signed in the hope to bring much needed energy in the game of the team. His highlight videos showed an athletic forward, with decent shooting skills and good ball handling. 

But his stay in Tirgu Mures wasn't meant to be long and  fruitful. In the nine official games he played for the team he couldn't rise up to the needs and expectations of the coaching staff and management alike. In the Romanian Cup he played two games, scoring 5 points in total. In the championship he played seven games with a 6 ppg average in 18 minutes per game.

No one can say that he lacks talent or basketball skills, he is gifted with both, the only thing that stood between him and success in Tirgu Mures was a high enough basketball IQ.

After the arrival of Goran Gajovic and most of all Kyndall Dykes it was natural that someone had to leave and Sammy was the logical choice. He will go after only half a season in the white and blue jersey, but he will always remain a part of the BC Mures family no matter where fate takes him.

8 Weekend Basketball in Tirgu Mures

This weekend you can see three games in Tirgu Mures.

On Saturday the girls from Nova Vita will host Phoenix Galati in the LNBF 17th round. In Galati Nova Vita lost 82-69 after a tight game. In the Christmas break Ionel Brustur lost a couple of key players and he will have to work hard to fit the new arrivals into the frame to have a chance against the 6th placed opponents. The game will be played in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena starting at 15:15.

Right after the Nova Vita game, BC Mures will host Steaua CSM Eximbank in the return leg of the Romanian Cup quarter finals. BC Mures harbors a 12 point lead, and has the first chance to qualify for the Final Four, but no one can disregard Steaua's chances at this point. The game starts at 18:00.

On Sunday BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures will host Rapid Bucuresti in a postponed game counting for Liga 1. The game will be held in Sala Sporturilor City Arena starting from 14:00. BC Mures 2 is already qualified for the semifinal phase and we can foresee a high scoring games from the hosts. 

7 New "Life" at Nova Vita

CS Nova Vita Tirgu Mures finished in 10th the first part of the Women's National League season, only one game behind 8th place BCM Danzio Timisoara. Ionel Brustur's team kept good chances to qualify for the playoffs, but the coach and the management knew, that they had to make a few roster changes to achieve this goal.

Lindsey Montgomery left the team after the Christmas break and two new foreign players have been signed since, former Arad center Stanecia Graham, and forward Tiffany Jaecks, none other than the wife of BC Mures forward Sammy Emile. The team also transferred Romanian point guard Georgiana Plavitu from Craiova.

The first game of 2015 will be held on the 7th of January in Craiova, starting at 15:00. The first home game will be on Saturday the 10th of January at Sala Sporturilor Arena starting at 15:15.

6 The Kyndall Effect

     

Romanian Cup

Quarter Finals

First Leg

79-91

Q1: 28-17

Q2: 18-23

Q3: 09-31

Q4: 24-20

BC Mures upset Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti in their own home to come away with the win and more importantly with a 12 point advantage for the return leg. The 79-91 victory means that coach Sekulovic's team has a healthy if not comfortable margin to defend in The Jungle on Saturday.

The two teams played against each other in the first round too, and it came down to double overtime to decide the winner then. So there were premises for a tight encounter.

The first half belonged to Steaua, they even lead by as many as 14 points in the second quarter. BC Mures started to claw back into the game at the end of the second quarter, but Steaua had a 6 point lead at the half time buzzer.

The third quarter saw two completely different teams coming out of the locker rooms. While Steaua made turnover after turnover and missed shot after shot, BC Mures had begun to fly on the court. After a 9-31 score of the quarter the winner was mostly decided, but the Romanian Cup has two legs so the teams had to keep playing at their best, Steaua to limit the margin, BC Mures to hold it or increase it. This led to an entertaining fourth quarter, which was won by Steaua 24-20. The final score 79-91 registered a 12 point margin that leaves Steaua with a fighting chance for the return leg.

Kyndall Dykes proved to be the catalyst the team needed. Not only that he scored 25 points in his first game in the white and blue jersey, but he also dished out 8 (!) assists to his teammates, stole 4 balls from the opponents and administered 2 blocks. These are just statistical data, but who watched the game could see that beside scoring, he pulled his teammates along with him, made them want to play better and created open shots by drawing two opponents on him and dishing out the ball selflessly.

Lazar Laszlo who in 12 regular season games scored 19 points total, managed 10 points in this game alone, due to useful assists received right under the basket or on fast breaks. Vlad Corpodean didn't score any points, but his leech-like defense on Barac stopped the Steaua forward from bringing his A game in that period. He also had the highest +/- efficiency of the team with a value of 19. Even Polyak Laszlo played an important part in the game, beside the 3 points he scored, he helped limit Ikonic to a 1 out of 5 three points percentage. Andrei Capusan had his best game of the season, scoring 8 points and 2 rebounds, helping Ivanovic get some most needed rest and limiting his playtime to 22 minutes as opposed to 31 in the championship.

Steaua had a miserable second half this game, and a disastrous third quarter. Although they out rebounded their opponents 36 to 23 and their field goal percentage was only slightly worse than that of their opponents,  the hosts couldn't cope with the suffocating defense and the rain of 3 pointers in the 3rd quarter. For once this season BC Mures had a longer rotation than their opponents and this meant more fresh legs and more precision in the second half of the game.

Although Steaua took some hurt in game 1, and seems to be on the ground, no one should consider them beaten, they are more dangerous than ever, in want to repair their pride and honor. We should look forward to an interesting return leg in Tirgu Mures.