Buducnost went from the bottom to unstoppable

Nov 16, 2018 by Euroleague.net Print
Buducnost went from the bottom to unstoppable

It was a memorable night at the Moraca in the Montenegrin capital on Thursday night. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica had a three-point shooting night like no other in EuroLeague history. The team broke a 22-year old club record for three-pointers made in all competitions and in the process set the new EuroLeague record by making 21 triples from 34 attempts.

However, if you had to pick a handful of candidates to break this EuroLeague record, previously winless Buducnost would have been an unlikely choice. The team entered Round 7 averaging a league-low 64 points per game, with the 71 points they scored on the opening night serving as its season-high. Buducnost came into this contest with just 40 triples made through six games and a season-high of 9 threes in a single game.

However, Buducnost does have some good shooters. Not only in its backcourt, but also among its big forwards Earl Clark and Danilo Nikolic. In this game, injuries forced Clark to play position 5, and while the team suffered defensively because of that lack of size, the big men shooting from the outside stretched the floor. With Edwin Jackson getting hot and Buducnost taking care of the ball with just 5 turnovers, Buducnost's offense looked unstoppable.

"We hit some shots to beat the shot clock," Coach Aleksandar Dzikic repeatedly stated after the game. "Everything looks better when you make last-second shots and I am a better coach when players are making three-point shots."

Jackson hit 6 triples, while Clark and Nikolic nailed 4 apiece from downtown, but this game showed once again how much basketball is a game of details. Buducnost held double-digits leads in three of six games so far, but just could not finish games. A shot or two might have switched the momentum in those games.

This time, however, the shots continued falling, confidence kept rising, and the team showcased what is capable of doing. For Buducnost, the EuroLeague season might have just started yesterday.