The 1995–96 FIBA European League, also shortened to 1995–96 FIBA EuroLeague, was the 39th installment of the European top-tier level professional club competition for basketball clubs (now called EuroLeague). It began on September 7, 1995, and ended on April 11, 1996. Panathinaikos B.C. became the first Greek team to lift the FIBA European League championship after beating FC Barcelona Banca Catalana by one point in the final match of the competition's Final Four, which was held at Paris.
| 1995–96 FIBA European League | |
|---|---|
| League | FIBA European League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Regular Season | |
| Top scorer |  Joe Arlauckas (Real Madrid) |
| Final Four | |
| Champions |  Panathinaikos |
| Runners-up |  FC Barcelona Banca Catalana |
| Final Four MVP | Dominique Wilkins (Panathinaikos) |
The 1995–96 season saw the return of 1991-92 European League champion Partizan on the international scene, after three years ban of Yugoslav clubs due to UN embargo. However, Partizan was eliminated in the qualiying rounds.
It was the last season of the competition that took place under the name of FIBA European League, as the competition was renamed to FIBA EuroLeague, starting with the next season.
Competition system
edit- 42 teams (the cup title holder, national domestic league champions, and a variable number of other clubs from the most important national domestic leagues) played knock-out rounds on a home and away basis. The aggregate score of both games decided the winner.
- The sixteen remaining teams after the knock-out rounds entered the Regular Season Group Stage, divided into two groups of eight teams, playing a round-robin. The final standing was based on individual wins and defeats. In the case of a tie between two or more teams after the group stage, the following criteria were used to decide the final classification: 1) number of wins in one-to-one games between the teams; 2) basket average between the teams; 3) general basket average within the group.
- The top four teams from each group after the Regular Season Group Stage qualified for a quarterfinal playoff (X-pairings, best of 3 games).
- The four winners of the quarterfinal playoff qualified for the final stage (Final Four), which was played at a predetermined venue.
Country ranking
editFor the 1995–1996 FIBA European League, the countries are allocated places according to their place on the FIBA country rankings, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1992–93 to 1994–95.[1]
|
|
Team allocation
editThe labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- TH: Title holder.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.: League position after Playoffs.
First round
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vita Tbilisi 
|
139–178 |  Žalgiris
|
70–78 | 69–100 |
Stavex Brno 
|
175–186 |  Fidefinanz Bellinzona
|
106–93 | 69–93 |
Kalev 
|
174–138 |  Danone-Honvéd
|
78–57 | 96–81 |
Dinamo Tirana 
|
130–156 |  Forest Sibiu
|
63–87 | 67–69 |
SUBA Sankt Pölten 
|
131–153 |  APOEL
|
60–67 | 71–86 |
Zenica Metalno 
|
136–142 |  Baník Cígeľ Prievidza
|
68–71 | 68–71 |
Sunair Oostende 
|
156–125 |  Alvik
|
79–61 | 77–64 |
Résidence 
|
161–184 |  Sheffield Sharks
|
79–99 | 82–85 |
Kouvot 
|
173–185 |  Hapoel Galil Elyon
|
92–82 | 81–103 |
Rabotnički 
|
134–147 |  Budivelnyk
|
65–64 | 69–83 |
Mazowzanka 
|
147–167 |  Zrinjevac
|
79–74 | 68–93 |
Plama Pleven 
|
178–185 |  Partizan Inex
|
83–93 | 95–92 |
Rene Coltof Den Helder 
|
139–182 |  Pau-Orthez
|
72–94 | 57–88 |
Second round
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Žalgiris
|
122–145 | Panathinaikos
|
56–59 | 66–86 |
| Fidefinanz Bellinzona
|
162–223 |  CSKA Moscow
|
88–107 | 74–116 |
| Kalev
|
148–172 |  Buckler Beer Bologna
|
65–81 | 83–91 |
| Forest Sibiu
|
139–221 | Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
|
74–99 | 65–122 |
| APOEL
|
116–139 | Cibona
|
70–82 | 46–57 |
| Baník Cígeľ Prievidza
|
162–184 | Benetton Treviso
|
87–91 | 75–93 |
| Sunair Oostende
|
149–155 |  Ülker
|
74–69 | 75–86 |
| Sheffield Sharks
|
132–145 | Real Madrid Teka
|
57–67 | 75–78 |
| Hapoel Galil Elyon
|
137–176 | Iraklis Aspis Pronoia
|
83–91 | 54–76 |
| Budivelnyk
|
161–179 |  Bayer 04 Leverkusen
|
98–77 | 63–102 |
| Zrinjevac
|
136–165 | Unicaja
|
70–85 | 66–80 |
| Partizan Inex
|
159–176 |  Benfica
|
64–64 | 95–112 |
| Pau-Orthez
|
193–146 |  Smelt Olimpija
|
96–71 | 97–75 |
Group stage
editIf one or more clubs are level on won-lost record, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Head-to-head record in matches between the tied clubs
- Overall point difference in games between the tied clubs
- Overall point difference in all group matches (first tiebreaker if tied clubs are not in the same group)
- Points scored in all group matches
- Sum of quotients of points scored and points allowed in each group match
| Qualified to Playoff | |
| Eliminated |
Group Aedit
|
Group Bedit
|
Quarterfinals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pau-Orthez
|
1–2 | CSKA Moscow
|
78–65 | 89–104 | 74–83 |
| Panathinaikos
|
2–1 | Benetton Treviso
|
70–67 | 69–83 | 65–64 |
| Ülker
|
0–2 | FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
|
77–105 | 66–96 | |
| Olympiacos
|
1–2 | Real Madrid Teka
|
68–49 | 77–80 | 65–80 |
Final four
editSemifinals
editApril 9, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| CSKA Moscow
|
71–81 | Panathinaikos
|
| FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
|
76–66 | Real Madrid Teka
|
3rd place game
editApril 11, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| CSKA Moscow
|
74–73 | Real Madrid Teka
|
Final
editApril 11, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Panathinaikos
|
67–66 | FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
|
| 1995–96 FIBA European League Champions |
|---|
 Panathinaikos 1st Title |
Final standings
edit| Team | |
|---|---|
 |
Panathinaikos
|
 |
FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
|
 |
CSKA Moscow
|
| Real Madrid Teka
|
Awards
edit| FIBA European League All-Final Four Team | |||
| Player | Team | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasily Karasev |
CSKA Moscow | [2] | |
| Fragiskos Alvertis |
Panathinaikos | ||
| Artūras Karnišovas |
FC Barcelona Banca Catalana | ||
| Dominique Wilkins (MVP) |
Panathinaikos | ||
| Stojko Vranković |
Panathinaikos | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "FIBA Ranking System". 2009-11-21. Archived from the original on 2009-11-21. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ Champions Cup 1995–96.