page_title: BC Neptūnas
section_title: 2014–15 season: EuroLeague debut
hierarchical_section_title: BC Neptūnas / History / Historical victories and achievements (2012–2016) / 2014–15 season: EuroLeague debut
caption_attribution_description: Washington Wizards v/s Denver Nuggets January 25, 2011
context_page_description: Basketball Club Neptūnas, commonly known as Neptūnas or Neptūnas Klaipėda, is a Lithuanian professional basketball team based in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The club participates in the Lithuanian Basketball League and internationally in the Champions League. It was founded in 1962 under the name BC Maistas and in 1964, BC Maistas's name was changed to BC Neptūnas. The club carries the name of the Roman sea god Neptune. Neptūnas participated in the 2014–15 EuroLeague season and is only the third Lithuanian club to participate in the premier European basketball league, after Žalgiris and Rytas.
context_section_description: Before their debut in the EuroLeague, Neptūnas recalled former team leader Deividas Gailius. Multiple LKL champion Donatas Zavackas and UBL champion Michailas Anisimovas were signed as well. However, Anisimovas left the team shortly afterward without debuting in the EuroLeague due to the military crisis in Ukraine. On October 15, 2014, Neptūnas played their first EuroLeague game against the Laboral Kutxa, which they lost 69–88 despite playing more than two quarters point-to-point. On October 23, 2014, Neptūnas achieved the club's first EuroLeague victory against KK Crvena zvezda with a score of 83–81 after the Valdas Vasylius winning shot 3 seconds away from over-time. This was the first EuroLeague game played in the Neptūnas home-court. On October 31, 2014, Neptūnas lost their third EuroLeague game only after OT 81–85 against one of the strongest tournament teams, Olympiacos Piraeus, two times EuroLeague champion over the past three years. Despite being competitive and cherishing a chance of qualifying for the TOP16 stage, Neptūnas failed to accomplish this in their debut EuroLeague season, winning 4 games of 10 total and taking 5th place in the group. It was just one step from the TOP16's qualifier Galatasaray, who also finished with a 4–10 record. As a result, Neptūnas was transferred to the EuroCup Last 32 stage. The EuroCup was just a terrible place for Neptūnas. There they won only once against Paris-Levallois Basket, suffered five defeats and took last place in the group. A promising season in international competitions was finished painfully.
  On February 20–22, Neptūnas participated in the 2015 LKF Cup. They surprisingly lost the quarter-finals game to Šiauliai 71–73 and ended the appearance in competition early.
  Neptūnas recovered in the LKL, playing very solidly, even splitting the season series with Žalgiris. They defeated the Lithuanian powerhouse twice in two weeks: 67–65 in Klaipeda and 90–86 in Kaunas. Deividas Gailius led Neptūnas during these two games. But they took only the third spot during the regular season due to the unfavorable results versus Lietuvos rytas. Neptūnas defeated Dzūkija with the series result of 3–1, losing only once in Alytus 56–65. The semi-finals began unsuccessfully for the team versus Lietuvos rytas. Despite holding up close to the opponents the whole game, Neptūnas lost during the final minutes 88–79 in Vilnius. But Neptūnas, led by Deividas Gailius (22 points) and Arnas Butkevičius (20 points), successfully got revenge in Klaipėda, overcoming Rytas 107–101 after OT. The semi-final series was tied at 1–1. But Neptūnas lost another thriller 96–89 two days later in Vilnius and ended up on the edge of the precipice. Furthermore, primary Neptūnas center Simas Galdikas suffered a painful leg injury, after stepping on Kšyštof Lavrinovič's feet. Despite that, the team's coach Kazys Maksvytis said that "we will meet in Vilnius again". This promise did not came true following the 87–92 loss at home. Neptūnas lost the semi-final series 3–1 to Lietuvos rytas. And then Neptūnas suffered the biggest fiasco of the season. They shockingly lost to Juventus in the LKL bronze medals series 2–3, including an embarrassing defeat in the decisive game 69–84 in the home arena.
  Neptūnas had the highest attendance rate in all of LKL during this season (3,022 spectators per game).
caption: Mustafa Shakur, one of Neptūnas's leaders in the 2014–15 season
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