EL CLASICO: A new episode in the Spanish League
Today we will witness a new episode from El Clasico when Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet for the fifteen times to decide who`s the best team in Spanish Basketball. Real Madrid has the advantage in head to head meetings with 8-6. They won 3 out of last 4 finals against their biggest rival. Let`s see the runs for both teams in this year`s playoffs.
Real Madrid finished the regular season in first place with a 28-6 record. In the first round of the playoffs, they met the team that managed to pass over Tenerife, Andorra or Gran Canaria and clinch a playoff spot, Manresa. They did not have any chance, Real winning both games at the 15+ difference. In the semifinals, Real met Valencia, the Eurocup champions, but the players from Madrid didn`t give any chance for their opponents. In the first two games, Real won 94-72 and 79-66, while in Game 3, Valencia tried to defend their home ground, but in the end, they failed, losing 85-78. Anthony Randolph (Real Madrid) was the highest-rated player in the semifinals, averaging 14.7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The second most important player for Real Madrid was Facundo Campazzo with 15 points per game.
In the press conference before El Clasico, Pablo Laso pointed out the home crowd support saying: “We`re ready to win the first game with the Palacio`s support”. Also Rudy Fernandez was happy to have another chance to win the league trophy and promised to fight for every possession in order to deliver a big success to their fans.
Barcelona Lassa finished the regular season in second place with a 27-7 record. In the quarter-finals, they eliminated Joventut by 2-0 after some stellar performances from Thomas Heurtel. In the semifinals, they met the big surprise, Zaragoza. Barca didn`t have any problems with them, winning by 3-0 without any emotions. For Barcelona, the main contributors were Kyle Kuric and Thomas Heurtel.
Svetislav Pesic, the coach of Barcelona warned that their last victories against Real Madrid will not count so much, because the play-off is another story. He knows that many players for Real Madrid have already played in a previous final, but stated that Barcelona has a big weapon at disposal: their own game.
This duel will be against the best two teams in Spain in terms of defence and offense, in the regular season but also in the playoffs. They have the strongest squads and a big rotation, so everything is possible. The offense was very good lately for Barcelona but in return, Real Madrid improved their defence and every possession is important for both teams. To make a prediction, I expect Real Madrid to win, they seem very solid to me, but the encounter will be very difficult. Good luck for both teams. Hope to see a great final!
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
