Peristeri and Tofas have a chance to advance to the BCL Final Four
Even if they are not seen as the favourite of the quarterfinal series, I consider the Peristeri Athens and Tofas Bursa teams that can make the surprise and finally reach the last stage of the competition in Belgrade. Of course, to do this they have to steal the home-court advantage from their opponents, which is not easy at all.
The Greek squad can beat Bonn because they have an excellent moment: they came back from 0-3 in their top 16 group, having in Spanoulis the coach of March in BCL, while Joe Ragland was named the MVP of the month. It is their momentum and if they maintain this energy level they can hope as well for the Final of the Basketball Champions League.
At the same time, Telekom Bonn didn’t impress much this season being a good team but not seeming invincible. The departure of the coach with the main core of the team, including the MVP T.J. Shorts affected a lot the quality of their game.
Tofas has a much difficult mission in Tenerife but they have a chance too. The Turkish side was very close to surprising the Spaniards also last season when they lost 2 games by only one point, being eliminated that way. Now Tofas seem a bit stronger with a better and more experienced roster than they had last year, while Lenovo Tenerife is a bit older each year. Marcus Denmon is back for Tofas Bursa after a long injury which could be a key factor, in giving them also a larger rotation.
The article was written by Gratian Cormos, a Romanian journalist, book writer, life coach and mentor currently living in Barcelona, Spain.
If you are interested in collaborating with his website brainbasketball.net, to publish articles, interviews or other features related to basketball or for a marketing proposal, feel free to contact Gratian Cormos by Whatsapp or Telegram at this Spanish number: +34 612414486.
Photo credit: FIBA
