The EuroLeague playoffs start today with 2 amazing clashes
After an exciting regular season (maybe the most balanced ever) and two great play-in games (unfortunately the winner of the Real Madrid-Bayern game was already decided in the first quarter) the EuroLeague playoffs begin this week and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lower ranked team advances in any of the series or if all games go to a decisive Game 5.
On Tuesday, we have the first two games. First, in Istanbul, Fenerbahce will host Paris Basketball, a European basketball giant, against a newcomer in this competition. Fenerbahce did not have an easy season, starting with the injury of one of their biggest stars, Scottie Wilbekin, who suffered a season-ending injury in Round 1. Some people would say their 2nd place finish in the regular season is an overachievement with the roster they currently have, and maybe because of this, Sarunas Jasikevicius was awarded the Coach of the Year award, as he managed to guide his team to a 23-11 record and home court advantage in the playoffs. Paris basketball is probably the biggest positive story in European club basketball in the last two years. They won EuroCup last year after a nearly perfect season, and they continued to impress this season too, with their very efficient offence that made the French side the most fun to watch team for fans. Paris has one of the lowest budgets in the league, and Fenerbahce has the home court advantage but I’m sure it will be a great series to watch.
The second game of the day is in Athens, where defending champions Panathinaikos will host Anadolu Efes. Last season’s triumph in the EuroLeague was somewhat of a surprise even for PAO fans, but entering this season, the expectations were that the Greens could surely win back-to-back titles. Ergin Ataman is the most successful coach in the last 5 years in the EuroLeague, and Kendrick Nunn is one of, if not the biggest, star right now in the league. However, he will not have an easy task matching up with Shane Larkin, one of the other star guards in Europe. Larkin and his teammates finished the regular season with eight wins, taking them from a team fighting for the play-in to 6th place. The last time Efes lost was two and a half months ago in OAKA, a 104-89 defeat against PAO. It remains to be seen if the pressure created by the home fans in the OAKA will be a decisive factor or if Efes will continue its red-hot streak.
Imre Halasz
Image: EuroLeague
