By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
The countdown for the playoffs has begun and Eurohoops offers its predictions for the first games, but also the qualification for the pair Laboral-Panathinaikos.
CSKA are the team with the highest pace in the Top 16 with 76 possessions per game, and Crvena Zvezda are close to that average with 72,4. The Muscovites have the best offense with 92,8 and the worst defense with 84,6 and the only thing for certain is that the score will climb very high. The limit of 91,5 points seems low for CSKA, but it looks like the Over is even safer at 164,5 points.
Lokomotiv Kuban have by far the best defense in the Euroleague. At home especially they’re even better, conceding throughout the season only 62 points on average. Barcelona is not a team that seeks to play at a high tempo and the limit of 72,5 points seems rather high. In the game of the regular period they scored 74 and they were the only team, together with Efes (77) in a total of 12 games that scored more than 73 points.
Fenerbahce are called upon, for the first time, to prove that they can handle Jan Vesely’s absence. Real Madrid seem like they are recovering from the continuous ups and downs and, based on their experience, they can fight to the end in the game in Istanbul. The point advantage is small but the Madrilenos can uphold it.
The betting tips
CSKA Moscow – Crvena Zvezda Over 164,5 points
@Stoiximan 1,70
Fenerbahce – Real Madrid (+4,5) 2
@Sportingbet 1,72
Lokomotiv Kuban – Barcelona Barcelona Under 73,5 points
@Coral 1,75
Long-term bets
In this article we are going to deal with the long-term bets regarding the overall development of the series.
Panathinaikos have a small advantage for the qualification and they will most likely win one of the first two games in Vitoria. They are the favorites of all the companies and it’s worth betting on their advancement.
However, it’s even more worth betting on the 1-3 in favor of the greens. All the teams that have advanced without a home court advantage did so with a 1-3 score and the payoff is quite attractive.
Qualification for Panathinaikos
@Bet365 2,05
Laboral – Panathinaikos 1-3 Score
@William Hill 4,00