By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda MTS got the 76-61 win over Igokea and made the first step for the Adriatic League finals after getting the 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semifinal series.
Jordan Loyd with 21 points led the winners, while Corey Walden added 13 points and three assists. Edin Atic was the top scorer of the losing side with 15.
In the other semifinal series, Buducnost beat Mornar Bar (97-88) and got also a 1-0 lead behind 22 points by Justin Cobbs and 18 by Nikola Ivanovic, while both dished seven assists each.
However, the real news came from the official podcast of Crvena Zvezda, in which president Nebojsa Covic admitted that Zvezda’s goal is not making it to the EuroLeague just for the next year, but securing a long-term license.
As he said: “This is our goal, to secure a multi-year license in the competition. I believe that there will be changes similar to those of the EuroCup. Whether it will be a league with 18 teams or with 20, I do not know. It does not take much thought to understand that our club is moving in that direction. The goal of the Red Star is to become a shareholder of ECA. Why hide it? We are working in this direction”.
Under the current EuroLeague rules, there are two wild cards to be given that correspond to the two open spots left for the 2021-22 season in which the Adriatic League takes priority.
While the general consensus is that Crvena Zvezda is the most EuroLeague-ready club of the ABA League but, as Eurohoops sources confirmed, they need to win the ABA League championship title in order to secure their presence in next season’s EuroLeague.