By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Reigning champions CSKA Moscow will meet Baskonia for their third playoff series in the last seven years on Tuesday’s tipoff. This pairing will have us sit on the edge of our seat, as the strongest offensive team in the competition this season will have to overcome the second-best, offensive-wise, on road games (and 4th overall).
While history and chances are on CSKA’s side (a total of 21-7 wins since the launch of the EuroLeague era), the Basques manage to put a fight on the former in the most recent seasons.
The two teams participated last season’s Final Four, as Baskonia was under the guidance of Velimir Perasovic. Sito Alonso’s arrival may have signaled changes in the team’s structure, though it still remains a fast-paced offensive lair, a perfect match for powerhouse CSKA.
Europe’s strongest backcourt will face one of the most promising ones, with Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo ready to challenge Shane Larkin and Rodrigues Beaubois.
Key match-up: Teodosic vs Larkin
These two are currently in the elite of European basketball guards and their clash can determine the momentum of the game. The assists’ maestro meets multi-talented creator Larkin. Both are avid scorers, capable enough to be in charge in the most crucial moments and as we’ve seen during the regular season, they were crucial in their teams’ respective wins against each other.
I know what you did in the Regular Season
Both share a home win each this season. Teodosic led CSKA in Moscow to a 112-84 victory, in a special night, during he dished his 1,000th assist in the competition and also had a career-best of 34 points.
When the pairing moved to Vitoria, the game went down the wire with Baskonia surviving 79-78. Larkin hit the (what it turned out to be) game-winning jumpshot, while Adam Hanga led with 15 points in that game. Still, the Teodosic/De Colo duo caused much trouble to the hosts’ defense, completing 41 out of CSKA’s 78 points.
Prediction of the series: CSKA Moscow in the Final Four.
The Army Team has set sights to defend its title since the beginning of the season and should find its way to the Final Four one way or another. Still, the road to Istanbul may be bumpy, as the series can easily stretch to a 3-2 battle for Dimitris Itoudis’ squad. The Russians had a notable 14/15 home wins record during the regular season, or else a 93% winning strike. Baskonia, that will fight without the homecourt advantage, can hope to at least take the series in Vitoria, then back in Moscow for the final game.