By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
This Sunday night at OAKA there will be blood. Metaphorically, of course, but the showdown between AEK and Hereda San Pablo Burgos can only be described in terms of a Western.
Every sport and film connoisseur can obviously see the similarities of this game with Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”.
If you are not familiar with the movie – and in that case shame on you – the plot concerns “an aging outlaw gang on the Mexico–United States border trying to adapt to the changing modern world of 1913”.
It’s the story of the “final job” that will give everyone the chance to retire and hang their guns.
That’s kind of how things are right now in Burgos, as the team had already made a splash by making it to the semifinals of the Liga Endesa end of the season tournament.
But getting the BCL trophy?
It’s a golden opportunity for the team’s veterans who are in their 30s like Dejan Kravic, Vitor Benite, Thad McFadden, Xavier Rabaseda, Ken Horton, Alex Renfroe, and last but not least the 38 years old Omar Cook.
You might disagree on Burgos’ case, but you can’t deny that the “wild bunch” parallel fits like a glove to AEK’s roster.
AEK was built for this “final job”, having proving veteran winners like Jonas Maciulis, Marcus Slaughter, Matt Lojeski, and the elder statesmen of European basketball named Nikos Zisis, Keith Langford, and Tyrese Rice.
And for Rice, this might end up being literally the “final job”, since he has stated that he intends to retire from basketball after the Basketball Final Eight tournament.
So it doesn’t get much better than this folks.
No matter what happens tonight at OAKA, even without fans on the stands, the 2020 Basketball Champions League Final will be a game to remember.
And contrary to “The Wild Bunch” where there was no happy end, one team of gunslingers will ride into the sunset having the trophy in their hands.
So don’t miss it and if you want some real basketball analysis for the upcoming game, check this excellent piece of work by Diccon Lloyd-Smeath.