This Thursday starts the Basketball King’s Cup In Badalona (Barcelona), the eight best players from the first round of the Endesa League -or seven plus the host- meet in the tournament that is already a classic on the basket calendar, as well as a benchmark for other competitions: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Baskonia, Lenovo Tenerife, Unicaja, Joventut, Gran Canaria and Valencia They are the candidates.
They are four days of pure “ba-lon-ces-to”paraphrasing the Pepa Gómezwith eight hobbies living together in a pavilion, in this case the Badalona Olympic, in search of a title that is one of the most open due to its format, but that in recent years seems like a duel between Barça and Madrid.
In this edition, only one could go to the final, since in the draw they were on the same side of the table. Since 200914 years ago, at least one of the two ‘greats’ of Spanish basketball has not stopped being present.
That year was also the last year that neither of them won, the title went to Baskonia. None of the subsequent finalists, who were Valencia on two occasions, Gran Canaria and Unicajathey were able to avoid the power of the top holders of Cups: Madrid has 28 and Barça has one less, which seeks to equalize the record.
But despite everything, the Cup does not lose excitement or interest. Although surprises do not occur, its open nature means that some team can give the bell and this year the applicants present themselves with many good arguments. Without going further, the case of Lenovo Tenerifewhich can no longer be considered a revelation with its third Intercontinental Cup.
In fact, only the people of Tenerife and their neighbors from Gran Canaria are the only teams in this edition that do not have at least one Copa del Rey in their showcases.
Real Madrid – Valencia Basket, Thursday 6:30 p.m.
They open the competition Real Madrid and Valencia Basket, reissue of the 2021 quarterfinals, the 2017 final, etc. that is to say, another classic of Spanish basketball without reaching the Classic. Two teams that ‘want’ each other whenever they jump onto the same track.
In the league they saw their faces on matchday 10 with victory for those of Chus Mateo by 79-62. The coach faces his first season in charge, after being second to Pablo Laso. It is also the first of Alex Mumbrúwho changed the black from Bilbao Basket for the Valencian ‘taronja’.
Both coaches and teams march unevenly in the League, with the whites leading and the Valencians eighth. Clear favoritism for Madrid, where Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernández they aspire to equal Juan Carlos Navarro and Felipe Reyes in Cups, with seven. In Valencia he has three Victor Claverwon with Barça, although the leading role in the draw is for Shannon Evansone of the stars of the season.
Barcelona – Unicaja, Thursday 9:30 p.m.
The champion, FC Barcelonabegins the defense of his crown against the Unicaja Malaga, second against fifth in the ACB League. But Jasikevicius’ men have the weight of history in their favor, with seven out of seven in previous matches in the Cup.
Barça entrusts itself to its star Nikola Miroticwho missed the first part of the regular season due to injury but has been adding minutes since the tenth and looking for his best version, which earned him the MVP of the last Copa del Rey.
Mirotic’s, Higgins or the Spanish you open They are some of the faces that remain from a renewed Barça. Unicaja is not far behind in terms of renewal, which maintains the Spanish internationals as flagships Darío Brizuela and Alberto Díazfixed in the calls for Spain in the FIBA ’windows’ and brand new European champions in 2022.
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Lenovo Tenerife – Gran Canaria, Friday 6:30 p.m.
On Friday the second part of the draw opens with a Canarian derby between Lenovo Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Fourth against seventh in the standings with the balance somewhat more tilted in favor of the people of Tenerife, who arrive in a great emotional moment after raising their third Intercontinental Cup.
If in others we have highlighted renewal, what characterizes Tenerife is consolidation. hand in hand Chus Vidorreta and supported by the seniority of Marcelinho Huertas and Giorgi Shermadiniamong others, the team has ceased to be a revelation of the ACB to gain a place among the greats.
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For its part, Gran Canaria’s commitment to renewal starts from the bench with the arrival this season of the Slovenian Jaka Lakovican old acquaintance of the Spanish fans as a player who has already managed to put the team among the eight best in the Cup. But among his weapons he also has the experience of the Argentine Nico Brussinowho arrives with the ‘MVP’ for February in the regular league under his arm.
Joventut – Cazoo Baskonia, Friday 21:30
And the match of the host of the tournament, the youthagainst him Baskonia from Vitoria, seventh against third with three wins away in the regular league standings. Advantage, a priori, for the 2009 champions due to previous results and potential of the squad.
The match closes the round and offers the fans a classic between two hundred percent basketball clubs. The ‘Penya’ arrives with the leadership of the Spanish international Pau Ribas and from Croatian Ante Tomic35 years old, a veteran of the ACB living a second youth in Badalona after passing through Madrid and Barça.
Baskonia’s threat comes from outside the area, with Markus Howard and Daulton Men among the best shooters in the league. Those of Joan Peñarroya tend to be among the ones that gather the most fans in the Cups, which together with the status of host of Joventut means that the atmosphere in the Badalona stands is expected to be spectacular.
