The accounts of the ‘Top 8’ for Baskonia

With five days to go before the conclusion of the regular phase of the Euroleague, the swords are still high among the contenders for the Top 8so this final stretch is exciting among those involved in the fight to play the crosses prior to the Final Four.

Seeing how the Euroleague is going, everything indicates that with 19 wins the pass to the playoffs would be guaranteed, but even with 18 it could be enough if they have favorable averages, as is the case with Baskonia.

And it is necessary to take into account that the team from Vitoria has won four of the five averages against their direct rivals – Valencia and Efes after winning both games, while against Maccabi and Zalgiris by difference in points and He has only lost it against Partizan also by points, having won one and lost the other. In this way, except for a single draw with those from Belgrade, in the rest of the double, triple or quadruple matches, those from the Buesa Arena would end up ahead.

The Buesa has the key

Therefore, if as it seems with 18 victories you reach the Top 8, Baskonia would need to add three more wins in these last five days. Joan Peñarroya’s troops have the Red Star left in Belgrade this week, after three straight home games against Alba Berlin, Fenerbahce and Asvelbefore closing this first phase in Athens against the current leader of the competition, Olympiacos.

Based on the Baskonia calendar, the easiest option to reach the Top 8 is through Buesa. If Baskonia, which has only lost three of its 14 home games –Olympiacos, Barça and Monaco– maintains its solidity under the protection of its public, it would return to the crossroads. Yes indeed, In the event of a setback at home, the team from Vitoria would be obliged to win either in the hell of Belgrade against Dusko Ivanovic’s Red Star or in the complicated Piraeus against Olympiacos.

These are the accounts. And it seems very complicated that all the applicants who have options to reach 19 victories are going to do it seeing the poisoned end of the competition that they must face. A priori, the fight is between six teams for three places, those that go from sixth to eleventhsince in principle Fenerbahce, fifth with 17 victories, should have no problem qualifying, while behind Virtus, with 13, would be forced to a plenary session and another series of caroms to enter.

Therefore, the fight is between Maccabi, Partizan, Baskonia, Zalgiris, Valencia and Efes, which are the teams that occupy the positions from sixth to eleventh in this order. The first two have the slight advantage that they have already achieved 16 wins, so two more would supposedly be worth it.

the calendars

El Maccabithe best home team in the Euroleague with only two defeats in 14 games, tIt also has in its favor that three of the five remaining duels are before its public since they receive the two Italian teams with no options and on the last day a Real Madrid perhaps with nothing at stake, in addition to visiting an affordable Asvel this week and playing the penultimate day in Kaunas against a direct rival like Zalgiris . He has it in his hand.

The Partizan they have also paved the way after their spectacular victory against Efes in Istanbul last week. And it is that Although his remaining rivals are fearsome -Olympiacos, Barça, Madrid and Monaco-, he has the advantage that he will play against the first three in the boiler of the Stark Arena in Belgrade, while he should only play away against the Monegasque team, since the regular season also ends at home against an evicted Panathinaikos. Therefore, it would be worth it for them to add the victory against the Hellenic team and another one in some of the four remaining clashes.

For his part, Zalgiris now has two very difficult games against Fenerbahce away and Monaco at home, teams that are playing finish in the top four. Then they receive two direct rivals –Valencia and Maccabi– to end up in Munich against a Bayern with nothing at stake. Three victories are possible, but it may not work for the Baltics.

Valencia and Efes, forced to the plenary session

Finally, Valencia and Efes, both with many lost averages, would practically be forced to win all five if the rest of the rivals in the fight reach 18 winssince four victories would leave them at that figure and everything indicates that they would be left out.

Looking at the calendar Valencia, who has Monaco, Red Star, Zalgiris and Barça left at homeIn addition to the Virtus at home, the full session seems impossible, something also complicated for an irregular Efes, to which the two Italians and Monaco remain in Istanbul, these in an already equally inconsequential day, in addition to visits to Alba and a hot derby against Fenerbahce. Everything to decide.