There is still no set date (it will be the week of April 22), but Barça already knows its rival in the Euroleague quarterfinal play-off. Roger Grimau’s team fell to Asvel Villeurbanne in the last and inconsequential day (76-72) and will face Olympiacos, who won the Fenerbahçe of Jasikevicius after an extension (84-81). The Barça rival is the current runner-up of the tournament and finished fifth in this edition, so Barça will have the home court factor in its favor by being fourth. The series will be five games.
The Greek team does not have, however, the strength that it exhibited last season where it reached the final, which it lost to Madrid. Furthermore, the last two precedents of this same Euroleague are favorable to the Grimau team, which won at the Palau (86-78) and then repeated the victory in Piraeus (68-77). And, furthermore, Bartzokas’ Olympiacos no longer has two of its most important pieces: Sloukaswho went to Panathinaikos, and Vezenkovwho accepted the call from the NBA to join the Sacramento Kings.
Possible classic in the semifinals
Barça will not only have the Palau’s home court advantage in their favor, but a possible classic is on the horizon if Madrid also wins in the quarterfinals. It would be a classic in the semifinals of the Final Four that will be held in Berlin (Germany) between May 24 and 26.
This Friday Barça lost the game they could have lost. It happened on the Asvel Villeurbanne court and by just a four-point margin, with Jokubaitis being the top scorer, with 12 points, followed by Oriol Pauli (9), James Nnaji (9) and Jan Vesely (9). The match before the big duel with Olympiacos had no history.
2024-04-13 13:37:42
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