The end of the EuroLeague season pushes Olimpia to focus only on the Italian championship even if in Treviso, in full swing for the playoffs, the team moved during the day, taking with it the weight of the European season. In any case, this is the last match played immediately after an international commitment. What makes it complicated is not only the opponent (Treviso after nine defeats maintained a pace that is well within the playoffs), animated by the need to collect the decisive successes for salvation, but also the conditions of the team that will have to do without of Maodo Lo, Devon Hall and Nikola Mirotic, all stopped over the last week. Consequently, the turnover is also actually forced, with three wingers (Napier, Shields and Valentine) and three forwards (Voigtmann, Poythress and Hines) supporting the Italians, all available. This is the penultimate away match for Olimpia. Anticipate two matches in a row at the Forum, against Scafati and Brescia. Currently, they occupy second position in the standings, one victory behind leaders Brescia to face at the Forum, but tied with Bologna who have the advantage in head-to-head matches. Fluid situation in which the ranking positions from first to fourth fluctuate, which increases the importance of every single race, starting with this one.
NOTE – Nutribullet Treviso-EA7 Emporio Armani Milano-Dolomiti Energia Trento will be played on Sunday 14 April at 5pm at the Palaverde in Treviso. Live streaming on DAZN.
THE REFEREES – Roberto Begnis, Denny Borgioni, Christian Borgo.
COACH MARIO FIORETTI – “After a difficult start, Treviso maintained a very good team pace against which we will have to be ready for a quality defensive performance especially against their guards both in counterattack, pick and roll and isolation situations. Furthermore, it will be important to do a good job against the perimeter talent of Allen and Olisevicius and against the rebounding physicality of Paulicap. In attack, once again controlling the pace and playing together against different types of defense will be fundamental to winning the match.”
Diego Flaccador
THE NUTRIBULLET TREVISO – Treviso is looking for victories and salvation. They have two games ahead of Brindisi and Pesaro, and a treacherous calendar because, after Olimpia, they will also have to face Venice and Tortona as well as Varese away from home. It’s possible that all it takes is a victory. The team is worth more than the ranking it occupies: after losing the first nine games, it has put together a record of 10-7 and therefore a playoff pace. Some changes to the roster were also decisive with the additions of Justin Robinson, playmaker from Breogan Lugo in Spain, with 43 appearances in the NBA, and Osvaldas Olisevicius, a Lithuanian winger who spent two seasons in Reggio Emilia before arriving in Treviso. Robinson is averaging 9.4 points and 3.8 assists; Olisevicius, who generally starts at small forward in the quintet but then also moves to power forward, is the team’s leading scorer (14.8 points per game) and captures 5.2 rebounds on average. The quintet is usually completed by Ky Bowman in the guard role (13.5 points per game) and by the two big men, Terry Allen (11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds per game, 61.3% from two but also with a propensity to shoot from outside) and Pauly Paulicap (8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, 65.2% two-point shooting). The sixth man is D’Angelo Harrison, formerly of Brindisi like Bowman, a winger averaging 12.4 points and 3.7 rebounds. Alessandro Zanelli (5.7 points on average, 39.4% from three) is another dangerous element, especially when shooting, starting from the bench as is Andrea Mezzanotte (5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds on average). Winger Leonardo Faggian and center Gora Camara can help when needed.
Alex Poythress
THE PREVIOUS VS. TREVISO – Technically, today’s Treviso is not an emanation of the old Benetton, so this would only be the tenth match between the two clubs, the ninth in the league to which must be added the Super Cup quarter-final played in Bologna in 2021. However, considering it the legitimate heir of Benetton , there are 81 precedents with results in favor of Olimpia 46-35, 30-8 in Milan, 15-27 in Treviso, 1-0 on a neutral pitch. The teams also met in four playoff series. In 1988/89 Olimpia ended 2-0 in the quarter-finals for the first time; in 1998/99, Treviso won 3-0 again in the quarterfinals; in 2004/05, semi-final, Olimpia won 3-2; the following year in the quarterfinals the result was reversed, 3-2 for Treviso. In the last four years the record is 9-1 for Milan, 8-1 in the league.
THE TREVISO CONNECTION – Ettore Messina coached in Treviso for three years, during his time at Benetton, winning a scudetto and reaching a EuroLeague final in 2003, defeated against Barcelona away. In those three years he won the Italian Cup three times. The current team inherited the role of Pallacanestro Treviso despite being a completely new club. Giordano Bortolani played in Treviso on loan two seasons ago, winning among other things the FIBA BCL best young player trophy. Bortolani scored 11.8 points per game in the championship, 354 total points in 30 appearances with Treviso.
Shavon Shields
2024-04-13 17:18:28
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