Basketball: Decisive matches for Barça both at ACB League and Euroleague
Monday, March 10th, 2008
After Day 24 matches Barça is in fourth position at ACB League (17 wins and 7 defeats) and needs to improve this situation to obtain the best practical but also theoretical advantage at the play-offs when regular phase concludes on 9th May. The table at the regular season is commanded by Real Madrid (20-4) followed by DKV Joventut (18-6) and Tau Vitoria (17-7), the same than AXA Barça, when only 10 matches must be played before play-offs, of which Barça will play 5 at Palau Blaugrana. So the challenge for Barça is to improve their position in the table and approach as much as possible to the top. This seems possible because since Ivanovic (the severe coach) left the club most of the players are performing better and obtaining better figures.
At the Euroleague, and after Day 4 and 5 matches, Barça has been able to maintain the basket average in front Unicaja Malaga and Lottomatica Rome. In Malaga a last gap basket from Carlos Cabezas give Unicaja the win (62-61) but 64-62 Barça win in the Palau. In Rome and after having 7 points advance at minute 36 Lottomatica win (68-63) but far from 86-57 Barça win also in the Palau. In Rome it was AXA Barça’s third defeat in the Top 16 (two wins and three defeats) but has maintained the favourable basket average over both Unicaja and Lottomatica. So, the final match of this phase against CSKA in Barcelona will be decisive for Barça. Just a win over CSKA (already qualified) in this last match would automatically qualify AXA Barça for quarterfinals and the possibility to reach the Final Four phase to be played in May 2 and 4 at Community of Madrid Sport Palace.