Another classic against the curse: they never lifted the title after
The recurring collision between Real Madrid and Barça will peak again in a Final Four. Tonight (8:00 p.m., DAZN), in Kaunas, the eternal revenge between two teams that only understand each other from the extremes: success and failure will be shared at the Zalgirio Arena, on the banks of the Nemunas River. The repeat of the semifinal from a year ago in Belgrade; then the whites prevailed who, as tradition says, two days later lost the final.
Beyond past affronts and infinite accounts to settle, the classic measures two teams that have reached the Final Four with different ups and downs. Jasikevicius's Barça -the Lithuanian stands, without too much presence of Spanish fans, will be on their side- has not lifted a title for a year and a half and is looking for the third long-awaited Euroleague: they fell in the 2021 final and last year in semifinals. Perhaps the year with the least pressure, the Catalans have found their best path in recent weeks. The Cup already forgotten, with first place in the regular season secured in ACB, they swept Zalgiris in the quarterfinals and saved efforts. His only noteworthy casualty will be Cory Higgins and, in addition to Niko Mirotic, his threats go through the defensive experience of Jan Vesely, the genius of Laprovittola and the strength of Tomas Satoransky. “There is no going back, no favourites, no injuries or anything,” Saras proclaims in the preview.
That calm contrasts with the earthquake that shook Real Madrid in a quarter-final plagued by shocks, including a fight on WiZink, and that brought Chus Mateo's year I to the brink of the abyss.. The amazing comeback against Obradovic's Partizan, crowned with the historic fifth game, is the wave in which the whites arrive on top. “We can't grow up, but the way we passed has given us confidence,” says the coach, with his particular sudoku for the absences in the paint. In Kaunas he will face the challenge without the injured Deck and Poirier and without the suspended Yabusele.
Tavares, Muse and character
If Mirotic is the white challenge, Tavares seems like the problem for Barça. Also Dzanan Musa, who is making his debut in a Final Four and who has been included in the best five in the Euroleague, is presented as a threat, in addition to the eternal competitors Llull, Rudy and Sergio Rodríguez, who have already shown Partizan what they are capable of. despite his age. “You have to have more of a winning character than them,” launches Jasikevicius, at home in Kaunas, and that he will see them for the tenth time with a Mateo who, in the absence of Pablo Laso, already defeated him in the last ACB final. This season, Madrid lifted the Super Cup against the blaugrana, who won the Endesa League games and one of the two Euroleague games.
It is the ninth Final Four for Real Madrid, current runner-up, in 12 years. For Barça, which has only two titles (the last in 2010), it is the 17th presence since the format was introduced in 1988: only CSKA (19) boasts more times in the Final Four. And it will be the fourth time that both collide in a semifinal (1996, 2013, 2014 and 2022): the one who won never managed to win the Euroleague afterwards. A curse that extends to all Spanish teams. In 1992, Joventut lost the final in Istanbul after eliminating Estudiantes earlier. The same thing happened to Barça and Baskonia in 2006 and to Vitoria and Unicaja in 2007.
This time in the final, the winner of Olympiacos-Monaco will await (5:00 p.m.). The tradition of the Greeks, the best team in the regular season -with Vezenkov named MVP of the season-, and the surprise of the Monegasques. With Mike James at the helm and the financial support of Ukrainian tycoon Sergey Dyachenko, they have gone in eight years from being promoted to the French elite to playing in their first Final Four.