By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nothing went right for AX Armani Exchange Milan in Game 1 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Quarterfinals best-of-five series versus defending champion Anadolu Efes. Game 2 continues the series today, Thursday (20:30 CET).
“We are coming off our worst game of the year, so we’ll need to show a more aggressive attitude and more pride,” said experienced tactician Ettore Messina previewing the second straight game in Milan’s Mediolanum Forum, “We owe this to ourselves, to our fanbase and to our owners.”
Certainly, an uphill battle for the Italian outfit, considering the multiple players forced to the sidelines. The most recent addition to the injury list was the former NBA player for the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, Nicolo Melli. The Italian big man will be sidelined for at least four weeks after picking up an injury on his right calf late in Game 1.
Already unavailable, Luigi Datome will be out for at least one more week. The former player of the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons underwent surgery on his left knee in early April.
Another key member of Messina’s squad, Konstantinos Mitoglou is suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in late March. In addition, Trey Kell is dealing with a leg injury.
After dropping the home-court advantage to Anadolu Efes, the team located in Milan can be potentially forced into a 2-0 deficit, which would be extremely difficult to overcome. The best-of-five series will move to Istanbul for Game 3 next Tuesday and Game 4 next Thursday, if necessary.
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net