By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With one round left in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, everything is pretty much decided about the playoff picture. While several mathematical chances can produce minor changes, even the likely lineup of the playoffs is quite clear.
Real Madrid (26-7) the top team in the standings, despite losing to Baskonia remains untouched. Meanwhile, Barcelona (22-11) has also secured a top-four finish thanks to Anadolu Efes‘ win over Fenerbahce.
Barcelona has the tie-breaker over Olympiacos (21-12), while Fenerbahce (20-13) can’t catch them anymore.
The home-court advantage questions
Panathinaikos (22-11) and Monaco (22-11) in theory remain in danger, but if they beat ALBA Berlin and Bayern Munich respectively in the last round, then they will get the 2nd and the 3rd position in the standings, pushing Barcelona to the fourth spot.
The only other team that can get in the top four is Olympiacos (21-12), however, only if Panathinaikos loses to ALBA, which seems highly unlikely at this point. If Panathinaikos beats ALBA, then a tie with Olympiacos is impossible and the Reds have the direct tiebreaker with two regular season wins only against the Greens, neither with Monaco or Barcelona. On the contrary, they have lost twice to Barcelona and Monaco has a better point difference against them.
The 5th and 6th spots
Olympiacos (21-12) will host Fenerbahce (20-13) in a direct showdown. The winner of the game most likely will end up in the 5th spot and the losing side to the 6th, since Fenerbahce has beaten the Greeks in Istanbul.
The Play-in tournament
The only open spot in the final standings practically remains the 10th position. Maccabi Tel Aviv (19-14) has locked the 7th spot, while Virtus Bologna hosts Baskonia with both teams having the same 17-16 record. The winner will finish in the 8th spot and the losing side will be either ninth or 10th.
So only one spot is left open and depends on Anadolu Efes (16-17). If the Turkish team beats Crvena Zvezda in Istanbul, then they will finish ninth in the final standings, having the tiebreaker both with Virtus and Baskonia.
If Efes loses to Zvezda, then Partizan (15-18) can get the 10th spot by beating Valencia. If both Efes and Partizan are defeated, then Milan (15-18) can get in, if they beat Maccabi.