The hottest battle ever for the EuroLeague playoffs

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

We have five games remaining in the EuroLeague regular season and the battle of the playoffs is seriously heating up in possibly one of the most competitive years ever in the championship’s annals.

Think about it: Only one team (Barcelona) has mathematically secured a spot in the playoffs.

Anadolu Efes, Olimpia Milano and CSKA Moscow are expected to follow Barcelona in the postseason while seven other teams that are currently ranked from spots 5 to 11 will put up a major fight for the remaining four playoffs tickets: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Beko, Zenit St. Petersburg, Baskonia, Valencia and Zalgiris Kaunas.

Bayern Munich

The Bavarian team is one of the biggest surprises in the 2020-21 EuroLeague thanks to the work that is being done by Andrea Trinchieri and the performances of such players as Wade Baldwin, Vladimir Lucic and Jalen Reynolds.

Bayern has a 18 – 11 record and it will be extremely unlikely for them to not advance to the playoffs for the first time in the history of the club, despite a difficult schedule.

Next five games:
Efes* 19/3
Valencia 25/3
Fenerbahce* 30/3
Zalgiris* 1/4
Barcelona 9/4
*at home

Real MADRID

Real Madrid has been plagued by injuries, was hurt with Facu Campazzo’s departure for the Denver Nuggets and some of the veteran players are getting older. Still, the team has experience, Pablo Laso knows the way to victories and Edy Tavares is doing some tremendous stuff on both ends of the floor to secure that the team is in the playoffs game despite numerous problems.

Their schedule is tricky but the Blancos can avoid any traps.

Next five games:
CSKA Moscow* 18/3
ASVEL Villeurbanne 25/3
Efes* 30/3
Olympiacos* 2/4
Fenerbahce 9/4
*at home

Fenerbahce

Back in December, the 7th spot looked more like a fantasy for Fenerbahce that was heavily struggling and facing one defeat after the other. Since that blowout loss to Zalgiris Kaunas, the Turkish powerhouse has registered 12 wins in 14 games, turning everything upside down.

Marko Guduric‘s arrival has helped Fener immensely and Nando De Colo with Jan Vesely have built quite the chemistry for Igor Kokoskov’s team. Their squad still needs to capture some victories to mathematically secure a playoffs spot. One positive thing for Fener is that they have the tiebreaking advantage vs. Baskonia while, on the other hand, they have some tough battles to give.

Next five games:
Zalgiris* 18/3
Olympiacos 25/3
Bayern 30/3
Barcelona* 2/4
Real* 8/4
*at home

Zenit St. Petersburg

Zenit has a 16 – 2 record but a game against Panathinaikos at home yet to be played. This is quite the opportunity for Xavi Pascual’s team to add another precious win in its race to make the playoffs.

The Russian team’s overall schedule is far from easy and the game that is marked is the upcoming clash vs. Baskonia that may prove to be a decisive one.

Next five games:
Baskonia* 18/3
Khimki 25/3
CSKA * 30/3
ASVEL * 2/4
Maccabi* 8/4
Panathinaikos** 12/4
*at home
**postponed

Baskonia

Baskonia got six wins in the last seven games to strengthen its playoff chances and they still have a mountain to climb to reach the peak that will send them to postseason.

As mentioned above, the match vs. Zenit is crucial for Baskonia and has the character of a “Final”, more or less, for them.

Next five games:
Zenit 18/3
Milano* 26/3
Panathinaikos 30/3
Efes* 2/4
Valencia* 8/4
*at home

Valencia

Valencia has gone through a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of months and this is a reason that they now stand on a 15 – 14 record.

One of positive thing for Valencia is that they don’t face any powerhouse in their upcoming games and that’s one opportunity that they can take advantage of to reach the playoffs for first time since 2011.

Next five games:
Khimki 19/3
Bayern* 25/3
Olympiacos* 31/3
Alba 2/4
Baskonia* 8/4
*εντός

Zalgiris Kaunas

In the first season of the post-Saras era, Zalgiris Kaunas is once again fighting for a playoffs spot. Their schedule includes some challenging trips (vs. Fenerbahce – that may want to take revenge for that loss in Kaunas, and Bayern Munich) but also three games at home that are must-do for the Lithuanian side.

Next five games :
Fener 18/3
Maccabi* 25/3
Alba* 30/3
Bayern 2/4
Panathinaikos* /4
*at home

The teams’ record is one thing but the tiebreakers between them may be the one that will ultimately determine who gets to the playoffs and who doesn’t. Here are the results, so far.