By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With the EuroLeague playoffs ending on Wednesday and even the NBA having an off day, there’s a strange calm all around the basketball world. Ιt’s like the stage is getting set for the Basketball Champions League showdown.
With Manresa facing MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg and Hapoel Holon testing the might of Lenovo Tenerife the safe bet is an all-Spanish final. After all, Bilbao, the host city of the Final Four, is already buzzing with the fans of the two Spanish contenders.
There’s a very interesting mix of young and old in this tournament, with Jonah Radebaugh and Chima Moneke bringing on much-needed freshness in the second game of Friday night (21.00 local time), while in the first contest (18.00 local time) the point-gods duel of Marcelinho Huertas vs Joe Ragland is an all-time classic.
And speaking of all-time classic veterans, a shout-out to one of the top, trusty pros in the game, Tremmell Darden, who will have the chance to compete for the trophy with MHP Riesen at his 40 years of age is only fitting.
It’s the first time that the BCL is organizing a Final Four in a neutral venue and the stakes are more than high. However, if this relatively young competition has proved something so far, is that they always make things happen, thinking out of the box and pushing further the envelope.
That’s how they have already created their own path and their own legacy in European basketball.