The Game is calling

May 24, 2012

Flavio Tranquillo

The Game is calling

Boys, it's about time. I'm getting increasingly restless; I can't wait for the big show to get started. The memories of Prague are still fresh in the minds of those who love the game, capital "G" please. The Game will be the only sure winner in Athens. The Game is bigger, stronger and better than everybody else, and the team that will honor its spirit best will emerge as European champion. What are you asking for? The name of this team? Wow, now this is tough to say. So many angles to study, and the intriguing Final Four formula that leaves a lot of room for surprises and coups...

Generally speaking I would say Panathinaikos and CSKA should get 2-3 percentage points more than the other two teams if this was a best-of-five or best-of-seven playoff. But the beauty of this thing is that it's really up for grabs, and it's not a cliche. Tau played brilliant basketball all season long and it has in the past done something painful and necessary in order to to win a Final Four, i.e. to lose a Final Four (like CSKA did in the past before winning last year). Unicaja is in a very peculiar state of mind, and though I'm sure Sergio Scariolo would sell his soul to the devil for the privilege of getting Daniel Santiago back. I'm equally sure he'll have everybody else super-motivated and super-concentrated. These teams are battle-tested, experienced, deep and balanced.

Panathinaikos will definitely have homecourt advantage, but with that comes an immense pressure, and especially in the first game it will be hard to cope with. CSKA knows what this is all about. Messina, Langdon, Smodis, Holden and many others are Final Four veterans who thrive in big games, but being the defending champions they also will have an additional weight to shoulder. Mentally, I like Unicaja, offensively I like Tau, defensively I like CSKA, in terms of overall strength and balance I tend to favor Panathinaikos. So many reasons to pick any one of these four teams. I really can't decide. It's gonna come down to two or three key plays, to small things, details and preparation. The Game is as wonderful as it is cruel, especially on the big stage. You need maturity to enjoy it, and I'm sure this will be another weekend to remember, just like the one we experienced in Prague last year. Again, I can't wait to get started. The Game is calling... Enjoy the Final Four.

POSTED BY

Flavio Tranquillo - Athens, Greece

DATE:

Thursday, May 03, 2007