Barça starts playoffs without leaving Palau

Barca face their final hurdle today against Olympiacos ahead of the Final Four in Berlin. Minimum three games, maximum five to finish among the top four teams on the continent for the fourth season in a row. A big success for the Barça team if they can overcome the draw with the Greeks: with a new coach and a newcomer to the elite, without the figure that took them to three previous finals, and after cutting Barça’s budget by more than 13 million. back to where I was. At the gates of the Final Four.

There are no significant progress at the sports level. Everyone is healthy, everyone is available, so Grimau will have to exclude two players. Obviously, now is not the time for rotations and rest, so Paulie and Parra are the ones with the most points today for not dressing poorly.. Especially considering the internal strength of the Greeks, who are capable of both scoring inside and destroying the paint on defense. Vesely and Willie will be responsible for sticking inside, but Nnaji could be an alternative. at some point during the crash. However, two players from the Greek side were injured. And it’s not just two: Costas Papanikolaou and Thomas Walkup. The first one is suffering from a viral infection and has not traveledtherefore, he will probably miss the first two games of the series. The second thing, with back problems, is doubt.

Whether Walkup makes the final squad, which will be announced an hour before the game, Barca hold the key to winning the game. The first is environmental: Palau Blaugrana. Blaugranas They had their best regular season at home since the format change. 15 wins and only two losses, which gives even more value to the track coefficient achieved during the season. If there is a fifth game, it will be in Barcelona, ​​another point in favor of Barca..

On a purely athletic level, the coaching staff understands that they need to run and speed up the game as much as possible. Olympiacos is the EuroLeague team that plays the fewest possessions per game.speeding up time and being patient to find the best shot. In five against five they are better than the rest. But if he Barca defend well and move quickly to destroy the Greeks. And the inclusion of Ricky adds a lot in that sense. Playmaker El Masnou, who played a key role in the last match against Real Madrid, is ideal to start his team. This can be a deciding factor, especially in the high-profile duels that he enjoys. With his arrival, Barça to a certain extent turned from a contender to a favorite. But this needs to be demonstrated on the track.

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