Armani Milano – Virtus Bologna

Italian Lega Basket Serie A Finals Game 7
Milan, June 23, 20:30 CET

The basketball public in Italy has every right to expect that Armani Milano will defend the title against Virtus Bologna today, in the decisive seventh game of the Lega Basket Serie A final.
So far, the teams have relatively easily defended their home court in the finals. In the previous sixth game, an 85:66 defeat, Armani players were obviously saving their energy – aware that they will have a great chance for a historic triumph in game 7.
The final has brought great basketball so far, but it is also accompanied by a heated, bad atmosphere between the clubs and the fans. The epilogue is the situation in which Virtus president Massimo Zanetti announced, that he will have to travel to the match in Milan with four bodyguards... Everyone at Virtus expects that the "welcome" to the Milan arena will be very hostile.
On the other hand, the Armani Milano team is completely focused on basketball before the deciding match. The overall impression is that the famous coach Ettore Messina's team is more diverse, with more quality options that can take responsibility... But also capable of playing better quality defense, especially on their own field.
The best example is the 92:82 victory for Armani in the first match of the final in Milan on June 9 – but also the 79:72 victory, also at home, on June 19 (the fifth match of the final). Now it is expected that, against an already tired rival, the club from Milan could even routinely solve the duel and avoid uncertainty in the finale.
When it comes to home games, Armani is on a 12-game winning streak. The last time they were defeated in Milan was on April 2, against Venezia 76:73. Since then, coach Messina's team has significantly improved their form, above all in attack... And the reason for that is the fact that some important players have recovered from injuries.
Shooters Shields and Napier are expected to take responsibility and lead the home team, while Italian forwards Melli and Datome will play a key role in defense. Playmaker Napier played his worst game in the last few months in the previous match in Bologna (five points and four assists) - he will certainly play better in the seventh game of the final.
For Virtus Bologna, it is crucial that Italian NBA star Belinelli plays well and effective again, but Armani has enough excellent defenders to stop him. Controlling rebounds could significantly ease the host's path to victory, and this is significantly easier to do on the home court.
Anything but Armani winning the 30th title of Italian champions in this match would be a big surprise. They know it in both camps, so a loss in this match for Virtus would not even be treated as a failure...