Cedevita Olimpija - Partizan
International - Liga ABA, Playoffs, Semifinal
The Basketball Expert
In the first semifinal game against Partizan on Sunday, Cedevita Olimpija had 20 offensive rebounds (27-7) and 15 field goal attempts (73-58) more. When something like this happens, it's almost impossible for a team to lose. Not only did Cedevita Olimpija lose, but Partizan beat them by 15 points (85:70). This best illustrates how bad the reigning champion of Slovenia looks. In this series, they are also without starting shooting guard Josh Adams due to injury. Yogi Ferrell has all the freedom in the offense and can make as many shots as he wants. Often, such an approach does not end well for Cedevita Olimpija. Alen Omic dominated under the basket with 17 rebounds on Sunday, but it will be very difficult for him to repeat that.
After two horror games in the series with Studentski Centar, Partizan found its best version again. First, they demolished the opponent from Podgorica in game 3, and then they played very well against Cedevita Olimpija. It is true that they had huge problems with rebounds, but everything else worked more than great. The ball went well in offense, while defensive intensity was one of the best in the entire season. Zeljko Obradovic's team didn’t want anything similar to the beginning of the previous series to happen again, and from the first second they started very aggressively. Partizan allowed only eight points to Cedevita Olimpija in the first quarter and that says it all. How dominant black and whites were, it’s also shown by the fact that coach Obradovic rested all important players in the fourth quarter.
With 7.1 rebounds on average, Mathias Lessort was the best in the Euroleague. After this dominance of Omic on the rebound, we should expect a serious reaction from the French center who will do everything he can to change things. In the previous two games, Partizan looked like the team that continuously won games in the Euroleague from February to May, while Cedevita Olimpija always looked the same. Their level of basketball was enough to get eliminated in the Eurocup group stage. Simply put, there is a huge difference in quality and in such an important match, we should expect another easy victory for Partizan. If they won by 15 points in a game where they had 20 less offensive rebounds, what can we expect when that number is similar?
Pistol Pete
As the absolute favorite, Partizan will look for a chance to win a place in the final series for the title already in Ljubljana, in the second match of the ABA league semi-finals against Cedevita Olimpija.
The Belgrade team has completely recovered mentally and physically after the loss in the dramatic Euroleague quarterfinal series against Real Madrid, at the beginning of the month. In the first match against Cedeviat Olimpija, the "black and whites" celebrated a routine 85:70 victory in the match played on Sunday in Belgrada. In their last four games in Ljubljana, Partizan lost - but now they seem like a much better team.
Partizan played an unexpectedly tough quarter-final ABA league series against Montenegrin team SC Derby. However, one gets the impression that Cedevita Olimpija is a team whose style of play is much more suited to the favorite from Belgrade, than SC Derby. First of all, the Slovenian team does not have quality options and athletes for a fierce battle under the basket.
Thus, Partizan managed to win on Sunday with a 15-point difference in a match in which the rival caught significantly more rebounds - but failed to use them for realization. Now the legendary Partizan's coach Zeljko Obradovic is publicly demanding that the team manages to control rebounds, so that the work in Ljubljana can be solved as soon as possible. Also, Obradovic consciously distributed the minutes of key players in the first match against Cedevita Olimpija, in order to rest them in the best way for this duel. The ambition of the Belgrade team is clear, to put an end to the best-of-2 semi-final series in game 2.
In the first part of the season in Ljubljana, on December 11, Cedevita Olimpija won against the weakened Partizan 77:74. Interestingly, after that match, the Belgrade team started a fantastic series of results, which paved the way to the first place in the standings ahead of the ABA league playoffs, but also to the quarterfinals of the Euroleague. That match ended the only real crisis in the "black and whites" game this season.
Excellent shooter Nunnaly scored 18 points on Sunday and led Partizan. Now a greater contribution will be expected from the team's leading scorer, the famous guard Kevin Punter (only five points in 20 minutes of the game in the 85:70 victory). Also, a significant contribution is expected from the starting center, the Frenchman Lessort (only two points in 19 minutes in the game on Sunday). These are the players who were selected to the best Euroleague teams this season.
Partizan has many more players who can punish the rival in transition - guards Exum and Madar (the young Israeli playmaker is in better and better shape), power forward LeDay, Greek forward Papapetrou... On the other hand, only guard Ferrell is a player who can attack the right way to start Cedevita Olimpija.
Experience, quality and continuity of excellent results are on the side of the guests - while in Slovenia few believe that the players of Cedevita Olimpija can even hope for a chance to win a place in the final series. Partizan scores as many as 92.8 points per game this season in the ABA league – and Cedevita Olimpija receives as many as 80.4 points per match. The fact that the home team won in the previous four matches in Ljubljana should not mislead - Partizan now has much better individuals and in a drastically better shape, in essence they cannot even be compared with their teams from those defeats.