Partizan – Crvena Zvezda

ABA League Finals Game 1

Pistol Pete

The attacking potential of Crvena Zvezdais absolutely underestimated ahead of the big derby against Partizan, at the start of the final series of the ABA League.
The reigning champion is on a streak of 17 wins in all competitions, since losing away to one of the continent's best teams Barcelona 85:79 in the Euroleague on March 17.
The victories over Buducnost Voli in the ABA League semifinals were particularly impressive – in both matches, the "red and whites" scored over 93 points. Then the team easily defended the Serbian KLS title against FMP - in two games in which the key players were not overly burdened. The focus of the team of the famous coach Dusko Ivanovic was absolutely the preparation of this final against Partizan. After the team did not make it to the quarterfinals of the Euroleague, everyone at Crvena Zvezda is aware that this final will clearly show whether the season was successful.
Partizan, on the other hand, had problems in defense after a dramatic fight and defeat in the Euroleague quarter-final series against Real Madrid. In three of the previous six games, the team of the legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic received at least 83 points. And Crvena Zvezda is a much more potent attacking team than all those opponents.
In their previous match, on March 13 in Belgrade in the ABA league, Partizan won 92:81. Since then, Crvena Zvezda has significantly improved their form, the key players - playmaker Campazzo, guards Nedovic and Vildoza (due to a minor injury, his performance in the first match of the finals is questionable) - have played well. The key factor in the attack in the last month is the experienced center Mitrovic, not only in execution and in the pick-and-roll game, but also with assists.
On the other hand, Partizan certainly has an advantage in exciting final minutes, counting on the support of fanatical fans. Also, it seems that the main option in the attack - guard Punter, after several bad games, is slowly returning to form. For coach Obradovic, it is crucial that the center Lessort does not get into problems with fouls early, that the power-forward Smailagic makes good use of the minutes... And that the shooting rhythm, after a long time, is found by the forward LeDay.
During this season, Partizan did not play against Crvena Zvezda in such good form - so the host will be in for a big test at the start of the final.
The outcome, not only of this game but also of the entire final series, can depend a lot on the inspiration of the phenomenal Zvezda's playmaker Campazzo. It is easy to predict extremely effective matches in the rhythm of the transition game, which in the last quarter could "slow down" for a tactical fight until the last attacks.
In the semi-final match of the national cup on February 17, Crvena Zvezda won 83:75 - and defenders Campazzo, Vildoza and Nedovic were unstoppable. When everyone is healthy and fit, the defense of teams like Partizan cannot stop them, so the hosts will need attacking inspiration to secure a triumph.

The basketball Expert

Partizan qualified for the ABA League Finals tougher than predicted. They unexpectedly had to play three games in both best-of-three series against Studentski Centar and Cedevita Olimpija. From mid-December until the end of the Euroleague, black and whites practically played "must win" games in that competition every week. When they finally made it to the quarterfinals, they experienced an unprecedented shock there. They didn’t manage to close the series against Real Madrid even though they had two breaks after first two games in Madrid. They led by 15 points with 11 minutes left in Game 5, but even that wasn't enough. It’s not easy to recover from such trauma. Mathias Lessort played over 30 minutes on average from October to January. He is visibly exhausted, but he will have to find some additional energy because he is irreplaceable in Zeljko Obradovic's system. The good thing is that Yam Madar and Alen Smailagic are playing their best basketball, while Zach LeDay is gradually returning to recognizable form.

Red Star showed a completely different face in the ABA League playoffs. They humiliated Buducnost in the semifinals with two gigantic wins. Head coach Dusko Ivanovic had a lot of time for practices in the past two months. He bases his basketball philosophy on exactly that and his team looks impressive on both sides of the floor. Red Star was top 5 defense in the Euroleague in terms of defensive rating, while now their offense also looks very good. Everything starts with the Argentine magician Facundo Campazzo, who is in charge for Red Star offense. It is important that Nemanja Nedovic finally plays in the expected rhythm, just like Luca Vildoza. Luka Mitrovic is in the best form in his career. He and Filip Petrusev could be the key players for coach Ivanovic because the most in this series depends on their battles under the hoop.

Partizan won the last title in the ABA league 10 years ago. Coach Obradovic took over the job with the goal to return beloved club to where they belongs. This is the most important series for black and whites in these two years. Breaks in the ABA League Finals are almost non-existent. The last visitor who won the match was Buducnost back in 2018. After that, the hosts achieved 18 consecutive wins. The previous three the ABA League Finals clearly ended with 3:2 score (five wins for the hosts) and it’s not impossible that it will be the same this time. It is true that Red Star has better momentum, but all that is erased when the players run out onto the floor. Partizan was the best offense in the Euroleague for a reason and it was no coincidence that they were one win away from the Final Four. For them, losing to Red Star in front of their fans is not an option. Expect Partizan to strike first.