Zadar - Crvena Zvezda
International - Liga ABA, Playoffs, Quarterfinal
Zadar will look for a chance to to make a good impression to the home crowd in almost surely the last home ABA league game this season, against the powerful team from the Euroleague, Crvena Zvezda.
Crvena Zvezda, on the other hand, showed in the first match of the quarterfinals (100:73 victory in Belgrade in the match played on April 28) - that they are determined to play serious basketball in every match until the end of the regional league season. The famous coach Dusko Ivanovic had a week and a half to prepare for the rematch in Dalmatia and, he will require a serious and precise approach to the game during all 40 minutes of play.
It is easy to expect a new impressive attacking edition of the Belgrade team, this time away in Zadar. It has been shown many times this season, that when Crvena Zvezda has enough time to prepare for the match, they play exceptionally well both in attack and defense. And so it was, almost without exception.
Crvena Zvezda is on a 12-game winning streak in all competitions, since losing to the powerful Euroleague team Barcelona 85:79 away on March 17. Since then, Dusko Ivanovic's team has won seven games with a double-digit margin, and has justified its role as the absolute favorite with convincing victories every time.
Since the end of the Euroleague season, in the middle of last month, Crvena Zvezda has achieved four convincing triumphs. The impression is that they are playing better and are already preparing for an exciting series of ABA League finals, against the biggest rival Partizan.
On the other hand, while Crvena Zvezda was preparing in the rhythm of strong training since April 28 and the previous match with Zadar - the Croatian team played two away matches in the domestic league. Zadar achieved convincing victories in those matches, but the fatigue factor could also mean a burden for the hosts in Dalmatia.
The faster rhythm of the match suits Zadar, but also Crvena Zvezda, especially now that all players have recovered, and the famous Argentine playmaker Facundo Campazzo is playing in exceptional form. The match may be uncertain (although a convincing triumph of the guests is also a very realistic option) - but the most realistic thing is to expect an extremely effective duel.
This season in the ABA league, Zadar scores an excellent 85.3 points per match, but receives as many as 86.4 points per game. Crvena Zvezda is a rival who will certainly know how to exploit the weak points of the opponent's defense, in the rhythm of the transition game. A large number of easy points from the counter could be expected from the guests, and an important factor in this is the playmaker Campazzo, who in the ABA league has 2.44 steals per game this season.
So far in the ABA league, Crvena Zvezda has a score of 28:13 in victories against Zadar, and in matches played in Croatia they are also more successful 11:9. This match is an opportunity to improve that score and secure a place in the semifinals of the regional competition.