Last day of school for LBAwhich will see the regular season end with this thirtieth round. Exactly like seven days ago, everyone on the pitch at the same time to give meaning to all the matches.
LBA- Sunday 05 May
Banco di Sardegna Sassari – UNA Hotels Reggio Emilia at 6.15pm on DAZN.
Reggio flies to Sassari to defend its fifth position from the assaults of Pistoia and Trento. He will do it without Smith, still absent, and against a Dinamo who will want to close a cycle (most likely a summer revolution) by giving joy to their fans. The duel of this match will be between Galloway and Tyree, two who have demonstrated their ability to score often and willingly. We’ll see if the coaches have set up any particular defense to limit their offensive danger.
Generazione Vincente Napoli Basket – Givova Scafati Basket at 6.15pm on DAZN.
Campania derby between two disappointed teams in the championship. Naples, after the Italian Cup, imploded, sensationally failing to qualify for the playoffs, while Scafati experienced yet another season of ups and downs, on and off the pitch. Victory in the derby would make the end of the season less bitter for both, but the objectives were decidedly more important. On the pitch, we expect sparks in the confrontation between Gentile and Zubcic, the cover faces of their respective teams. Who knows, maybe the derby atmosphere will make us experience a no-holds-barred duel (on the pitch) with some crazy plays.
NutriBullet Treviso Basket – Bertram Derthona Tortona at 6.15pm on DAZN and DMAX.
Both desperately need to win. A success for Treviso would mean certainty of salvation, otherwise we will have to understand what Pesaro, busy with Venice, is doing. In the event of arriving on equal points with the Marches, the latter would be the ones to save themselves. For Tortona, however, there is a need to try to improve on eighth place, which would give the “prize” a quarter-final against Virtus or Olimpia Milano, not exactly the opponents you would like. To reach seventh place, which would still give one of the two aforementioned as opponents, the Piedmontese must win in Treviso and hope for Trento’s KO in Bologna, which could happen.
Umana Reyer Venezia – Carpegna Prosicutto Pesaro at 6.15pm on DAZN.
Venezia has nothing to ask from this match, other than to avoid injuries in view of the playoffs and, perhaps, to get the second lines running in with a view to the ride that will begin shortly. Without the suspended Tucker, the attack will weigh on the shoulders of Spissu and Kabengele, who will have to use all his strength against a long unit certainly not at his level. Pesaro has only one objective: to win and then hope. Cinciarini knows how to save himself at the last second, but he will need the support of McDuffie and Foreman to drag him to something that would seem miraculous.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Dolomiti Energia Trentino at 6.15pm on DAZN and Eurosport 2.
Virtus wants to win to lock down first place, which has often been decisive in subsequently winning the tricolour, so it will field the best possible version to achieve this objective. Be careful, however, of Trento, who might try to ruin the party. To avoid a remake of the first round of the playoffs, coach Galbiati’s team absolutely needs to win, and will rely on the Hubb-Baldwin-Mooney trio to try to put the Virtussino external department in difficulty. A success at the Segafredo Arena, together with the contemporary KOs in Pistoia and Reggio Emilia, would propel Trento to fifth place in the final.
Estra Pistoia – OpenJobMetis Varese at 6.15pm on DAZN.
Tuscans chasing fifth place, which would come with a success over the now safe Varese and the KO in Reggio Emilia. This is a match that promises to be a very high pace, given the talent in the external department of the two teams. Also pay attention to the Varnado factor, an increasingly important piece on the Pistoia chessboard. At Varese there will be a lot to do, especially defensively: Spender will be called to an important test to limit a physical and powerful center like Ogbeide, trying to give an open field to the incursions of Mannion and McDermott.
Germani Brescia – Happy Casa Brindisi at 6.15pm on DAZN.
Brescia still has a glimmer of hope to grab second place. To do so they must overcome a Brindisi team that ended its season with the painful relegation that occurred seven days ago. Coach Magro must rediscover the good feelings of his players in view of the playoffs, while for Brindisi closing with a success would (perhaps) make the farewell to the championship less bitter. It will be interesting to see the duels between Massinburg and Sneed, two who are often decisive for the fate of their respective teams, without underestimating Washington’s contribution to Brindisi, a very inconvenient client.
Vanoli Basket Cremona – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at 6.15pm on DAZN.
In the Vanoli household it will be the evening of the celebration for the salvation achieved, but why not celebrate by trying to escape Milan? After all, dreaming costs nothing. The match will be complicated by coach Cavina’s short rotations, which could give space to all the heroes of this salvation. For Milan the match is very important: a victory would keep, in the worst case scenario, Ettore Messina’s team in second place, dodging Brescia’s assault. And if Virtus were to fall in front of its fans against Trento, there could be a last-minute overtaking for first place.
Stefano Sanaldi
Image credits: Ciamillo-Castoria
