Coach Banchi’s team qualified for the Playoffs as first seed in the final grid with 22 wins and 8 defeats. One more than last year when the Vu Nere closed the regular season in second place. Also this year in the match against Milan the difference lies entirely in the direct clashes, which last year with the same number of victories (23) rewarded the Milanese. In the season just ended, the Bolognese deservedly finished ahead despite “only” 22 victories. So where was the substantial difference between the two teams?
The numbers challenge
The Vu Nere who will face Tortona in the quarter-finals have recorded a season which, even on a numerical level, sees them dominate in the main statistics, hence the confirmation that for Virtus the statistics confirm the results. Belinelli and his teammates closed the regular season with the best attack in the LBA (88.9 points) thanks also to the five times in which they reached and exceeded 100 points. On an offensive level, the Black Vu confirm their dominance with 22 Assists, 109.5 rating, 59% from two points and 50.3% from the field, in addition to the 12.1 Plus-Minus. Precisely in the last item mentioned, Banchi’s team doubles that of Messina, which closes with a 5.9 Plus-Minus.
Even in the advanced statistics, in particular in the net rating item (difference between offensive and defensive ratings), we find the Juventus number 17 towering above Brescia’s 11.7 and Milan’s 8.6. As well as the 121.7 points per 100 possessions that Belinelli and his teammates recorded: 117.9 for Brescia and 112.3 for Milan. However, Olimpia achieved the best defensive figure over 100 possessions with 103.8 conceded compared to 104.7 for Pajola and his teammates. For Virtus the statistics confirm the result of the first position which could have arrived even more calmly with a few fewer missteps like those recorded against the relegated Brindisi and Pesaro. But now it’s time for the Scudetto Playoffs and everything will take on new balances.
Source: Luca Aquino – Corriere di Bologna
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