BOLOGNA – It’s not true, but I believe it, at least a little… It may be a coincidence, but Virtus presents again on the eve of tonight’s match in Vitoria (8.30 pm, Sky Sport and Dazn TV) the exact same subjects speaking for the media of the Istanbul preview, that is Luca Banchi And Toko Shengelia. Nothing should be moved when things have gone like this. The scenario changes, from the Bosphorus to the Basque Country, but not the substance of a race without tomorrow: win or go home. The play-in from tenth in the standings requires a double step to reach the coveted playoffs. The first was the historic sack of Istanbul against a Eph which seemed unplayable. For the second, another test of maximum consistency is needed Baskonia, which passed to Bologna no later than April 12 at the regular season finale. He scored 95 with the seal of a libero Chima Moneke, injured his ankle a Belgrade and therefore out for tonight. «We have never cried before – He says Dusko Ivanovich, the hottest pintail in the west – so we won’t do it this time either. We are counting on ourselves, ready to take advantage of this opportunity for which we have fought all year.”
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Defend like in Istanbul
The key for Virtus is all here: defending like in Istanbul, fighting with the same ferocity. The numbers say it (93 conceded on average in the last eight away defeats; only 64 the other evening by Efes), but also the logic. Bologna has found a springboard after seven races in more or less free fall, and now has all the cards to continue its flight towards a grid where awaits it in case the Real Madrid, the very first on the list. The 15 thousand at the Fernando Buesa Arena are worth the same number of screaming fans silenced on Tuesday Istanbul. There Virtus the scenario of bookmaker odds has also changed: very unfavorable with Efes; almost on the same level as Baskonia this evening. He will all depend on her, finding the same pace that allowed her to move on to Vitoria in December as part of a streak of eight consecutive successes.
Banchi and Shengelia, the words
We were talking about Banchi and the Georgian. Here is the coach’s dictation to the notebooks: «Having earned the second match of the play-ins gives us the energy to replicate the intensity and continuity of Istanbul. Baskonia has enormous scoring talent and will want to make up for the defeat against Maccabi. We want to fight together for another strong performance.” Toko Shengelia is tuned to the same wavelength: «We know the meaning of this match well. We are ready and we demonstrated it with Efes. This means nothing if we are not able to confirm our identity with Baskonia too. Let’s take the field, do our best and come home with the victory.”
Without playoffs it would be a shame
After having traveled for a long time between second and third place in the rankings, it would be a shame not to enter the name of the Virtus on the playoff grid of Euroleague. An old bench lion like Zeljko Obradovic he said (in defeat) that he saw her as a possible participant in the Final Four in Berlin (May 24-26). The end of the season had sedimented widespread pessimism, swept away by last Tuesday’s monster performance. «It was a real undertaking – he says again Desks – because we were coming off seven defeats in a row, three of which were daring. However, they had not taken away our desire to amaze, nor our confidence. We find Baskonia again as if we were in a playoff series, after just one week. Different scenarios wouldn’t surprise me. We will need to further raise the level of defense and be even more lucid than Istanbul.”
Tags: Virtus lets raise level defense lucid Istanbul
