QUARTERS, 3-0 RECORD – For the first time in the last 10 editions of the playoffs, 4 quarter-final series ended at 3-0. Since the two scoreboards existed (2021), the 3-0s had been 3 in 2021, 1 in 2022 and 2 in 2023.
QUARTERS, NO GAME 5 – Another curiosity: it had never happened that all the quarterfinal matches ended no later than Game 4. Game 5 came 2 times in 2021, 3 times in 2022 and in 1 series in 2023. Extending the analysis from the beginning of the LNP era (2014), a quarter-final round without Game 5 only happened in 2017 and in 2018.
THE RESULTS OF THE SERIES, IN PERCENTAGE – Series ending at 3-0 rise to 47%, the same percentage for those ending at 3-1. While the percentage of those who needed Game 5 drops to 34%.
ONLY ONE FIELD FACTOR MISSED, TURIN PAYS – Trieste was the only team capable of snatching the field factor from their opponent, in this case Torino in the Gold Scoreboard. It happened in the most statistically balanced series, the one comparing fourth to fifth. In the Silver, Verona (4)-Milan (5) ended 3-1 but 3 extra times were played in the 4 matches of the series.
TRIESTE LIKE FORTITUDO 2023 – Trieste equals what Fortitudo Bologna was capable of doing last year, in turn the only one capable of gaining home advantage in the quarterfinals, to the detriment of Cento. In 2022, however, all the seeded teams from the two tables reached the semi-finals.
GASPARDO, QUARTERS AS PROTAGONIST – The series with Juvi Cremona saw Raphael Gaspardo as the absolute protagonist for Old Wild West Udine. For him 20.7 points per game in 23.3 minutes, with 56% from 2 and 63% from 3 (5/8 overall), as well as 6.7 rebounds, with an extremely balanced distribution: 21 points in 22 minutes in games 1, 20 points in 26 minutes in the second game, again 21 in 22 minutes in game 3 won in Cremona, which gave the Friulian Bianconeri qualification to the semi-finals. In the regular season the 207cm winger, born in 1993, had only 4 games out of 32 over 20 points; for him averages of 9.9 points in 23.9 minutes in the first phase, 8 in 21 minutes in the clock.
3-0 YES, BUT BALANCED – Two of the four quarter-final series that ended at 3-0 actually saw a balanced performance, with matches concluded in the final minutes. This is the case of the success of Trieste, the only team to overturn the field factor, over Turin, with 3 victories with a total margin of 13 points (4.3 per match); the victory in game 2 in Turin was particularly important, with two triples in the last minute by Ariel Filloy and Eli Brooks, while in the third and decisive act, in Trieste, Reale Mutua had the equalizer twice in the last minute . Another hard-fought 3-0 was that of Real Sebastiani Rieti over RivieraBanca Rimini, with a total margin of 18 points, almost all of which came in the final part of game 3 in Rimini (+13 in the final for coach Rossi’s team, it was +5 on the eve of the ‘last period). The first two matches in Rieti ended with a total difference of 5 points for Real Sebastiani, author of important comebacks: victory by 1 in game 1, recovering from a -10 in the second quarter; and by 4 in game 2, recovering from a heavy -21 at the start of the second quarter.
THE CONSECRATION OF VERONESI – Assigeco Piacenza, without USA’s Malcolm Miller, surrendered honorably in 4 games against Trapani Shark, with a great series from Giovanni Veronesi. The winger born in ’98, 196 centimetres, averaged 19.8 points in 33.5 minutes in the 4 games, with the pearl of 30 points in the victorious game 3, with 8/13 from beyond the arc, scoring the triple in the Piacenza success in the last minute, from over 8 metres. For him a season of progressive growth in numbers: a first phase of 13.6 points in 25.4 minutes, a clock of 16.3 points in 27.2 minutes, further increasing his performance in the playoffs.
FORTITUDO, SEMI-FINAL WITH THE DEFENSE – Flats Service Fortitudo Bologna eliminates Treviglio in 3 games thanks also to the great impact of their defense. In the 3 games Gruppo Mascio was held to an average of 61.3 points (game 3 ended in extra time, only 51 points scored in 40 minutes). The scoring difficulties of coach Valli’s men are demonstrated by the low shooting percentages in the series (37% from 2, 26% from 3). In the regular season, Flats Service conceded 71.0 points per game in the first phase, 73.2 on the clock.
THE QUARTER-FINAL RECORDS – These are the individual records in the individual matches recorded in the quarter-finals. SILVER BOARD – Points: Ivan Buva (Tezenis Verona) 41, in game 1 against Milan. Rebounds: Chris Horton (Trapani Shark) and Brady Skeens (Assigeco Piacenza) 14, both in game 2. Assists: Matteo Fantinelli (Flats Service Fortitudo Bologna) 11, in game 2 against Treviglio. Evaluation: Aristide Landi (Wegreenit Urania Milano) 44, in game 1 in Verona. GOLD BOARD – Points: Lorenzo Tortù (Ferraroni Juvi Cremona) 28, in game 2 in Udine. Rebounds: Justin Reyes (Pallacanestro Trieste) 14, in game 3 against Torino. Assist: Lucio Redivo (Gesteco Cividale) 13, in game 1 on the Cantù pitch. Evaluation: Lorenzo Tortù (Ferraroni Juvi Cremona) and Federico Poser (Reale Mutua Torino), both in race 2.
