BallinEurope is sorry that CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos, finalists of that wonderful 2012 Euroleague Final Four (among this associationas best competitions ever a and readers know simply how much BiE hates sports-historical hyperbole) wonat reach repeat their matchup in the climactic game again this year, but at the very least we get a heckuva vengeance game on Thursday. Once again, Olympiacos gets into as underdog of both this fit and to simply take the tourney a but this out, press members (by which BiE means an majority, including BiE) wonat be expecting a bunch of overachievers to be steamrolled by squads apparently more talented in writing. Doesnat it still appear to be the components are typical in Moscowas benefit, though? Here are BiEas five key questions going into the London grudge matcha a How great can the emotional effectation of last yearas title game be? Olympiacos results eight people from last seasonas Moscow-upsetting success group, including one of them Vassilis Spanoulis, Giorgios Printezis, Kyle Hines, Acie Law and Pero Antic. CSKA returns six, including Milos Teodosic, Nenad Krstic, Viktor Khryapa and Sasha Kaun. Many observers will doubtlessly be factoring in the excess stress put on The Red Army to avenge that dissatisfaction a heck, the big league it self has MVP nominee Krstic saying on the state site that the aloss against Olympiacos was the toughest reduction on the membership level within my whole career a and I see this being an chance to return at Olympiacos for last yearas defeat.a But BiE canat help feeling that even more significant is the possible good encouragement last yearas Greek personalities will love. For CSKA, the reliance upon the diamond-rare skill set of Andrei Kirilenko is out and Ettore Messina is in, but the Reds certainly believe the blueprint for success is there a and that lightning could strike twice in the Euroleague Final Four a a related note, may Bad Milos emerge again? Because his unforgettable turmoil (and of the whole CSKA part, to tell the truth) in last yearas Euroleague title game, BiEas been monitoring Mr. Teodosicas tasks in fourth groups and overtime periods. Milos experienced an additional problem to his name in the clutch back in late October, when CSKA blew a lead with 10 minutes remaining against Aalgiris Kaunas in VTB United League play to make their initial loss of 2012-13: Teodosic went 0-of-3 shooting with one assist and zero the rest for the reason that time. While Teodosic came to cause the aArmy over possible finalists FC Barcelona in December to shut out the EL year (albeit to a mathematically unnecessary result), but subsequent back-to-back Euroleague Las a' along side another disappearing act from Milos a had Ettore Messina lamenting he was ano Dr. Frankensteina vis-A-vis his PGas psychological problems. But didnat the playmaker redeem himself together with his amazing final stanza including two key threes in the quarterfinal ticket-punching Unicaja Malaga game that might have slipped away in March? Perhaps, but just like certainly CSKA backers must be slightly unnerved at needing to wonder which Milos shows up come do-or-die time. a small- (or smallish- )ball work with Olympiacos? Rafael Uehara of The Baseball Article observed Saturday on Twitter: With Perkinsas existence, Bartzokas really should contemplate lineups with Papanikolaou or Perperoglou at stretch-four. a Rafael Uehara (@rafael_uehara) May 6, 2013 The ever-prescient Rodhig (a.k.a. Rodney Higgins of Euro-Step; weall hear from him again) tweeted in response that aK-Pap may keep Khryapa from running on security & guard CSKA 1/4 pnr. Khryapa doesnat post up a whole lot so size doesnat matter.a True enough, the key to Khryapaas excellent personal success on offense this year has been much about his pick-and-roll play with Teodosic; on safety, his guile and Ettore Messinaas small capture plans have helped him to get to be the leagueas best help defense. Several groups have invested in pushing Khryapa in to playing solitude N, but Rodhigas competition that Papanikolaou is the person for the task is a great call. Yet would a good easily available Perkins (who didn't play in the semifinal round) enough? While a faster Olympiacos unit offering Doron Perkins and Papanikolaou or Perperoglou a' probably Antic-as-irritant might also be in the mixture a' may reject many possibilities which typically aid CSKA post perform, then thereas also thisa a How much can CSKA exploit Olympiacosa weaknesses in their halfcourt safety? A must-read over at Euro-Step tells of aThe Spectre Haunting Europe,a which may have now been quickly called aThe Spectre Haunting Olympiacos.a The piece begins from the following YouTube cut from the Fenerbahce Ulker seriesa aand continues to analyze specifically how the Redsa vulnerability to fast access travels and sometimes-slow rotations along with their typical hostility in fighting the ball handler can result in a straightforward short-range two (or easy dunk) when the help doesnat arrive. With the enormous frontcourt advantage CSKA features in this game, coach Bartzokas may have to rapidly introduce a modicum of patience in the halfcourt a and perhaps a of ESP once a veteran attention like Theo Papaloukas enters to operate things. a The bookies currently make CSKA a favorite; is that disability too large or too low? The Official BallinEurope Fearless Predictiona claims itas too low a' but just barely. BiE states CSKA has too many weapons, too much size and the instruction benefit. Ultimate score: CSKA Moscow 78, Olympiacos 70. Tags: CSKA Moscow, Ettore Messina, Euroleague, Euroleague 2012-13, Euroleague Final Four 2013, courageous predictions, Giorgos Bartzokas, Milos Teodosic, Olympiacos, Viktor Khryapa
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