Six and a half months and 34 days after its start, the 2023-24 Euroleague enters its most exciting phase today. The eight best teams after the ‘regular season’ will face off in the quarterfinal playoffs starting this afternoon, with the winners earning a ticket to the Final Four to be played from May 24 to 26 in Berlin. Real Madrid, Panathinaikos, AS Mónaco and Barça start with an advantage, having the home field factor in their favor after finishing in the first four positions of the regular season.
Real Madrid appear as strong favorites for the title after posting their best record since the Euroleague introduced the 34-game league in 2016. The whites, who have won 27 games and lost just 7, meets at the crossroads with a Baskonia that did not enter the playoffs until last Friday, when it won the last play-in game against Virtus Bologna (89-77).
The Basque team arrived more tired for tonight’s game (9:00 pm) and in the absence of Chima Moneke, who has not yet recovered from his ankle injury. But without the Nigerian he was able to beat Virtus and compete very well this Sunday in Malaga (95-91). In Madrid they also do not forget that Baskonia beat them in their last visit to the WiZink Center (91-95) a few weeks ago. “We have to believe in our possibilities. “This is an important event for us after many years,” said coach Dusko Ivanovic, remembering that his team had gone five years without reaching the playoffs.
Another rivalry in the opening of the playoffs will be played between Panathinaikos, second in the standings, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, seventh, starting at 7:00 pm The Greeks come into the game having won their last nine home games in the Euroleague, but Maccabi had already surprised them in their last visit to Athens, something only two teams have achieved this season.
On Wednesday it will be the turn of Barça-Olympiacos and AS Mónaco-Fenerbahçe. The Blaugrana beat the Piraeus team in their two matches this season (86-78 at home and 68-77 away) and will also have a tiebreaker at home but they do not trust an opponent who finished the stage best. regularly, with ten wins in the last eleven games.
Euroleague 2023-24
playoff schedule
MATCH 1
Today
19.30 Panathinaikos-Maccabi Tel Aviv
21.00 Real Madrid-Baskonia
Tomorrow
19.00 AS Monaco-Fenerbahçe
21.00 Barça-Olympiacos
MATCH 2
Thursday 25
20.15 Panathinakos-Maccabi Tel Aviv
21.00 Real Madrid-Baskonia
Friday the 26th
19.00 AS Monaco-Fenerbahçe
21.00 Barça-Olympiacos
MATCH 3
Tuesday the 30th
19.00 Maccabi Tel Aviv-Panathinaikos
20.30 Olympiacos-Barça
Wednesday 1
19.45 Fenerbahçe-AS Monaco
20.30 Baskonia-Real Madrid
MATCH 4
Thursday 2
18.45 Olympiacos-Barça
20.45 Maccabi Tel Aviv-Panathinaikos
MATCH 5*
Wednesday 8
Fifth game (schedule to be determined)
The
if they are needed
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
