An irrelevant defeat for Siena in the ninth and penultimate round of the Euroleague group, with the Tuscans surrendering in the final 78-73 to Olympiacos, holder of the cup and still unbeaten this season both at home and in Europe. An always fascinating match, played on the legendary Piraeus parquet, but without spectators, as a consequence of the riots that broke out on the pitch and in the stands during the match two weeks ago between the Greeks and Galatasaray, and which also led to the disqualification of two important players such as Begic (4 rounds off) and Printezis (3 rounds).
Mens Sana, for its part, had to give up its star Daniel Hackett at the last minute, but in exchange it found a great Erick Green, who with his 28 points contributed to the good performance of Crespi's team, always ahead throughout the game (with a maximum lead of +15 and who started the last quarter with 11 lengths on the hosts). Siena resisted Olympiacos' comeback with character up to 56” from the end, when the overtaking came (74-73) to which they were no longer able to respond, betrayed by only three points scored in the last 4 minutes and with players out for fouls, a sign that the petrol was already finished.
A success of prestige nuanced at the most beautiful, but a knockout that doesn't hurt, since the Italian team already knew that the qualification for the Top 16, which a month ago seemed like a mirage, would be linked to the last decisive home game against the 'Unicaja Málaga. A real play-off that will take place in a week's time at Siena's home (at the PalaMandela in Florence), with the two teams playing everything in front of each other and with the certainty on the part of Hackett and his companions that a victory would guarantee them the mathematical passage of the turn, whatever result happens on the other fields (the same would be true for the Spaniards).
This is because, apart from Olympiacos and Galatasaray who have already qualified, Malaga now finds itself with 4 wins and 5 losses, while Siena is paired with Bayern Munich (with whom, however, it would be at a disadvantage because the Germans have a better goal difference on their side in the double comparison) with 3 wins and 6 losses. A success would bring Siena on equal points with the Spaniards, but here the green-and-whites would have the upper hand thanks to the invaluable last-gasp victory obtained in Spain. At this point, if Bayern were to win their last home match against Galatasaray, the Germans would end up level with Siena and Malaga with 4 wins and 6 losses and based on direct matches they would pass as third with Mens Sana fourth (and qualified ), while if Bayern were to lose the Tuscans would even finish third (and in this case Malaga would pass as fourth).
Considering all these possible intersections, it must be said that Siena's near coup in Olympiacos' home would not have changed anything at all, on the contrary it could have been decisive (given the defeat of Bayern in Malaga last night), since Montepaschi could also have lost the next one against Unicaja, on the condition of another misstep by the Germans, who however will host a Galatasaray almost certainly already sure of his second place, given that tonight the Turks welcome the modest Poles of Zielona Gora , in the match that closes the ninth round of this group.
Zielona Gora who, due to the innumerable twists and turns of these last few days, is currently last with only two victories, but with two successes she could incredibly get back into the game (even if she beats Galatasaray first and then Olympiacos in the last one, even if both already qualified, it would honestly seem impossible) and absurdly, in the hypothesis of a double debacle of Siena and Bayern, even a single positive result would be enough for the Poles to reach equal victories for the other two (at which point all three teams in direct matches would have a record of 2-2 and we should move on to the various basket counts, but here we risk getting a headache).
Beyond all these calculations and hypotheses, the fundamental thing is that in seven days Siena has the possibility, even in this so-called season of downsizing, to once again arrive among the top sixteen in Europe, giving an important signal not to wanting to abandon, as long as possible, the elite of continental basketball. This, after a difficult start to say the least and with four consecutive knockouts, is possible thanks to the three victories arrived in the last 5 matches (the feat in Malaga was decisive, followed by the home successes against Bayern and Zielona, however obtained with great difficulty and in which Siena was unable to overturn the goal difference), with remorse for the defeat in Istanbul against Galatasaray which came by just two points.
Surely, if there is qualification, the hero to thank will be one of the least expected, i.e. Jeff Viggiano, capable of solving the challenges in Malaga and with Zielona incredibly in the same way, with two triples just a few tenths from the siren, when by now the games seemed done. To complete the work, see next Thursday, Unicaja Malaga is one of the tough opponents, but Mens Sana seen in the last period is able to get the better of it and give itself an important satisfaction in a certainly delicate moment for the society. The reference is to the rumor released just yesterday of a possible fine of as much as 23 million euros that the Italian champion club should pay in relation to an ongoing investigation by the Guardia di Finanza into the accounts of the Viale Sclavo company.
The rumors speak of numerous inflated invoices while others would have been issued for non-existent contracts for a turnover of 50 million euros (the alleged crime would be "tax fraud aimed at the illegal payment of fees, on foreign accounts, known champions of the sports club). Obviously all this is not and we hope it will not be confirmed, but in the meantime the indiscretion released yesterday has created a certain movement and has led to a dry position taken by the Tuscan club, which, while admitting that it has received from the competent bodies the report of the dispute, thus confirming the investigation by the Guardia di Finanza, denied the amount of the fine, defining the reports disseminated in some media as unfounded, as the Revenue Agency, in charge of quantifying any administrative fine, has not yet carried out the operations for which it is responsible.
Back to field facts. the task facing Milan is certainly easier, for some time now with one foot already in the Top 16, but which failed the first two match points, first in Kauna and then in last week's match played at the Forum with Real Madrid ahead to more than 12 fans ready to celebrate. Tonight, at 20.30, there won't be so many but the opportunity is one of the greedy ones, playing at home against the Germans of Bamberg, currently fifth with 3 wins and 5 losses, while Olimpia, with 4 wins and 4 losses, it is potentially second, thanks to yesterday's victory of Zalgiris over Efes Istanbul (now both with a 4-5 record). Group here too very short (apart from Real firmly in command), just think that Strasbourg, last with only two victories, in the event of a double success in the last two would have the possibility of getting back into the fray, which however is practically impossible as tonight they will go to visit the unbeatable Spaniards and then conclude by receiving Milan. Considering this last scheduled match, EA7, who only need one victory to be on the safe side, could even emerge defeated from tonight's match and go on to qualify next week at the home of the French (at that point almost certainly already eliminated), taking advantage of the direct clash between Bamberg and Zalgiris (beyond Efes-Real). In any case, it is better to resolve the matter immediately and not risk further worries, both because tonight's opponent is well within Milan's reach, and because a false move would certainly not help the growth process and self-esteem of the Banchi group, furthermore the possibility finishing second in the group is within reach and this would be an important fact. In recent years, Olimpia has already proved to be an unreliable team on too many occasions, but this time it seems truly impossible that the goal will escape them, in the meantime they are recovering the last injured (see Kangur) and then perhaps we could think of further strengthening a already ultra-competitive roster for the championship, but which lacks more than something compared to the great European rivals (a month ago the former Roma Lawal arrived from the market to give more weight and physicality under the basket, but it cannot be excluded that he will return to look for something in directing, since Jerrells and Haynes have not yet convinced).
