The 27th day of the championship promised to establish more precise hierarchies in playoff projection and issue some definitive verdicts, and so it was; now, with three rounds to go, it still remains to be understood who between Venice and Caserta will enter the postseason, while as of yesterday it has been official that after twelve seasons of top flight Biella will go down to Lega 2 (this year, in anticipation of the reform for the next tournament, only one relegation was established).
A super Varese consolidates its supremacy, which dominates Milan from start to finish, in a Lombard derby practically already closed at the half-time interval. For Cimberio, which given the calendar (it will play the next two in Cremona and at home against Pesaro, two very affordable matches, before closing in Venice) with 42 points is now practically certain of the first place finish, another great performance, compact defensively and almost perfect in attack, a team that makes the team its strength, but in which it is often the American center Dunston who shifts the balance. After having played such a regular season in a championship as balanced as this year's, today we can say that at the start of the playoffs, coach Vitucci's group presents itself with some more certainty than the others.
For Milan instead, which has had to surrender to its rivals for the third time out of three since the beginning of the season (the other two in the first leg and in the Italian Cup, also in that case clearly beaten at the Forum), after the last two good victories (two weeks ago he had conquered the difficult field of Sassari, while in the last round he had crushed Pesaro), yet another heavy setback of this troubled year has arrived. When it seemed she had settled down in view of the playoffs, the usual problems that have accompanied her since the beginning of the season emerged and Langford, as always Olimpia's best, alone is not enough, but now that the challenges will become decisive, the others will also have to inevitably wake up and lend a hand to number 23 ex Maccabi. At the moment Milan is seventh, tied with 32 points to Siena, Cantù and Reggio Emilia, and in the last three days they will face relegated Biella and Brindisi at the Forum, with the derby at Cantù in the middle, probably decisive for both if they want to try to conquer the fourth place, important for the home factor in the first round of the playoffs.
Sassari, back from three knockouts in a row, peremptorily prevailed at home against Roma (in turn at the third consecutive defeat), in a match that practically decreed the second final place of the Banco di Sardegna, given that now the boys of coach Sacchetti have two victories ahead of the capitolini, who came to direct confrontation with the objective of hooking up, but promptly rejected. In the last three rounds, the Giallorossi, down compared to a month ago, will have to defend their third position and the calendar seems to be on Acea's side, as the opponents will be Brindisi at home, Biella away and finally Montegranaro at home. Even for Sassari the calendar shouldn't reserve surprises (the next two are with Bologna and Caserta, before the last one in Siena) and the band of the Diener cousins promises to keep us entertained even in the playoffs, when the game gets serious.
Return to success for Siena, after losing five of the last six games, but in general returning from two very dark months, characterized by only two victories in the last eight league matches (in which they have not won away from the first leg in Bologna , it was 2012 and even 8 defeats since then), in addition to the 5 knockouts in the last five Euroleague games which sanctioned his exclusion from the ongoing Final Eight. A roadmap certainly not from Montepaschi, with the only two wins coming against Biella at the end of February and three weeks ago against Cantù (in a game that had seen the opponents recover from a deficit of almost 30 points), before the easy and heralded success about Bologna.
Announced because Virtus, which even with all its owners would be in two lower categories, presented itself in Tuscany without with rotations conditioned by the extensive use of its young Italians, as has now been the case for three weeks now, or since when , thanks to the victory over Reggio Emilia, the Bolognese found themselves virtually safe, after a disappointing season full of problems, lived with the bogeyman of Lega 2. Since after that victory, which brought the lead over Biella to six points, last in the standings, the company has seriously decided to aim at obtaining the Fip prize, recognition that goes to those who have given more space to their Italians during the championship and awards the winning team of this particular ranking 210 thousand euros offered by the Federation ( 126 for the second and 84 for the third), money considered essential for the Virtus coffers. The ranking was calculated up to the end of the 27th day (that is, this day just played), without considering the last three rounds, and was based on the percentage of playing time of the Italian players compared to the overall calculation of those played by the team.
Before these last two matches, Bologna, which curiously from the first months of the season indicated this award as its main objective, was however closely followed by Caserta (the margin to defend was around 24 minutes, with the Campania players having decreased the gap), while in third position, but detached, was Montegranaro. For fear of failing this goal and with 400 minutes available in the last two races, the club therefore decided to purge its foreigners (the strongest and most experienced of the team), putting the American Smith out of the squad (telling him to find another team) and not allowing his compatriot Pullen to take the field, and obviously facing a large defeat at home against Venice last week, in addition to the knockout in Siena (where Pullen, albeit with reduced playing time, was the better than his). Great space therefore for many very young players, led by Matteo Imbrò (play from 1994 but already a great protagonist this year), supported in any case by the various poets, Gigli and Rocca.
In the end, the goal should have been reached, but of course this situation has widened the front of the controversy over a (questionable) rule that already last year had led to a clash between the owner of Virtus Sabatini and Teramo, who won the prize. This time the roles have reversed, but according to many, in this way there is the risk of distorting the course of a championship, and in fact, one cannot blame them. On the other hand, Sabatini made it clear that he shouldn't be too moralistic, that here in Italy nobody is a fool, and that other companies (primarily Caserta) have also shown an interest in this monetary award.
