Bologna –
Knocking on the door of a never trivial crossroads, the championship puts Olimpia and Virtus in front of each other for the 247th time, today Armani AX and Segafredo, always the alpha and omega of our basketball, in the stretch of the season in which, besides looking at each other in the face after the Supercup final, it will also be clear who will be awarded the title of Winter Champion.
Having lost the unbeaten streak in Italy, in a schedule crippled by the Covid, Milano keeps the lead, counting especially on a Rodriguez who, so far, has driven it well in offense (11.7 points and 5.3 assists). Olimpia has been good at getting to the top of the standings, also because of some breaches opened by a European season with some disastrous collapses, able inside the national garden to lead the attack with Shields and Mitoglou (11.1 and 12 respectively), both out, to better understand the scope of this mini-journey with Virtus. To come out then from the 40 minutes of the Forum a few meters ahead would give both of them a nice advantage: also morally, more than accounting. At the derby of Italy, Armani and Segafredo, understandably still more or less curious to discover themselves, ask for many answers and it’s known that, in this kind of competitions, it’s often the moods left warm on the parquet that accelerate advances or retreats. Messina and Scariolo, two men who have led boats to all the main ports in the world, know it well. The current moment of the two rivals, revealing thoughts and strategies, between Covid defections, turnover and assorted infirmaries, boasts powerful numbers: Armani third for points and accuracy from the field, first in free throws, second in rebounds, Segafredo first for points scored, accuracy from the field, rebounds, assists and recoveries. All that remains is to buckle up.
