Trinchieri predicts EuroLeague Play-In race, reflects on Rudy Fernandez's legacy / News - Basketnews.com

Andrea Trinchieri sees Anadolu Efes in Play-In from the logical perspective, yet his heart lies with his former team, Partizan.

Credit: Teodoras Biliūnas/BNS Credit Teodoras Biliūnas/BNS

Zalgiris Kaunas, whose post-season hopes vanished after last week's loss to AS Monaco, is gearing up to face league-leading Real Madrid in the final EuroLeague regular-season game, Round 34, on Thursday.

Ahead of the duel, Zalgiris coach Andrea Trinchieri delved into some intriguing statistics. Since the introduction of the round-robin format in the 2016-17 season, no team finishing first in the regular season has managed to clinch the EuroLeague crown.

"I am aware of the numbers, but I'm not a blind follower of the stats," Trinchieri stated. "That means I always believe that whoever wins the EuroLeague is the team that has had to suffer during the season. Usually, you have a smooth regular season, and then, for the reason that I cannot explain, you get a Final Four, and you don't make it. Every year, the team that goes through injuries, bad moments, losing streaks, small crises, big crises, whatever, they come with antibodies to the last part in the playoffs and the Final Four.

"Now, Real is having some losses, and I believe it's perfect for them to go into the playoffs with a different mindset, a different level of expectation, and a different level of sense of urgency," the Italian went on to say. "This is my personal feeling. I know what the stats say, but all teams that won always came from behind, always coming intangibles about emotions. There's a plot of the season that's your roster -- the talent, your big players -- and there's always a subplot from the season that is coming from the things that you cannot see, but you can feel -- the emotions, the mindset, the ups and downs, what you do after win, what you do after loss. This is my take."

The upcoming game in Kaunas will have a special meaning for Real veteran Rudy Fernandez, who will play his last EuroLeague regular-season game. The Spanish basketball legend announced that he will retire after national team duties in the summer.

"Rudy is a true gamer, a winner, he scored millions of big shots. He had an amazing career," Trinchieri praised. "I have the biggest respect for the way he was able to compete through the ages. I don't want to talk about his game, his game talks more than I can say.

"I cannot add anything but the spirit, the mental toughness, and how demanding he was to himself -- this thing that he never thinks anybody is better than him -- he can play one minute and win the game; he can play 35 minutes and win the game is something that I really respect. He is one of the most iconic players in the EuroLeague, he won three [titles], I believe. He found a way to be successful in different teams, with different roles, but I don't believe I will go very far from the truth in saying that he was one of the secrets of Real Madrid's winning history. He was always there. Big respect," Trinchieri applauded.

Lastly, Zalgiris weighed in on the intense battle for the last Play-In spot between Anadolu Efes Istanbul (16-17), EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (15-18), and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (15-18).

Trinchieri's logical eyes suggest that Anadolu Efes are likely to secure the final post-season spot.

"If I have to be logical and rational, the answer is Efes. If I look to my heart, I go with Partizan. I cannot have both in the same sentence," he assessed.

At the moment,there are three different scenariosthat can emerge:

Efes advance if they beat Crvena Zvezda, Partizan advance if they beat Valencia & Efes lose, Milan advance if they beat Maccabi, and both Efes & Partizan lose. Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.