Svetislav Pesic shares his EuroLeague playoff picks of all four series / News - Basketnews.com

Svetislav Pesic sees Partizan, Barcelona, Monaco, and Olympiacos winning their respective quarterfinal matchups.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

With just a single day left until the start of the EuroLeague playoffs, all eyes are focused on the upcoming series between eight of the top teams in the competition. Serbian national team's head coach Svetislav Pesic shared his take on all four matchups.

Olympiacos Piraeus / Schedule

Olympiacos Piraeus Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulWed18:45 Olympiacos Piraeus Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFri18:30

EuroLeague champions both as a player and a coach, Pesic first commented on the arguably closest series out of the four where Real Madrid face off against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

Talking about the two teams, the veteran specialist focused on the Spanish team's veteran leadership but singled out the injury issues the club's been having throughout the entire season.

"Madrid's team is old, many first-team players are not physically fit or are injured, so they played [an] up-and-down [season]. If they were in top form, they would have a better chance against the black-and-whites, who look exactly how they should ahead of such games," Pesic said in an interview with Rada Nikolic from SportKlub Srbija. "Unlike Real, Partizan is fresh, playful, and most importantly, they know their roles very well. They may not have an advantage in relation to their famous rival but they can be equal in the next clashes."

"From this perspective, it's difficult for Real Madrid to win three games just as it is difficult for Partizan to lose the same number of matches. In the case of this quarterfinal pair, the Spanish club's home-court advantage will not be decisive," the veteran specialist continued. "The black-and-whites have a real home court in a packed [Stark] Arena. They have to win one match away from home, in Madrid, since those are the rules of the game."

Looking ahead at the other series, Pesic sees FC Barcelona dominating against Zalgiris Kaunas even though he admires the work the Lithuanian team did to get to the postseason.

Points this season

49%80,9Points made:80,9Accuracy:48,5%Place in standings:10Record max:99Record min:69Best scorer:Nikola MiroticTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"Barcelona is the absolute favorite but Zalgiris is an extremely pleasant surprise. Unlike the majority of other EuroLeague teams, they play with the majority of domestic basketball players and only three or four foreigners. I congratulate them on that, and they should be respected as much as possible for it," Pesic said. "They also have their court in Kaunas, which may not be as fierce as Belgrade, but the fans know how to strengthen the team. Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, improved their form, stabilized [their game], and are the favorites against the Lithuanians."

In the third quarterfinal series between AS Monaco and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Pesic gave the advantage to the Monegasque squad.

"Monaco is not a hundred-percent favorite but it's a team that can deal with anyone. Unlike the yellows, they are, along with Olympiacos and Zalgiris, the three best teams in terms of game continuity, which is not negligible even in a long series," he said.

Finally, Pesic gave his prediction for the last matchup between Olympiacos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, favoring the regular-season champs.

"The team from Piraeus showed the most consistency and the highest level. As such, they've been frequent participants in the final stages of the EuroLeague in recent years. It was not by chance that they finished as leaders in the regular season. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce haven't been playing well lately, which cost them a position in the standings, finishing in eighth place and forcing a matchup with Olympiacos. They have quality individuals but I don't believe they can take a step beyond the TOP 8. It will be a fierce battle in that quarterfinal but the Greek champion will advance," Pesic concluded.

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