Mike Batiste shares playoff predictions, sees Olympiacos and Partizan clash in final / News - Basketnews.com

Mike Batiste predicts that all of the EuroLeague playoff series will go to a decisive game five.

Credit: Greek Basketball Federation Credit Greek Basketball Federation

Three-time EuroLeague champion Mike Batiste sees Olympiacos Piraeus and Partizan Belgrade clash in the title game this season.

Points this season

50%85,2Points made:85,2Accuracy:50,2%Place in standings:3Record max:104Record min:58Best scorer:Kevin PunterTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The former Panathinaikos Athens legend shared his playoff predictions on the BasketNews EuroLeague Bracket Challenge.

The assistant of the Houston Rockets foresees all teams with the home-court advantage - Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona, and AS Monaco, to make the Final Four, except Partizan Belgrade, who are facing Real Madrid.

"We have my old coach Zeljko Obradovic. I won three championships with him, and going against him would be very strange. And I'm not going to do it right now," Batiste smiled before handing out his prediction.

"I just think that he's going to have Partizan well prepared. I think there's no other coach who prepares like him. I'm going to roll the dice and bet on that," he added.

Obradovic has won 20 out of 21 playoff series in the EuroLeague and European Champions Cup, with Mike Batiste being part of the only Zeljko team eliminated in the playoffs back in 2006.

"Just for that reason alone, I'm not going to go against him," Batiste kept laughing.

"Partizan has Obradovic behind them, but Dante Exum has been playing really well. I've seen few of their games, and Exum was controlling the pace really well and scoring for himself and trying to get guys involved," Batiste expanded.

"And they have Kevin Punter, who can heat any moment. I think he's going to have big series in terms of scoring. But also scoring at the right time, going to let the game come to him and just take what their defense gives him," Batiste excluded Partizan backcourt leaders.

"I know Madrid is going to fight bravely, but I think it's going to come down to a couple of little strategies, a couple of those schemes where Obradovic is best. I think that will be the deciding factor," he concluded.

In Kaunas, Batiste foresees Olympiacos advancing through Monaco and Partizan through Barcelona.

"It breaks my heart that I must make this decision because I played for Obradovic, and Sarunas [Jasikevicius] was my brother and teammate. I won two titles with him. So even now, it makes me nervous about making these difficult choices," he laughed.

"But I just think the teacher will eventually overcome the student, and Partizan will meet Olympiacos in the final," he decided before announcing his championship team. "And then for the final, I have Partizan."

Check out the whole BasketNews EuroLeague bracket challenge with Mike Batiste, where he explains his picks and gives some juicy insights into his thought process.

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