Basketbolists
Digs Euro Chicks
EL record: 40-17-2 +90.44 units
CSKA -12.5, -105, 10 units
This selection has already labelled me as non-serious punter in some other forum by one guy, yet, I do not give a rat's furry ass about that. I have many reasons to believe in CSKA and I will not back down from it. Yes, it is my biggest play of EL season and yes it is on large handicap. It is up to everyone here to take this bet or not, because all I do here is inform what I have taken and why I have taken. Nothing more, nothing less.
Basketball is a game of match-ups and to my mind CSKA wins 5 out of 6 match-ups in this game easily.
Point Guard
As starters we have here usually Holden versus Bynum. All in all of course we can say that both are energy guys and lightning fast players, but Holden gets here a clear edge as he is more experienced and also I rate him a lot better player on the defensive end as well. Then we have reserves - Papaloukas against Halperin - with all due respect to Halperin and his upside that has caught some attention of NBA scouts, but this match-up is clearly won by CSKA guys. No matter which Maccabi PG you put against any CSKA guy you would still get a clear advantage for CSKA.
Edge: CSKA (7 to 3)
Shooting Guard
We have here Langdon, Ponkrashov and Pashutin gearing up against Burstein, Sharp and Jeretin. All in all of course one might say that Pashutin is on decline and Ponkrashov is inexperienced, but he has shown quite some maturity on the field this season and of course having so many experienced guys on the field with him helps a lot here. Burstein is not the offensive weapon but his defensive game can be disruptive, but as of late I think he has lost his reputation as deadly defender, while Langdon is the key guy and he has found his looks here on regular basis no matter who has been there against him. Sharp and Burstein can be lethal from the distance yet with CSKA not giving that much room for other teams on perimeter usually we can expect that they should not have a big night there. Langdon on the other side is also great threat from the distance and mid-range.
Edge: CSKA (6 to 4)
Small Forward
Position that pretty much by all the definition has here only Torres against Jasaitis. Vanterpool would fit in here, but he is injured, thus leaving CSKA with Torres only. All in all I rate Torres just slightly better player then Jasaitis. The thing is that Jasaitis main weapon is his shot from distance, and there are multiple guys like that on Maccabi's roster, but they lack a great wingman that can cut defenses and kick the ball out on the perimeter. Torres on the other hand provides these services and with CSKA's great shooters (41% from 3-point line) that is a great weapon that CSKA has. The main problem here is that there is no depth on the position for Maccabi. CSKA has extremely versatile team where there are SGs and PFs that can easily cover this position while Maccabi does not have this luxury. That is why I see huge edge here to my mind for CSKA.
Edge: CSKA (7 to 3)
Power Forward
This is the position that I do rate on equal terms for both teams here. Mainly because of the depth that Maccabi has there and that they can bring many different qualities. CSKA has Smodis and young Kurbanov on the position while Maccabi has here Eliyahu, Arnold, Shason and Felix. Overall, one might say that Maccabi should hold the edge here, but Smodis has been so dominant this season and he has been so versatile as well. Yet, Eliyahu, Arnold and Shason can give great qualities and adjust the team according to the situation here. Smodis has been marvelous on defensive end as well. He can cover multiple positions here as well, but Maccabi big guys should hold the edge of fresher legs as they can rotate here.
Edge: Even (5 to 5)
Center
Vujcic maybe is one of the best centers in the tournament, but he lacks a back-up that can deliver on regular basis. Green is an OK player, but far from being EL material to my mind. CSKA on the other hand can put Andersen who is mobile and quick enough to handle Vujcic and battle him on even basis, but by having luxury of Savrasenko and van den Spiegel who have been regular contributors to the team CSKA wins this battle as well and Vujcic should not have an easy time here.
Edge: CSKA (6 to 4)
Coach
I just love this match-up because I really like Spahija, but Messina is the greatest mind currently in European basketball. Personally I think that Spahija excels at his best if he has players who can bring some tight defensive game as well, yet, Maccabi has never been known for defensive talent and Spahija is not the best fit to my mind for this team as a coach just because he just does not have the material that he is best at exploiting. But Messina on the other hands holds not only great offensive talent, but also he has the best defensive talent here. Thus, we can of course say that Messina is better equiped to succeed and win, yet, he has been great motivator and holds all the stars on the team under control and CSKA has so many options in offense when this becomes extremely important.
Edge: CSKA (6.5 to 3.5)
So overall I get CSKA holding a great edge over Maccabi with 38.5 to 22.5. Of course, now I might get some flame about putting everything down to numbers, but the thing is that CSKA not only wins those positional battles, but their players are more versatile and can play multiple positions and do not lose a bit of their skill there, both defensively and offensively. Personally I have always believed that if there are teams with great and good (CSKA and Maccabi respectively) offensive power then the team with better defense should be able to win, but as CSKA is so much better on the defensive end than Maccabi then I believe that CSKA should not only win this game, but also dominate it.
When it comes to bench players which might become crucial if CSKA pulls away early, I have to say that Maccabi stands in the same position as Spahija should also be resting some guys as they will also have the game in 2 days against CSKA not only CSKA will have game against Maccabi. And CSKA is deeper team than Maccabi is apart from Power Forward position here.
That would be it about my considerations on CSKA - Maccabi game. On Spanish battle I will elaborate later as it is lunch time now and time to prepare it as well.
Spanish pick though is here.
Winterthur FCB +3, -110, 4 units
:cheers:
