With a revamped roster and a new head coach, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has its sights set on finishing in the playoffs next season, having last reached the postseason in 2019. But, no matter where Baskonia is positioned in the standings, the atmosphere at Buesa Arena is one of the toughest in the league. Heading into the 2022-23 regular season, here are five Baskonia games that you should circle in your calendar.
2022-23 Games to Watch: Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
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Round 2: Home opener
For Baskonia, the arrival of Partizan NIS Belgrade and its head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, in its home opener should make for a fascinating contest. After all, Buesa Arena is not a place where road teams often enjoy themselves, and that will surely be the case again this season. Baskonia also has a new head coach in Joan Penarroya, who will be determined to send the club's fans home happy by securing a victory in the first home game of the season.
Round 6: Ending the losing streak
There is a plenty of history between Baskonia and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, as they played in the EuroLeague Championship Game in 2005, in the Final Four semifinals a year later, and in a best-of-five playoff series in 2011. Maccabi won both Final Four games, while it also beat Baskonia 3-1 in the playoff series thanks to a memorable road win in Game 2. Maccabi has also won the last five games between the clubs, including the last three at Buesa Arena. Baskonia will be out to exact revenge in this Round 6 meeting.
Round 16: Welcoming Los Blancos
Last season, Real Madrid swept Baskonia in their two EuroLeague Regular Season games, which included a resounding 60-88 road win in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Real also swept Baskonia in the Spanish League playoffs. Despite the frustration of last season's defeats, it is always a celebration of basketball when Real comes to town. What's more, Baskonia fans will get a chance to see some former fan favorites in Adam Hanga, Fabien Causeur and Vincent Poirier, who all left their mark at Buesa Arena. With this being the final game of 2022 for both teams, Baskonia will hope it can close out the year in style.
Round 20: Barcelona arrives
All-Spanish clashes are always a big draw, so Buesa Arena will be bouncing when Baskonia hosts FC Barcelona. Baskonia has traditionally fared well against Barca, having swept their regular season series in the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. However, Barca ended a three-game losing streak last season with a resounding 94-75 home win. Regardless of how either team performs in any given season, this derby has something special. Expect more of the same this time around.
Round 21: Champs in the house
A tradition like no other in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague continues, as, for the 11th consecutive season, Baskonia and Anadolu Efes Istanbul will face off. Efes holds a 13-10 lead between the two, but it now arrives to Buesa Arena as the back-to-back defending EuroLeague champion. And when you also add in the return of former Baskonia fan favorites Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois and Tibor Pleiss, there is no doubt that Buesa Arena is going to be rocking for this fixture.