Expect maximum drama as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs tip off with Game 1 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's your guide to the action.
Game 1: Playoff drama arrives!
Panathinaikos Aktor Athens vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
After finishing the regular season with nine consecutive home wins, Panathinaikos will look to stay strong in Athens with a visit on Tuesday from dangerous Maccabi, which cruised through its play-in test by crushing Baskonia 113-85.
Maccabi is one of only three visiting teams to win in Athens this season, triumphing 81-86 after overtime in October behind 21 points from Bonzie Colson, who faces a great matchup with Dinos Mitoglou.
In the paint, two of the league's best big men will battle for supremacy. Mathias Lessort averages 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Greens, while Josh Nebo leads the league with 7.3 rebounds per game and has posted double-digit PIRs in 13 consecutive games.
The backcourt action will sizzle, too, as Greens' defensive ace Jerian Grant attempts to subdue Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin, who combined for 55 points in the play-in win. The hosts, meanwhile, will look for Kendrick Nunn to continue his hot streak after scoring at least 15 points in six straight games. The experienced leadership of Kostas Sloukas will also be crucial for Panathinaikos, while Maccabi offers serious long-range scoring threats from Tamir Blatt and John DiBartolomeo.
Real Madrid vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Reigning champ and regular season standings leader Real will aim to strike first at home on Tuesday against Baskonia, which qualified for the playoffs by surging past Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Friday's play-in decider.
The visiting team will take confidence from a thrilling 91-95 victory at the WiZink Center in the penultimate round of the regular season. Markus Howard was the chief architect of that victory with 35 points, and he will clearly be a focus for the home team's defense after also netting 28 in the win over Virtus.
Real will look to dominate physically through its fearsome big man duo of Vincent Poirier and Walter Tavares, who rank first and second, respectively, in blocks with 1.5 and 1.4 per game. Baskonia will desperately hope that Chima Moneke will recover from injury soon to play at 100%, while Matt Costello has fond memories of Madrid after scoring 19 crucial points in the Round 33 victory.
The defending champ boasts unmatched depth, including the rebounding and scoring of Gaby Deck and Guerschon Yabusele, the veteran leadership of Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez, and the consistent scoring of Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja. So Baskonia will need the likes of rebounding ace Tadas Sedekerskis and long-range shooting threat Vanja Marinkovic to find their best level in the hope of grabbing a priceless road win.
AS Monaco vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
The third- and sixth-place teams from the regular season will lock horns as Monaco hosts Fenerbahce in the principality on Wednesday. Fenerbahce has the worst road record out of all playoff teams, with just 5 wins in 17 regular-season attempts, while Monaco has won nine of its last ten at home.
Monaco, as always, will run its offense through the competition's all-time leading scorer Mike James, who averaged 18.7 points and 5.1 assists during the regular season and reached double-digit scoring in every single game. He has plenty of support from the likes of all-action forward Alpha Diallo and smooth shooting big man Donatas Motiejunas.
Fenerbahce will run its offense through the experience of Nick Calathes (4.9 assists per game) and the three-point shooting of Scottie Wilbekin (3.0 triples per night), while the Turkish team's all-around threat, Nigel Hayes-Davis, faces a great matchup against defensive ace John Brown.
A key aspect of the game will be control: Monaco has committed the fewest number of turnovers in the league (10.0 per game), contributing to a team-oriented defense that has allowed just 79.4 points per game – fourth-best in the competition. But Fenerbahce's efficiency offense ranks first in three-point shooting percentage (39.1%) and third in two-pointers (56.4%), so Monaco will aim to disrupt that level of execution as this series tips off.
FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Piraeus
Heavyweights collide at Palau Blaugrana as Barca welcomes Olympiacos, boosted by the knowledge of already having beaten the Greek team twice this season: 86-78 at home and 68-77 in Piraeus.
The Reds made the stronger finish to the regular season, winning 10 of their last 11 games, and head coach Georgios Bartzokas has been further strengthened by the return of towering center Nikola Milutinov after nearly three months out injured. His physical presence will be important against the outstanding Barca big-man duo of Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez, who combined for an average of 24 points and 9.3 rebounds during the regular season.
Two stellar defensive guards will look to control the tempo as Tomas Satoransky faces Thomas Walkup, while long-range shooting prowess is provided by Nico Laprovittola (12.8 ppg., 40.4% 3PT) and Isaiah Canaan (12.0 ppg., 44.7% 3PT).
On the wings, two dangerous scorers go head to head as Jabari Parker matches up with Alec Peters, and there will be maximum intensity between two battle-hardened leaders, Nikola Kalinic and Kostas Papanikolaou, setting the tone for a perfectly poised series.