German champion ALBA Berlin is going into its fourth consecutive season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, having increased its place in the standings in each of the previous three campaigns.
2022-23 Games to Watch: ALBA Berlin
As it prepares to make a run at the playoffs, which it is yet to achieve since coming into the EuroLeague, ALBA will have many big games to prepare for. Here are five games with some extra meaning for the club.
Round 5: Revisiting Valencia rivalry
ALBA and Valencia Basket have engaged in many memorable games over the years and – after a year-long hiatus – they will meet again this season. The two teams squared off in the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals in both 2010 and 2019. Valencia was dominant in a single-game final the first time, winning 67-44, and it also beat ALBA 2-1 in a best-of-three series in 2019. History points to a high-scoring affair, as the winning team has scored at least 89 points in each of their last seven meetings. It is also a chance for ALBA forward Luke Sikma, a former Valencia player, to face his old friends.
Round 7: German pride at stake
ALBA has been to the German League finals in each of the last five seasons, and FC Bayern Munich has been its opponent in four of them. After Bayern upended ALBA in the 2018 and 2019 finals, ALBA has won three in a row and bested Bayern in each of the last two. The fact that these teams meet so often between German competitions and the EuroLeague – and that they have several players who have been teammates before both on clubs and the national team – makes the bragging rights from this matchup even more powerful.
Round 13: Back in Bologna after two decades
When ALBA Berlin visits Virtus Segafredo Bologna, it will mark its first game in “Basket City” in two decades. ALBA last played a game in Bologna against Fortitudo in Round 2 of the 2002-03 EuroLeague season, with it last facing Virtus four seasons before that. ALBA is winless in seven past games in Bologna, though it is 4-5 in games on Italian soil over the past decade. That includes a EuroLeague victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and EuroCup wins at Montepaschi Siena, Dinamo Sassari and Brindisi.
Round 20: Seeing family and friends in Tel Aviv
A mid-season chance to visit home is special for anyone working abroad, so ALBA’s trip to take on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv should have an added significance for Israeli duo Yovel Zoosman and Tamir Blatt. Zoosman had played nearly all of his professional career for Maccabi before joining ALBA in 2021. Tamir Blatt, meanwhile, never played for Maccabi, but his father, former EuroLeague and EuroCup-winning coach David Blatt, rejoined Maccabi in an advisory role over the summer. Also, new Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash was Tamir’s head coach for three years before he moved to ALBA.
Round 30: Challenging the champs
Last season, ALBA Berlin had a 1-7 record against the four teams that eventually reached the EuroLeague Final Four and it went 11-9 against the rest of the league. Most of the losses against the Final Four teams came by double figures. As ALBA readies itself to take a leap forward this season, challenging the big boys will be crucial. ALBA has lost eight straight against reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul; it last beat the team in February 2004. Beating Efes could make a world of difference for ALBA.