Based on the way they have been playing recently, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade certainly look like they are in good shape ahead of the end of the regular season. Partizan has been exceptional on the offensive end in recent weeks to go 8-2 over their last 10 games while Maccabi is coming off four consecutive victories including two over teams joining them on the list above. That is particularly notable as perhaps no team in the EuroLeague will have quite as much control over how the remaining weeks of the season play out than Maccabi.
While Partizan faces three of the league's top four teams to close the year, three of Maccabi's four games come against teams vying for what may be a single postseason bid. Not only does Maccabi control its own destiny as the team at the top of this heap, but it could dictate the fortunes of several others as well.
Maccabi's matchup in Round 32 against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is especially notable, as the Italian club has been on the rise in recent weeks, winning eight of the last nine. After stumbling out to a 6-15 start, the stars have aligned for Milan to potentially flip the script on what looked like a lost season. Milan's results on the offensive end did not match its process in the early going, but a rise to the mean and the addition of Shabazz Napier has made Milan the team to watch down the stretch. Ettore Messina's troops do not have much margin for error at this point but remain a real threat assuming that they can ride their hot streak to secure victories in three of their last four games.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna has almost no wiggle room to earn a playoffs bid of its own, but is going to be tied up in the postseason drama regardless as the lone team on the list above whose four upcoming games all come against teams immediately above them. Losing four of the last five but playing well in spurts recently – especially on the defensive end – Virtus's consistency will determine how long it can stay on the playoff bubble.
It is going to be fascinating to see how the standings evolve over the next several weeks as this group is likely to provide a fitting conclusion to one of the most competitive EuroLeague seasons ever. With several teams surging to the finish and others just hanging on, its likely to be a photo finish as far as this year's eighth seed is concerned.