In one of the more intriguing battles in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, the second-seed FC Barcelona takes on the side that finished the regular season in seventh position, Zalgiris Kaunas. Never before have these two faced off in the playoffs and, with this year's Final Four set to take place in Kaunas, Lithuania, there is plenty of excitement about what could be ahead for Zalgiris. Both teams had strong finishes to the regular season, with Barca going 5-1 and Zalgiris 4-2 over their last six games, which allowed them to finish with a record of 23-11 and 19-15, respectively.
The importance of home court
As the higher seed in this series, Barca has the clear advantage. Not only does Saras Jasikevicius's side get to play the first two games at home, but it will also return to Palau Blaugrana in the event that the series goes to a do-or-die Game 5. There was one point in mid-January when Barca had a 6-4 record on its home floor, but since losing back-to-back home games against Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Rounds 17 and 19, the Spanish side has chained together seven wins in a row at Palau Blaugrana, which includes a 93-74 triumph over Zalgiris. In short, Barca enters the playoffs with its home arena feeling like a fortress.