The Final Four host city of Belgrade is filled with basketball lovers and some were more than happy to share their opinions, predicting the outcome of Thursday's semifinals and the Final Four as a whole.
What the Serbs say: local Final Four predictions!
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Dejan Tomasevic and Igor Rakocevic are Belgrade natives with storied EuroLeague careers. Tomasevic is a former champion and a two-time All-EuroLeague selection, who would have had more accolades if those awards were handed out in the earliest years of the century, including the 2000-01 season when he had the highest PIR in the league. Rakocevic is a three-time Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner and played for two of the teams at this Final Four, Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Real Madrid.
“In general, there is no favorite, especially since they are playing on a neutral court,” Tomasevic said of the Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Efes showdown. “Of course, Olympiacos will have an advantage with the fans because a lot of fans will come from Athens and people from Belgrade like Olympiacos.
“In the other game, I like Nikola Mirotic. He is a really good friend of mine and is an unbelievably good guy. So my heart in this game will be with Barcelona. I believe that Barcelona will win [the championship] because they have the best player, Nikola Mirotic, and I hope he will be the MVP.”
Dusko Savanovic was an All-EuroLeague choice in 2011 and played three seasons for Efes during his career. Retired since 2017, he runs the Akademija Vojvoda basketball academy here in Belgrade. 2017 champion and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade captain Nikola Kalinic knows these teams as well as anyone. In fact, he helped his team beat three of the Final Four teams this season.
"I don't know what is going to happen. I mean, it's so unpredictable but there are things that you can count on,” Savanovic said. “Both teams are going to put their maximum and play 100% because it is the last game that counts in the EuroLeague. If you don't, you go home, you are done. That, for sure, is going to be extremely tough and fast, and in that type of basketball, it is going to be interesting… I am an Efes fan. I spent three years there. I feel it like my home club. If you talk about quality basketball, it's Efes. And if you look at Efes and Olympiacos, they began the season terribly, both teams. Efes struggled a lot and Olympiacos didn't play their beautiful game. Their games were not nice to watch but they were effective. They went on and advanced and advanced, like a machine. So that proves to you that the quality is there. I cannot predict what's going to be, but I am cheering for Efes.
Savanovic had an even tougher time choosing a winner in the other game, though he made it clear which player he would fear the most if he were still playing.
“You have Mirotic on one side, who is already well-known as a world player. And you have Real Madrid, which has also dominating players. They have this giant Tavares - I was looking at him yesterday and maaan, good thing I didn’t play in his era! I don't know what would I do. I could cry next to him. The guy is like an Avatar, he is huge. So no matter which side on the court you choose, both teams have pluses and minuses, and it just depends on how they are going to use them… I would go with 50-50 if I can answer like that. I cannot predict, but I can see an interesting game, a typical Spanish game: a lot of points, a lot of running, so it is going to be extremely interesting to watch.”
According to the fans, four teams have equal shot to make it to the championship game and win the crown.
"I think Barcelona will beat Real Madrid and Olympiacos will get past Efes because they will have more fans here," 16-year old Luka Karaklajic said. "Then I think championship game will be a one-possession game, and Barca will take the title."
Luka, who practices basketball at the local club Cerak, does add: "I think Barcelona has the best roster, but I don't know how well they will play. It's the Final Four. Everyone can beat each other."
Luka's friend Uros Dimitrijevic, 17, mostly shares his opinion.
"It will be a hard-fought game, with Olympiacos having more fans, but I think Efes will pull it out. In the second semifinal game, I think Barca goes through against Real because it has beaten them many times already and it has the MVP, Nikola Mirotic. I think Mirotic will also be the Final Four MVP and Barcelona will win it all."
Sisters Ana (17) and Ivana Dimitrijevic (25) see it differently.
"I see Real and Efes going through," predicts Ana, who follows the EuroLeague throughout the season, with her sister nodding in approval. "Efes is the defending champion, and I simply think they are better than Olympiacos. But I think Real has the quality, with Coach Laso. And I think Walter Tavares will have a good tournament."
"I feel Efes has the most experience, and I just have a gut feeling about them. I don't think Olympiacos will stand a chance. Larkin and Micic will take care of them," 28-year-old Stefan Colovic says. "I will also support Real, even though I admit Barcelona has more quality on its roster. But I think Efes wins the title no matter what and Barcelona ends up in third place."
On the other hand, Milos Jovanovic, 36, admits that his opinion might be a little biased.
"I hope Serbia's own Vasa Micic will lead Efes over Olympiacos," Milos says. "I will also cheer for Real over Barcelona, but I also think it is realistic that Real beats Barcelona. And in the final, I think Real will lift the crown, I think it will be Real's 11th."
