The matches between Olimpia Milano and Partizan Belgrade are never banal, two historic clubs that also faced each other in very different eras. For example, Zeljko Obradovic won his first European title in 1992 by beating Olimpia in the semifinal of the Final Four in Istanbul. Four years earlier both teams were in the Final Four in Ghent, but they did not face each other because Partizan lost to Maccabi and Olimpia won the title. Furthermore, the two coaches have won 13 European titles as a duo, they are also the coaches with the most appearances and victories in the history of the competition. And again: Partizan has three former Olimpia players, Kevin Punter, Zach LeDay and James Nunnally. There is no shortage of stories within this match, which will be the seventh of the season for Olimpia with over 10,000 present. Partizan needs a victory to improve their away record and go in pursuit of the playoffs; Olimpia has won five of the last six at home, is fresh from successes over Barcelona and Real Madrid and wants to continue the series to improve its position in the rankings as far as possible. Compared to the trip to Lyon – but also to the championship match against Varese – Shabazz Napier, Nikola Mirotic and Diego Flaccadori are available again, so it will be a wider rotation, with more options and opportunities. In addition to Billy Baron, Alex Poythress and Stefano Tonut also remain out.
THE REFEREES – Emin Mogulkoc (Turkey), Joseph Bissang (France), Carlos Cortes (Spain).
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We face a very physical team, a team obviously well-organized as any Obradovic’s team is. For us, it will be important to control the boards, to have a solid defensive transition and to use a well-balanced offense between going inside and outside. It will be a pleasure for everybody to see again Kevin Punter and Zach LeDay, two excellent players who were with us and much appreciated during the 20202/21 season.”
PARTIZAN BELGRADE OUTLOOK – The statistics say that Partizan is making the most of its home court advantage (10-3 in front of the 20,000 people that normally fill the Stark Arena) but if they are still on the fringes of the post-season it is due to only three road wins collected in 14 attempts so far. The Serbian team has many interchangeable guards with Ognjen Jaramaz (3.4 points per game) and Aleksa Avramovic (9.4 points, 68.9 percent two-point shooting) who most often handle the point guard position. The go-to guy remains Kevin Punter (15.4 points per game, 39.6 percent on threes), then there is PJ Dozier, an athletic winger, who contributes 9.7 points per game, 3.2 assists and is shooting 61.8 percent from two. Finally, Jaleen Smith, who came from Bologna, 5.3 points per game, expanded the rotation, and protected the team when Avramovic was out due to an injury. James Nunnally is the other sharpshooter, the player most used at the small forward position (28.3 minutes, 12.7 points per game, 43.3 percent from three). His back-up is Danilo Anjusic (5.2 points per game, 40.5 percent from three). The starting power forward is Zach LeDay, one of five EuroLeague players averaging over 30 minutes per game, with 10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds per game, 38.3 percent from three. Alen Smailagic can also have time in that spot (6.5 points per game, 64.5 percent from two). The centers are Frank Kaminsky, who was absent in the Belgrade game who is averaging 8.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, is shooting 64.7 percent on twos, but he is also dangerous when shooting from three-point range, and the Brazilian Bruno Caboclo (9.4 points per game, 69.6 percent from two, 51.4 percent from three) who was crucial in the Belgrade game. Balsa Koprivica as a center and Uros Trifunovic as a wing are other players who can find playing time in Obradovic’s rotation.
HISTORY VS PARTIZAN – The first game dates back to the 1987/88 season, the year of the third Champions Cup triumph for Milan. Olimpia won 93-83 in Milan with 34 points by Bob McAdoo who erased the 34-point losing effort by Goran Grbovic. In the return game at Pionir, Partizan won 92-85 with another 26 points by Grbovic, while McAdoo scored 31. In 1991/92, Partizan defeated Olimpia twice during the regular season, 86-70 in Belgrade (31 by Danilovic) and 94-89 in Milan (23 by Djordjevic, 21 by Danilovic; 29 points were scored by Antonello Riva). In the semifinal game, in Belgrade, Partizan won 82-75 with 22 points scored by Danilovic and 21 by Djordjevic, while Milan had 21 points by Darryl Dawkins and 19 came from Johnny Rogers. In 2008, Partizan won 87-76 at home, but Olimpia replied with a 73-59 win in Italy. In 2011, the Serbs won at the Mediolanum Forum, coming back from 14 points behind at the end of the third period (Milan Macvan scored 18 points; Danilo Gallinari scored 14 points for Olimpia). In the second leg, a sort of tie-break game to clinch a berth to the Top 16, Olimpia prevailed 72-66. Omar Cook had 17 points and six assists; Malik Hairston added 18. Olimpia won both games during the last season, in Belgrade 80-75 with 25 points scored by Shavon Shields, 86-62 in Milan. Earlier, this season, Partizan defeated Olimpia 83-69 after a big rally from 15 points behind in the third quarter. Overall, Partizan is leading the all-time series 7-5, it is 4-2 Partizan in Belgrade, 3-2 for Olimpia in Milan, 1-0 Partizan on a neutral court.
THE PARTIZAN CONNECTION – James Nunnally played in Milan during the 2018/19 season scoring 14.1 points per game over 10 EuroLeague games. Kevin Punter and Zach LeDay played for Olimpia the 2020/21 season, and both contributed to clinch the 2021 Final Four berth. Punter scored 515 points over 36 appearances in the EuroLeague. LeDay had scored 360 points in 36 games including the winning basket against Bayern in Game 1 of the playoffs. Punter and LeDay have won a Super Cup and an Italian Cup in Milan.
MESSINA VS OBRADOVIC – Only two coaches have won more than 300 EuroLeague games, an enormity even with today’s overcrowded schedules. They are Zeljko Obradovic and Ettore Messina. Tomorrow they will coach against each other for the 30th time in their career, the 22nd in the EuroLeague. In fact, in their personal history there are also two games with national teams (the European Championships in Barcelona, 1993) and six in Italy, four of which in the regular season, one in the Super Cup and another in the Italian Cup. It is weird that two careers built on over 500 international games each, two coaches, who are essentially the same age, have only met 29 times. Ettore Messina faced the native of Cacak while at the helm of Bologna, Treviso, CSKA, Real Madrid and Milan; Obradovic with Partizan, Treviso (Messina took Obradovic’s place), Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce. Overall, Messina is 5-5 against Obradovic while coaching Bologna; 2-2 in Treviso; 3-2 since coming to Milan; 0-4 while at CSKA; 1-1 coaching the Italian national team. The total is 16-13 in favor of the Partizan coach.
NICOLO’ MELLI NOTES – Nicolò Melli climbed the chart of the all-time defensive rebounders in the EuroLeague, surpassing Georgios Printezis and Felipe Reyes. Melli now boasts 1,106 defensive rebounds, 58 less than Ioannis Bourosis, who was his teammate for two years at Olimpia. Melli is also eighth in total rebounds with 1,472: he has surpassed Georgios Printezis.
SHAVON SHIELDS NOTES – Shields is the Olimpia leader in the EuroLeague with 1.252 points scored. All-time, he is trailing only Bob McAdoo’s 1.292 points scored. He is just 40 points away to make history. Over the last 15 EuroLeague games, he has made at least two three-pointers 14 times and 11 times he had at least two of them.
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