I believe that Molde will take these friendly matches seriously, because matters in the Norwegian league are very bad and need to be addressed in some way. First of all, we need to improve our game and this opponent could be a good opportunity to focus on our offense. Varnamo is a completely offensive team, very attacking but also conceding a lot, as they have their own problems to deal with.
Well, here the level of difference is inhumane, even if the weaker team Bayern were to spend, mastery is completely on their side. The Auckland team is even overpowered in their league and weak in defense. Taking into account the overall club results of this tournament, Auckland could probably be called a semi-professional team. I'm not sure if it's possible nowadays to close off the defense and achieve the desired result, when most of the action takes place on the penalty area. I expect complete domination from Bayern and perhaps even an unethical final result here.
Well, the differences here are inhuman, even if Bayern were to release a weaker lineup, their mastery would still be on full display. Even Auckland's team is dominant in their league and has a solid defense. Taking into account all the clubs in this tournament, Auckland could probably be considered a semi-professional team. I'm not sure if it's possible to solely rely on defense and achieve the desired result, when a lot of the action takes place on the penalty area. I'm expecting complete domination from Bayern and maybe even an indelicate final score here.
The fight for 3rd place in this season's LKL is reminiscent of last season when the first 3 matches ended in away team victories, and I think we can expect the same here. As Šernius himself said, Jonava was not themselves in home games, and Lietkabelis played above their abilities with great success. Lietkabelis is a strong team, but if Jonava plays their game, it's difficult to believe that the Panevėžys team will score 100 points and win again, so I think Jonava has a chance to redeem themselves.
The quality was lacking in the second Unicaja game, I didn't see the first one, but in the second one there were obviously some major mistakes, especially by Peru Peru. But the team still seemed better at times and could have won the game, but a tragic start in the 3rd period where no points were scored in 4 or over minutes determined the outcome of the game. At home, there should be a completely different energy and game, Real is Real, this season they have those old leaders, but the other players don't seem to be doing well. Even with a poor game from Unicaja, the teams scored 165 points, so I think in Malaga the fast-paced style of Unicaja will prevail.
There was a lack of quality in Unicaja's second match, I didn't see the first one, but in the second one there were clearly some serious mistakes, especially from Peru Peru. But the team still seemed better at times and could have broken the game in their favor, but a tragic start in the 3rd period, with no points scored in over 4 minutes, determined the outcome of the match. There should be a completely different energy and game at home, Real is still Real, with those old leaders this season, but the other players don't seem to be performing well.
Bayern being defeated seems unlikely and Ulm is not such a weak team to give such a handicap. They played twice this season, with a -8 away and +15 at home, and Edwards participated in both games, although there is no information as to why he sustained an injury or if he has left the club altogether. However, Bayern's main engine drastically changes the team and has limited options in offense, while Ulm plays very well and it would not be surprising if they became champions.
As the Chelsea season comes to an end, it makes me hope that a long and good tournament will be played here. The difference in level between teams seems huge, I don’t think there will be many surprises played in America. Chelsea's defense looked strong at the end of the season, with only 7 goals conceded in the last 14 games in the Premier League. I am confident that they will keep a clean sheet and I don’t doubt that they will score at least 2 goals, I even think it could be 3-0.
Although the Los Angeles FC team on paper looks decent with their veterans, the Chelsea club is like from another planet and the match must be decided very easily. Successfully finishing the season, they are one of the dark horses of this tournament in my opinion, and against a team of such caliber, I believe the score should be strongly in favor of the English club.
Two serious teams, champions league and treble winners PSG against a very determined and high-scoring Atletico team. The Madrid club has even won the only away game against PSG in this season's Champions League with a score of 1-2. The attacking of both teams is very solid, but their defense may not be their strongest suit. Also, it is the first game after the break, so I hope there will be goals on both sides, as in their previous encounter.
In the second game, Unicaja was close even though they received non-sporting and technical losses. The potential of the Unicaja team can be seen in the statistics, where they rebounded more balls, made more shots, and at home they should have at least 1 win in the playoffs, and 2 times in the finals. Unicaja has already beaten Real in one playoff match, so in the elimination games, I expect this team from Peru to win.
Even without James, Monaco, which is still in the competition, managed to reach the final, but they will face a very strong Paris team. Although the club will completely renew itself after the season, this season's team seems very focused and plays fantastically. They lost only once against Dijon due to their long journey, but then confidently defeated Bourg. Now, after a week of rest, they will face a weaker Monaco version at home and will have to deal with them.
Even though Bayern's name is huge and with a new coach, the players will want to prove their abilities, and the Australian club, known for its attacking style, it is difficult to expect them to score as many goals as the line suggests. Bayern rarely scored so many goals this season, and the Auckland team should not open up and let the Germans flank them. There are teams capable of scoring, but I believe the Australians will want to score as few goals as possible, and Bayern is not as strong in attack as depicted.
I believe that Jonava will be much more motivated to win medals. Jonava also looked very good against Žalgiris, even though they lost the entire game. Lietkabelis seems exhausted, with a very short rotation and simply won't have enough strength to compete against a serious Jonava team.
Description of why I think Pacers will win can be seen in another prediction.
The Pacers' biggest engine is Haliburton and if they win the finals, I have no doubt that Haliburton will receive the MVP award. I don't know what kind of gods would have to intervene for the Pacers to win and for Haliburton to have a poor series. Before the Knicks series, I predicted that Haliburton would be the MVP and it can be said with confidence that he will receive the MVP for his great performances. The entire game revolves around Haliburton and he is the heart and brain of the team, so if the Pacers take this series, he should also become the MVP. The odds are currently very good and I believe they will decrease before the start of the series, as there are still games left against NY.