The Monterrey club with several well-known faces in Europe looks quite alluring, but I don't think they have any chances against Inter, who may make some changes this season but ultimately their strength remains. Inter are much stronger and control the game, and after such an unsuccessful season, I believe they will fight for trophies in this tournament.
Dortmund is an extremely efficient team that always affects its opponents with its gameplay. The Brazilian club is of a high level and I believe they can confidently resist, especially considering Dortmund's defensive struggles. The Germans concede a lot and clearly score more, especially when facing strong opponents, so I think we can expect a lot of goals in both teams' nets during this match.
Having finished the season very unsuccessfully, I believe that Portugal's Benfica should be motivated for this tournament, because the team looked very good throughout the entire season in all competitions. With a strong and well-balanced squad, the Portuguese team is a very strong favorite in my eyes against the Argentinian club, which, although strong in general, is not a match for Benfica who should dominate and win.
There should be Overiukas here. Real is one of the strongest attacks in all of Europe and when Trent joined, Real became even more dangerous and I think there is always potential for them to get total domination because Al Hilal did not demonstrate a very solid defense this season, among the top 8 teams in the Saudi League for example, they are second in terms of overs and goals conceded, but this team also has a strong attack. And although Real is on a different level as a competitor compared to the teams in the Saudi League, Real's defense is not the strongest and there may not be full capacity for this match. Overall, I think Al Hilal will contribute to the total, while Real will take 3-1 or 4-1.
It is still possible to try Jonava, who played solid games against Apylyges with such a coefficient, and Lietkabelis with missed three-point shots in their away match. However, Jonava struggled with their three-point shots, as their percentage was lower in the game. It seems that there is some pressure on them after their victory over Peru on the road. Going on the road again, they are considered underdogs, so the pressure should be lifted and we can expect another tough battle.
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.
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.
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.
I believe the coefficient is given in exchange for risk. The Knicks - Pacers series is currently at 1-3 and considering the forms of both teams, the chances of making a comeback for NY are very slim. The Pacers' game leaves a big impression, with quick transitions, strong offense, deep rotation, and teamwork. The team has been playing in the conference finals for the second year in a row - they have everything they need to win the title.
In the previous round, the Pacers beat the highly regarded Eastern team, the Cleveland Cavs. Although they had some injuries, according to all predictions they should have easily handled it, but it was the opposite.
In the finals, they will most likely face OKC. They have been playing very well this year, but one major flaw is their shooting from the three-point line - only 33% in the playoffs with 37 attempts per game. That's very poor in modern basketball.
I believe this could cause them trouble in at least one game in this series, as the Pacers' offense won't be able to be stopped.
Given that the coefficient will most likely be very high for the final series, I think it's worth taking a small risk.