Panathinaikos - Monaco

The entire season, PAO has been struggling, but in the last round, they won with the biggest margin of the season, although it does not always make it easy. Monaco seems to have mobilized after financial problems. Even with some losses, they will still present James and Theis in this match, whom they did not have in the last h2h. It is interesting that before the season, both were predicted to be in the top four.

It's hard to imagine that Pao could lose at home to Monaco, but the question is whether they would want to face Valencia. The leader said that they wouldn't want to meet Valencia, against whom they didn't have good chances away, and there is no advantage at home, which in this case would even be a disadvantage as they wouldn't have to travel. You know what to expect from Varzovo, if you lose, it hurts, but if you win it's a double blow to the eternal opponent. I think the leader likes risky moves, and speaking of Monaco, they have enough experienced players who can break important matches, so it wouldn't be a big surprise, especially since Pao's game is not very secure. Plus, the advantage of losing to Monaco is getting an extra bonus for the second home match, a full arena, additional income, and playing against Barsa or Zvezda at home wouldn't pose any great risk and would be easier, because both of those teams seem to be doing really poorly.

Hello. Euroleague playoffs. Pao against Monaco. We're going with Monaco +8.5 points handicap. Pao has been very inconsistent throughout the season and their recent heavy loss against the bottom-ranked Efes did not convince me. I believe it will be a serious battle today. Monaco seems to have recovered towards the end of the season. Mike is back, and Theis will also play today. I think they are serious game-changers, who were missing in their last matchup when PAO won by 10 points. Okobo, Strazel, and Blossomgame also seem to be in great form, and Diallo has been solid all season. In playoffs (and playoffs, in my opinion), rotations are often reduced and the 8-9 main players rotation remains the same. Mirotic won't be playing, but in recent games, he seemed to be more of a minus than a plus for the team, and with Blossomgame in such good form, I believe Monaco won't lose. Pao, of course, is full of stars and everyone is healthy and at home, so they are definitely the favorites in this game. However, I think the pressure will be greater for them today. Monaco has what it takes to challenge the Greek team, and their defense is not far behind. If Theis has a decent game, I think we can even grab a win here, but at least covering the +8.5 point spread is definitely doable. Good luck.

Although I am currently on a break with the team, I received an injury over the weekend, so I cannot say that I am 100% prepared. In any case, we are facing PAO, who now not only have Faried on their court, but also Lessort, centers who are not only as mobile, but also physically strong and perform well in defense. It is likely that Monaco's game will revolve around Peru and players like Okobo or James.

I liked the bet, an interesting bet. Both sides have an average of 2 blocks. In my opinion, there will be a lot of dives into the penalty area, after basketball and so on, as both sides have players with C grades and overall athletic players who can add blocks to each other. If you don't make any big mistakes, and most likely you won't because you can handle the pressure and so on, then you will have to look for opportunities closer to the basketball hoop.

I stick to the opinion that with Monaco having enough rest, there is no big problem playing with a short rotation, and sometimes having leaders like Mike James, that short rotation is even useful. It's difficult to assess the last match with Hapoel, but Monaco showed character. PAO's season is very unstable and struggling with many teams. The first games are usually put under pressure for the favorite. In the last match at OAKA arena, even without James or Theis, it showed that Monaco can compete with such a handicap.

In recent times, it may not have been the most stable, but the situation in Monaco was also problematic off the court, now everything has settled down. The season averages are higher than the given total, even though Mike James usually shines in the most important matches. PAO covers the high positions well, so Monaco should play through their backup players, Okobo and James, as their main options, so I am trying to bet on both totals.

Monaco was problematic outside of the court boundaries, but now everything has been sorted out. The season averages are higher than the given total, although Mike James usually stands out in the most important games. PAO defends high positions well, so Monaco should play through their experienced players, Okobo and James, who are the main options here. Therefore, I am trying to bet on the total score. Okobo tends to be selfish and sometimes that selfishness is not beneficial for the team, but statistically, this is exactly what is needed here.