It becomes complicated, very complicated, not to imagine a final between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. The numbers speak for themselves, with both superstars in the Endesa League and Euroleague classification, but there is more because in six of the last 10 editions of the Cup, the hegemonic teams of Spanish basketball have faced each other. Without Baskonia or Unicaja in contention, both clubs only see Valencia as a real option to avoid the inevitable.
Due to budget and staff, nobody questions that we are facing two very solvent teams and that they need each other to improve. The culés are very favorite today as marked by recent precedents in the League and Euroleague, but the white team won the last time who saw each other face to face winning the Super Cup this past summer.
Madrid beat Breogán in the quarterfinals showing that their change of skin is a fact. In the absence of decisive outside players, lasso he bet again on an industrial basketball which gave its results leaving the rival team for the umpteenth time in the season below 70 points. Defense and inside play are the pillars of a white team that has adapted to Tavares, Yabusele and Poirier as its key men. Gone is that time when those from the capital came out like arrows and scored in transition.
Barça, meanwhile, made their debut against Baxi Manresa, who is the revelation of the season and who is trained by a coach who knows them all like Pedro Martínez. Jasikevicius, however, is clear that his team will perform like a rock built on the inspiration of Mirotic and Calathes. The two stand out within a very high level squad that comes with seven consecutive wins -two of them against Real Madrid- showing that they are the favorites to win.
The only but that the culés will find will be one day less rest than the whites and a more difficult draw with the revelation Manresa at the start and predictably Valencia Basket that could play them in the semifinals if they drop UCAM Murcia. The taronja have recently beaten Real Madrid and they come like a shot after Joan Peñarroya has managed to establish his game system. Everyone points to them as the outsiders and the only ones capable of avoiding the inevitable. The Copa del Rey wants to be unpredictable again.