Barça and Madrid have found a competitor in the Cazoo Baskonia, which joins the big favorites in the Endesa League
The three teams share the same record (19-4) with 11 games to go before the end of the regular season, and everything is up in the air
The two great favorites to win the Endesa League, Barça and Madrid, have been joined this week by Cazoo Baskonia Joan Peñarroya, who has jumped on the bandwagon of favorites after a convincing victory on Madrid’s court (88-95) and who has led all three to share the same record (19-4) with just 11 games to close the regular phase.
Madrid, mainly and Barça occasionally, they have been in charge of the Endesa League practically from the beginningand now they have an ‘outsider’ like the team from Vitoria that He has presented a candidacy for the title and also with having shown that he can do damage: This season they have beaten Madrid in all four matches in the Endesa League and the Euroleague.
Three teams leading with the same record at this points of the season did not happen since the 2005-06 season. As now, on matchday 23 there were three teams tied for the lead, the TAU Cerámica, Unicaja and FC Barcelona, an equality that was repeated on days 27 and 29. More recently, in April 2017, and on matchday 18, something identical happened, with Madrid, Valencia, and Iberostar Tenerife, adding 19 victories.
They open a gap in the table
The three leading teams have already opened a gap in the standings and leave Lenovo Tenerife to three victories (16-6) with one game to play while Joventut and Unicaja are four away (14-9) and the team that closes play-off positions, Valencia Basket, are already six victories away.
Cazoo Baskonia will still have the chance to challenge Barça (matchday 33) and There is also a Classic to play in this final stretch, that will arrive on day 27. Some combinations of results in these matches can alter that first placewhich adds a special emotion to this regular season finale.
In those 11 final days, the combinations and the final position facing the play-offs is a mystery, because in addition to the direct duels between the first three, there are also key duels between the teams that opt to be in the play-offs.
There is nothing decided although it points to Madrid, Barça and Baskonia, in the fight for the desired first place that gives home court advantage in all the qualifiers. An important advantage, although not decisive since the last two years, the champion has managed to prevail without counting on that privilege gained throughout the year.