Crvena zvezda Meridianbet to host Zadar at the start of the Playoffs – Can the visitors pull off another miracle in Belgrade?
Nemanja Nedovic (Photo: ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic)
AdmiralBet ABA League Playoffs, Quarter-Finals, Game 1, Friday, April 28, 2023:
CRVENA ZVEZDA MERIDIANBET - ZADAR
Where: Aleksandar Nikolić Sports Hall, Belgrade
When: 20:00
Story of the game: Both teams remember very well their last game in Belgrade. In Novemeber last year, Zadar stunned Crvena zvezda Meridianbet on the road by 98:96, which was only the 3rd ever away win for Zadar against the red-and-whites in the history of the regional league.
And, now the two old rivals will once again meet in Aleksandar Nikolić Sports Hall as Crvena zvezda Meridianbet will host Zadar in Game 1 of the 2022/23 AdmiralBet ABA League Quarter-Finals.
Zvezda did not manage to clinch the top spot in the regular season, but they managed to significantly improve their form in the last couple of weeks. The Belgrade powerhouse scored some big wins in April, counting all competitions, while they now want to continue with that impressive winning streak and start their Playoffs journey with a win.
On the other side, Zadar have managed to return to the AdmiralBet ABA League Playoffs for the first time since the 2007/08 season. The visitors have league MVP Luka Božić on their side, they are full of optimism ahead of the Playoffs and they hope to pull off another miracle in Belgrade. It is also important to know that when Zadar defeated Crvena zvezda Meridianbet on the road in the first part of the season, they played that game without their best player Luka Božić. And now, the MVP will be with the team for the most importants games of the season.
Match-up in focus: Two members of the 2022/23 AdmiralBet ABA League Ideal Lineup will be part of this game.
Crvena zvezda Meridianbet point guard Facundo Campazzo got selected into the Ideal Lineup as he is definitely one of the players that marked the previous regular season. Out of all active players in the league, Campazzo has the 2nd best average index rating (21.7).
Meanwhile, Zadar star player Luka Božić was named the MVP of the 2022/23 AdmiralBet ABA League regular season and we can all agree that he fully deserved that award. After all, Božić averaged 32,6 index rating and therefore set the new all-time league record for the highest average index rating achieved in a single regular season.
Head-to-head score in the regional league: In total 27:13, In Belgrade 16:3.
