Basketball King: Honor the format

The most attractive weekend of Spanish basketball arrives. The years go by and the aroma of great event to be held on the track and the stands is maintained and that moves to the streets of the host city. The routine caused by excessively long leagues is reconvisaged in pure excitement. The forecasts hang with pins and the sea of ​​competitions and windows that distract the fan is concretized in something simple and understandable. Eight arrives, the one who loses home, can only be one.

The best is always expected from the Copa del Rey. Since its first edition in this format, held back in 1984 and ended with the surprising victory of Cai Zaragoza by Kevin Magee, its enormous prestige was based on assaults on the established power. Gain Playoffs Five games costs much more than entering the boiling for a long weekend and every triumph of Joventut, Baskonia, Students, Unicaja, Zaragoza, Valencia or Manresa has grow the legend that, in the cup, everything is possible. It is not what the record of the last fifteen years says right now, where only the Unicaja in 2023 has been able to break the white and Barça Bicephaly (7 titles each), but this data fails to start the illusion of meeting this end from a special week in the hope that previous scripts jump through the air.

Although it sounds like a song already heard, this time it seems that sufficient circumstances are given to think that we are facing the greatest equality of recent times in the noble zone. The reason is double. On the one hand, the progressive growth of several projects that have managed to maintain templates, with all the benefits that it has implicit. On the other, the use by their rivals of physical and mental wear that have to endure the Euroleague teams, which makes them more vulnerable on weekends, and not only for leading equipment.

Just take a look at the classification to check the effects of these circumstances. He is leading Madrid, but arrives in the Canary Islands giving moods in Europe and teaching its weak points. The new pieces do not finish fitting at all and defeats, occur where they occur, they always bring doubts. Barça, on the other hand, lives in a state of perennial shock and the joys and sorrows last a jiffy. With seeing coach Peñarroya during a game you can get the idea of ​​how they are going through the Palau. They are more solid alternatives than ever Unicaja and Valencia, which have been broadcasting very good signals, giving well -founded reasons for recognition. Both display a very attractive basketball and have two contrasted coaches who know how to take advantage of their deep and talented templates.

The Tenerife lagoon, meanwhile, arrives as always, without making a lot of noise, but touching the roof of the classification of the eternal Marcelinho and Shermadini, the Stockton and Malone of the island basketball. More surprising is the joventut tour, which has as its support its veteran couple of pivots Tomic and Pustovyi and even more that of Baxi Manresa, probably the most euphoric and dangerous team of the eight. They arrive in Gran Canaria with six victories in the last seven games and the ambition unleashed. The host closes the circle, quite off lately. With these dynamics, very positive in terms of new applicants and too hesitant in terms of the Dominating Classics, the options are extended until they virtually encompassed all participants.

The wait is over and everything seems prepared for four days with tachycardial aspirations. In a universe as dispersed as that of European basketball, full of different national and international competitions, club and selections, a punctual, frantic tournament is appreciated, without pause and that has left for history countless magical moments associated with great legends such as Kevin Magee, Iñaki Solozábal, Mark Davis, Chichi Creus, Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernández or Sergio Llull. The past keeps its footprint. We will see if the present is able to honor an exemplary format, imitated by the NBA.