Virtus-Brescia: Title challenge with Shengelia and Bilan protagonists

It will be the first time for Brescia, the umpteenth and fifth consecutive one for the Virtus. If we look at the coat of arms, the titles won, the finals behind us, the balance should lean towards Virtus, which will also have the advantage of the home field. But be careful because Brescia seems like a team on a mission. The team directed by Peppe Poeta is going through a truly magical moment and after an excellent regular season, closed in third place, it defeated Trieste 3-1 in the quarterfinals, winning game 4 at the home of the Giuliani, and in the semifinals Trapani 3-0, winning the first two challenges at the home of the Sicilians.

If the Virtus winning two decisive games on the Olimpia parquet gave a signal of (rediscovered) impressive strength, on the other hand Brescia has already shown that it can win even away from its fortress of PalaLeonessa. Solid and compact, Brescia seems to have taken a further step forward compared to the team that last year won the Italian Cup, the only trophy in the Lombardy showcase, thanks to the arrival of Poeta on the bench and the confirmation of a high-level team, first of all Amedeo Della Valle and what can be considered one of the best backbones of the championship. In basketball, the playmaker-pivot axis has always been the basis on which a good team is founded and Brescia has created its fortunes precisely on the all-Slavic axis Nikola Ivanovic-Miro Bilan. If the Macedonian playmaker is the mind and sometimes the arm of coach Poeta's team (other than in Virtus we remember him on the field from the 2010 season to 2013, even with the rank of captain), the Croatian center Sibenik is the substance and the great quality. It is not for nothing that the thirty-five year old Bilan was elected as the best player in the Italian championship.

Bilan surpassed Toko Shengelia in the final standings of the MVP Dino Meneghin Trophy - Unipol. Virtus-Brescia will be, but not only also Shengelia-Bilan. Different roles, the two could equally cross paths under the basket where the game gets tough, but two tough guys like them stand out for quality and charisma. Movements of a pivot from another era, but effective, solid, Bilan will be one of the factors to defuse for the defense of Virtus.

On the other hand, Toko Shengelia is confirming himself as a simply decisive factor in terms of points, rebounds, but above all leadership. When the ball weighs, the Georgian warrior is the first to set an example for his teammates by giving it his all. The end of game 5 against Venice with the team back to the wall was the confirmation of how a champion like Shengelia can, with his charisma and his leadership, drag a team to a comeback, to victory and to the next round. Even in the series against Milan, Toko took on the responsibility and led the Black Vs to the final.

Bilan against Shengelia or the title of MVP of the playoffs and the final at stake, but we are sure that both would willingly trade the prestigious personal trophy for the championship to share with their staff, teammates, club and fans.

All that remains is to wait until Thursday at 20.30:1 pm, when the tip-off for game XNUMX will be raised at the Segafredo Arena.