Crvena Zvezda revamped the squad during the summer, signed 10 new players, and started the 2023/24 season with a convincing 81:63 win over Igokea in Laktaši.

Mike Tobey led the way for Dusko Ivanovic’s squad with 19 points and eight rebounds, scoring majority in the second half. Former Baskonia player Rokas Giedraitis added 12 points, Dalibori Ilic 11, while Luka Mitrovic finished with 10. Milos Teodosic had seven assists, but only four points on his debut.

For the Basketball Champions League Regular Season participants Igokea, Nikola Tanaskovic was on the verge of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Marko Jeremic had 15 points, all from beyond the arc, shooting 5/8 for three.

The first half was tough, with both teams making a bunch of fouls, so the players started making regular trips to the free throw line already after three minutes in the second period. Zvezda stayed in front thanks to Giedraitis heroics, who scored 11 points in the first 20 minutes, including a buzzer beater triple at halftime.

Mike Tobey than took matters into his own hands, scoring seven points in a row to open the third period, capitan Branko Lazic added couple of triples, and Zvezda pulled away, grabbing 66-45 lead after 30 minutes of play. Soon in the final period, it was all over.

Photo: ABA League/Igokea/Marija Vuruna

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From the 2023 NBA 2K24 Summer League roster of the Milwaukee Bucks and the training camp of Baskonia, Hugo Besson settles in Serbia.

Besson, 22, signed a two-year contract with FMP Soccerbet, the team announced Saturday.

He is available to play for the Belgrade outfit later today. Bouncing into AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season Round 1, his debut will be against Krka in FMP Arena at 17:00 CET.

An eventful offseason saw Besson make the Summer League squad of the Bucks for a second year in a row and move on to join Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit Baskonia for preseason preparations. In official action, his efforts will focus on the regional league ABA and the domestic AdmiralBet Basketball League of Serbia. His new team participated in the Basketball Champions League Qualification Round but was knocked out by Openjobmetis Varese.

In 2022, he was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 58th overall pick of the NBA draft and immediately traded to the Bucks. Despite Summer League action, he has yet to get a regular NBA contract.

Developing outside the league based in North America, Besson spent the 2022-23 season alongside Victor Wembanyama at Metropolitans 92. Missing four months due to injury, he tallied 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest over 25 appearances in France’s Betclic Elite LNB Pro A.

In 2021-22, he displayed his talents in Oceania’s NBL for the New Zealand Breakers en route to the NBA draft. Previous experience at the senior level was in France through Elan Chalon and Saint-Quentin BB.

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Cibona is scheduled to visit Borac Mozzart in Round 1 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season tomorrow. Financial issues put Sunday’s game and the regional campaign in jeopardy.

Despite lacking the FIBA Letter of Clearance for three new players, the team based in Zagreb requested permission to register Alex Stein, Domagoj Proleta, and Tomislav Buljan to ABA, per MeridianBetSport. The league based in countries of former Yugoslavia possibly bypassing FIBA can generate a series of reactions.

The Adriatic League is private, and thus can potentially grant Cibona’s request. However, the International Basketball Federation would likely promptly respond to such a decision.

The first step was Cedevita Olimpija, Partizan Mozzart Bet, Mornar-Barsko zlato, Buducnost VOLI, Igokea m:tel, and Cibona itself voting in favor of allowing the registration of the players, as noted in the report on the status of the team. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Mega MIS, and FMP Soccerbet voted against it. Out of the remaining ABA clubs with the right to vote, Zadar did not deliver before the deadline and Krka declined to act.

Tipping off the 2023-24 campaign via Croatia’s FAVBET Premijer Liga with plenty of teenagers suiting up, the team coached by Jaksa Vulic lost to Zadar on Thursday. Under FIBA regulations and pending settling debts with 11 players, the three aforementioned newcomers were ineligible to feature in the lineup. In contrast to private ABA, the top-tier division of Croatia is organized by the country’s Basketball Federation, HKS.

The new investors of Cibona have been dealing with financial issues since taking over in May.

Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com

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The ABA League has introduced an innovative approach to coach challenges, setting itself apart from most European basketball leagues.

Each team will be entitled to two coach challenges per game in the 2023/24 season, and head coaches will keep their challenges if they are successful.

In a departure from the norm, the ABA League has adopted a procedure akin to that seen in tennis, but should the challenge prove unsuccessful, it will be forfeited.

Furthermore, each coach will now have two challenges at their disposal during a game, but they’ll be limited to deploying one of them within the final two minutes of the game, which includes any overtime periods.

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SC Derby are the new ABA Super Cup Winners, and they have done it an amazing comeback against Partizan Mozzart Bet late in the game, after a game-winning three-pointer by Borna Kapusta, prevailing by 83-81.

This is the first ever ABA Super Cup trophy for SC Derby, which have become the fourth team to lift this trophy, after Cedevita Zagreb, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet and Partizan Mozzart Bet.

Kenan Kamenjaš of SC Derby has earned himself the title of the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 ABA Super Cup, as he has led his team to the win with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a valuation of 22.

Aubrey Dawkins with 18 points was the top scorer of the winning side.

Partizan entered the final three minutes of the game with an 8-point lead (81-73), but failed to score afterwards and it was Borna Kapusta, who sealed the win for SC Derby with a game-winning three-pointer, completing the SC Derby’s 10-0 run in the end of the game.

Kevin Punter scored 23 points for Partizan.

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Behind a team effort and with Alen Smailagic scoring 15 points, Partizan got the 91-84 win over Igokea in the semifinal of the ABA Super Cup.

It was a much easier game than the final score suggests with the winners getting a 27-13 lead in the first period and Igokea managing to cut the lead in the last quarter.

Partizan led even by 20 (51-31) at halftime and never felt any real pressure. Igokea got 23 points by Marko Jeremic, but that’s just a footnote.

Kevin Punter had 13 points for the winners, while newcomers from the NBA Frank Kaminsky (12 p.) and P.J.Dozier (11 p.) also delivered.

In the final Partizan will face SC Derby which prevailed over Budućnost VOLI (69-63) in the second semifinal.

For the classification race in the games between 5th and 8th place, Mega MIS has outgunned Cedevita Olimpija (88-75) and Zadar prevailed over FMP Soccerbet (77-71).

Photo credit: ABA Liga

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After squandering a 16-point lead, Partizan Mozzart Bet restored a double-digit advantage down the stretch to defeat Mega MIS, 89-78, in Podgorica’s Moraca Sports Hall on Monday.

Behind six double-digit scorers, the team coached by Zeljko Obradovic progressed to the Semifinals of the ABA Super Cup. James Nunnally dropped 13 points, including three three-pointers. Dominating inside the paint, Frank Kaminsky added 12 points. P.J. Dozier had 11 points. Zach LeDay, Uros Trifunovic, and Kevin Punter chipped in ten points each.

Mateusz Ponitka did not make the trip to the capital and largest city of Montenegro due to injury. Coming off a silver medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Aleksa Avramovic followed the team but is not expected to play.

The fourth edition of the preseason tournament follows a two-year break and precedes the tipoff of the 2023-24 edition of the AdmiralBet ABA League. Previous winners were Partizan NIS in Zagreb, Crvena Zvezda mts in Laktasi, and Cedevita in Bar.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet opted against participating this season, allowing Igokea m:tel to enter the field. The representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Basketball Champions League went on to upset Cedevita Olimpija, 75-65, in the opener of the tournament and qualify for the Semifinals.

In the other two games, Buducnost VOLI beat Zadar 70-58 and SC Derby prevailed with ease over FMP Soccerbet with the final score being 93-75.

The Semifinals and classification games will follow tomorrow. The Final and remaining classification games wrap up the schedule on Wednesday.

Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com

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The unselfish gesture of Bogdan Karaicic, a member of the Partizan Mozzart Bet coaching staff working under Zeljko Obradovic, will help others.

Karaicic, 38, committed to offering the ring from the AdmiralABA League championship in an auction with proceeds providing assistance in the treatment of Lenka Lazarevic, Isidora Vuckovic, and Sergeu Bjelobaba, Partizan announced Friday.

Providing additional financial support, the Partizan coach intends to distribute a part of the money raised to a family of a recently deceased friend.

The auction will start later Friday with bids starting upwards of 2,000 euros (240,000 dinars) and last until July 10 on the official Instagram page of the team based in Belgrade.

The championship ring is impossible to reproduce without the approval of ABA, as noted.

Karaicic joined Partizan alongside Obradovic in 2021. Winning the regional league by edging out crosstown rival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in the best-of-five championship series marked the team’s first title over those two years. Immediately after capturing the ABA championship, the coach revealed his desire to put the ring in an auction for humanitarian support.

Apart from ABA, Partizan ranked sixth in the Regular Season of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to qualify for the Playoffs. Despite going up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, bowing out to Real Madrid in five games ended the continental campaign. At the domestic level, skipping the Basketball League of Serbia for a second year in a row waived off the bid for the KLS championship.

Photo Credit: ABA-liga.com

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The ABA League season has ended, and Crvena Zvezda is no longer on the throne of the ABA League. After five difficult matches, Partizan became the champion, and one of the best players in red and white in this final was Nemanja Nedovic. The great shouting guard decided to return to Zvezda this summer after 10 years abroad and immediately showed that he is the leader of the team, however, now after the defeat in the final he felt regret.

Namely, Nedovic pointed out on his Instagram profile that he is very sorry that the team is breaking up after the defeat against the Black and Whites in the fifth match of the ABA league finals.

“Thank you for this support during this very busy and exciting season with a lot of ups and downs. Two trophies [were] won but regret remains about the fifth game of the final,” the player wrote in his Instagram story. “The impression is that we lost that trophy with the defeat in Zagreb but it is what it is.”

“At the end of the day, you should be realistic and congratulate Partizan because they were better in the matches in the [Stark] Arena. I’m sad because I’m aware that this team won’t stay together, and maybe it was a group of guys that I enjoyed working with the most,” Nedovic wrote.

“We gave an example to individual players of the opposing club of how we should behave in such situations. No [item] throwing, no provocations, always greeted the opponent before and after the game. I will always look back fondly on this season. Thank you for all the love you have given me since my return to our Star and see you soon. I really don’t need a trophy…”

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Putting on an offensive clinic in the first half shaped a separation of 21 points, but Partizan Mozzart Bet dealt with major issues before eventually securing the win, 96-85, against archrival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Thursday.

Winning Game 5 and the best-of-five series, the team coached by legendary Zeljko Obradovic was crowned AdmiralBet ABA League champions.

Paving the way in the deciding contest to earn the Finals MVP award attached to his side’s first title in the regional league since 2013, Kevin Punter pouring 32 points finished the 2022-23 season with a new personal best. The Bronx native connected 11/17 from the field, including 3/6 three-pointers. Dropping ten points in the third quarter kept a safe distance through the start of the comeback bid.

Coming in with a 5-4 edge in this season’s head-to-head, the team guided by Dusko Ivanovic went on to reduce the deficit to four points in the fourth period but fell short of the lead, belonging to Partizan from start to finish.

Zach LeDay threw in 15 points and James Nunnally had 12 points for the championship-clinching victory. Mathias Lessort and Dante Exum added ten points apiece. Ioannis Papapetrou (shoulder) remained on the injury list.

Determined to keep his side in the battle for as long as possible, Ognjen Dobric logged 11 of his team-high 18 points in the middle quarters. Ben Bentil followed with 15 points, Nemanja Nedovic finished with 12 points, and Facundo Campazzo registered ten points. Miroslav Raduljica, Nikola Ivanovic, Ognjen Kuzmic, and Dalibor Ilic did not dress.

Record-breaking crowd

The attendance announced at 22,198 spectators in Stark Arena was an ABA League record.

22.198 spectators in the last game of the @ABA_League Finals!!!

A new record, of course, and probably the best ever attendance for a domestic league in Europe pic.twitter.com/L3TmJ9SGvD

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) June 22, 2023

Highlighting the list of special guests, Bogdan Bogdanovic, currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks, enjoyed the first club of his professional career capturing the seventh ABA championship in team history. Partizan actually broke a tie between the Belgrade rivals sharing a league-high six titles going into deciding Game 5.

The new ABA champions enjoyed another big-time achievement earlier in the season reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. On the opposite end, Zvezda settled with winning both domestic competitions, the AdmiralBet Basketball League of Serbia and Triglav osiguranje Radivoj Korac Cup.

Photo Credit: ABA Liga

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Rivalries in European basketball are intense and after Crvena Zvezda’s win in Game 4 of the ABA League Finals, Partizan’s coach Zeljko Obradovic talked about the current situation between his club and Zvezda, cross-town rivals in Belgrade, making a direct comparison with the NBA.

“You asked me in our home gym if I heard chants, and now I’m going to ask you if you hear this tonight,” Obradovic asked the journalists in the press conference and then made his point.

As the winningest EuroLeague coach explained: “Fifteen days ago, I watched the NBA Finals with our Nikola Jokićc whom we all admire, but right after that game, I came across a match from 1988, where Red Star and Partizan were playing. I was a player in that match. The stands were full, and half the fans supported Partizan, half Zvezda. The chants were about Belgrade winning the title. How did we get to this? What is this in 2023? Do we have any experts who can explain?”

Compared to last year, when tension was even higher, so far things are relatively tame on the surface, but Obradovic talked about the mentality of the fans:  “On our way to the game today, we have seen a child with his parents. As we were passing by, he spits on the bus, shows the middle finger and the mother laughs. Who is sowing this hatred? That is the question of all questions”.

With Game 5 scheduled to be played on Thursday at Partizan’s home court and the series tied at 2-2, Obradovic hopes that the finals will end on a different tone and speaking about the fans of his team he added: “I’m begging, I’m asking them to cheer fairly and with sporting spirit. The players of both Partizan and Crvena Zvezda deserve that. I hope we will talk after the game. I hope whoever plays better basketball, without the influence of any external factors. I beg the fans to cheer fairly so that every player and member of the coaching staff of Crvena Zvezda feels safe. These players when the season is over will have to think about whether they should stay and play here. With us! With the way we are! This is a key question and one you should all ask yourself. I ask myself the same question when I watch the video. We are friends with Zvezda’s players. Zvezda’s fans, who are my friends, called me after the match to apologize because of what happened. Maybe I should apologize for some things too.  I pray to God for this, I beg Partizan fans to behave. I think we deserve a final where we will only talk about basketball. Do you realize the quality of basketball we have here? Will these players want to stay here next season if we behave like this?'”

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Following Partizan’s 2-0 at the beginning of this year’s ABA League Finals, Crvena Zvezda managed to tie the best-of-five-game series, winning both Game 3 and Game 4 in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, forcing Game 5 at Stark Arena.

Facundo Campazzo and Ognjen Dobric dragged Dusko Ivanovic’s team into the 68-56 win against the black-and-white rivals. The Argentinian point guard had 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while the Serbian forward followed with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

On the losing side, Dante Exum recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. The former teammates in Milano Zach LeDay and Kevin Punter combined for 19 points, and will now have to bounce back in Game 5 after two consecutive losses to bring ABA League back to Partizan.

Ioannis Papapetrou wasn’t available for Zeljko Obradovic, who had to count on Tristan Vukcevic. Dusan’s 20-year-old son kept his name in the 2023 NBA Draft.

ABA League Finals Results and Schedule

Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G1: 88-80
Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G2: 87-78
Crvena Zvezda – Partizan Belgrade, G3: 91-78
Crvena Zvezda – Partizan Belgrade, G4: 68-56
Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G5 (22/06 at 20:00 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: ABA League

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Nemanja Nedovic scored 10 out of his 19 points in the fourth period as Crvena Zvezda defeated Partizan Belgrade 91 – 78 in Game 3 of the ABA League Finals to make the series score 2-1.

Nedovic led a major fourth-quarter push (29-19) by Zvezda that turned a close clash into a comfortable win. He scored seven points in a row to put Red Star up 75 – 65 and then hit three free throws as the hosts went ahead 80 – 71 with 3:45 to play.

Partizan collapsed during that stretch and eventually lost after winning the first Finals at home. Zeljko Obradovic’s players led 40 – 41 in the beginning of the second half and were close 62 – 59 at the beginning of the final quarter but then allowed 13 points in less than four minutes to fall behind by double figures, never managing to recover.

Dante Exum had 16 points for Partizan. Yam Madar scored 15 and Kevin Punter 12. Their team committed 17 turnovers against Zvezda’s six and didn’t manage to make the most out of its superior shooting (12-25 triples by Partizan vs. 7-25 by Zvezda).

Luka Mitrovic (16 points, seven rebounds), Filip Petrusev (16 points, five rebounds), Luca Vildoza (14 points, five assists, four steals) and Facu Campazzo (seven points, six assists) delivered key contributions to Zvezda’s win.

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A lot of tension arises every time Crvena Zvezda and Partizan play in the ABA league, especially in the finals. This season is no different. Partizan has a dominant 2-0 lead in the finals series, but there was a lot of talk about their fans and their insulting chant aimed against the president of Crvena Zvezda Nebojsa Covic and the team.

Coach Zeljko Obradovic told the media that he is against any kind of bad language from the stands.

But it seems like Nebojsa Covic does not believe him.

“Those statements are hypocrisy“, Covic said to TV Prva. “I remember the Zvezda – Fenerbahce match in Belgrade, we never worked with the fans on making insulting banners (ed. note: Obradovic at the time was Fenerbahce coach). I remember the first match we won against Fenerbahce in Belgrade. Until then we were losing and it was great. The first time we won, there were chants caused by provocations against Zeljko and I don’t support that, I consider him a good coach. Then there was a fuss, a panic, I thought we were friends. Then it was said that ‘If someone is chanting insults against someone, I will stop it’. Are people so forgetful?”

Game 3 of the ABA finals is scheduled for Sunday in front of Crvena Zvezda fans, as the series moves to Zvezda’s home gym.

Covic tried to downplay the fact that Partizan has a solid lead: “We will play on Sunday, completely relieved, we have two trophies this year, a total of 24 in these 11 years“.

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Partizan Belgrade is one win away from winning its first ABA League title in 10 years. With five players scoring in double figures, Zeljko Obradovic’s team took a 87 – 78 win over Crvena Zvezda in Game 2 of the Finals as the series now moves to the latter’s home court.

James Nunnally and Alen Smailagic led a balanced offensive effort by Partizan with 15 points apiece. Mathias Lessort and Kevin Punter contributed 13 points each and Zach LeDay had 12 points plus six rebounds.

Nemanja Nedovic dropped 21 points for Red Star but his team needed some more firepower or perhaps a better defense to counter Partizan, especially in the second half. Zvezda was leading 49 – 50 early in the third period but the hosts made a 12-3 run to establish a lead.

Partizan retained an advantage and Nunnaly hit a big triple to make it 82 – 76 with 1:29 to play. Punter then made a pair of free throws to secure his team’s win.

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In front of 18.324 fans in the Stark Arena, Partizan Belgrade began the ABA League Finals with an 88-80 win against the eternal enemies of Crvena Zvezda. Game 1 marked a record-breaking attendance in a single ABA League game.

On the black-and-white side, former Olimpia Milano power forward Zach LeDay put up 24 points and 5 rebounds, while the team’s captain Kevin Punter added 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Alen Smailagic added 11 points and 4 rebounds.

On Crvena Zvezda’s side, Facundo Campazzo had a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists, while Ognjen Dobric added 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nemanja Nedovic had 10 points, including a half-court buzzer-beater.

After winning the Serbian championship for the 8th year in a row, Crvena Zvezda will now have to win in Game 2, scheduled on June 15 at 20:30 CET, to go to the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall for Game 3, which will be played in Crvena Zvezda’s home on June 18 at 20:30 CET.

What a 3-pointer by Nemanja Nedović! #ABAPlayoffs @kkcrvenazvezda pic.twitter.com/hkqMSmgZ3m

— AdmiralBet ABA League (@ABA_League) June 13, 2023

ABA League Finals Results and Schedule

Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G1: 88-80
Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G2 (15/06 at 20:30 CET)
Crvena Zvezda – Partizan Belgrade, G3 (18/06 at 20:30 CET)
Crvena Zvezda – Partizan Belgrade, G3 (20/06)
Partizan Belgrade – Crvena Zvezda, G5 (22/06)

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After a series of public statements from the Basketball League of Serbia, ABA League, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, and Partizan Mozzart Bet, the scheduling conflict between the Serbian and regional championships got resolved.

The fight for the Serbian title will start today, June 9, at 18.00, with Crvena Zvezda meeting FMP SoccerBet in best-of-three series (Game 2 on 11/06), while the Adriatic best-of-five final series is set from June 13, with Partizan hosting defending champions.

The last few days were hectic, with announcements coming left and right. Firstly, the dates overlapped; Crvena Zvezda complained, saying it wouldn’t play ABA championship games in the given schedule. GM of the Red and Whites, Nemanja Vasiljevic, noted that the NBA season would finish before ABA.

Then BLS and ABA agreed on the new dates, but Partizan refused to comply via an official statement signed by Club’s director Zoran Savic.

“In accordance with the competition calendar and the received notification about the match dates (published and available on the league’s official website), Partizan previously released tickets for the first game of the final series of the ABA League, of which a large number were sold. The club expects a record attendance. Partizan cannot and will not let down its fans who have already bought tickets for the game. That is why it would be irresponsible to accept the deadline set by the League management. Please let us know the exact time on June 12, 2023, to play the first game of the league’s final series,” Partizan stayed firm on the firstly published calendar.

The sports director of the ABA League, Milija Vojinović, confirmed that the Finals would start on June 13, as per agreement with Serbian League, and Partizan accepted the changes this time.

“Determining the finals dates brought even greater challenges and extremely high tensions. Nevertheless, even in such circumstances, I did everything to make decisions solely in the interest of the ABA League. I was guided by those motives when I determined the original dates of the playoff finals, but also now, when I decided to change the date by just one day. In light of everything that happened in the previous period, which I believe you are all familiar with, I am convinced that the new playoff dates are the only correct solution in the interest of the competition,” Vojinovic stated.

Finally, the dates are set in stone, and the finals of the Basketball League of Serbia and ABA League can start. Crvena Zvezda is defending both titles, as interestingly, it played with the same opponents last season and won.

For those wondering why Partizan is not in the BLS finals, it didn’t provide the list of players on time to be registered and, for the second consecutive season, won’t be competing for the Serbian title.

ABA League finals (best-of-five):

Game 1: Partizan – Crvena Zvezda (13/06)
Game 2: Partizan – Crvena Zvezda (15/06)
Game 3: Crvena Zvezda – Partizan (18/06)
* Game 4: Crvena Zvezda – Partizan (20/06)
* Game 5: Partizan – Crvena Zvezda (23/06)

* – if necessary

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In front of the Slovenian superstar Goran Dragic, Partizan Belgrade closed the best-of-three series in the ABA League Semifinals against Cedevita Olimpija, advancing to the Finals, where the black-and-white team will face Crvena Zvezda if they stick to it.

Zach LeDay dragged Zeljko Obradovic’s team to the 90-71 win against the Slovenian side with 17 points and 4 rebounds, and the Dante Exum-James Nunnally duo combined for 23 points and 9 assists. Cedevita’s leader Yogi Ferrell found one of his worst shooting nights of the season (0/6 from deep), but dished 7 assists, while Goran’s brother Zoran Dragic ended with 15 points.

In the previous clashes between Partizan and Cedevita, the two sides shared victories at home. In the other ABA League Semifinals series, Crvena Zvezda completely crushed Buducnost. In Game 1, the red-and-white side won with a 38-point margin (93-55), extending it to a 41-point margin in Game 2 (97-56).

Goran Dragic is in Belgrade to enjoy Game 3 of the ABA League Semifinal between Partizan and Cedevita Olimpija. pic.twitter.com/8yeQuKiCVR

— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) June 6, 2023

ABA League Semifinals schedule and results

Crvena Zvezda – Buducnost, G1: 93-55
Buducnost – Crvena Zvezda, G2: 56-97

Partizan Belgrade – Cedevita Olimpija, G1: 85-70
Cedevita Olimpija – Partizan Belgrade, G2: 95-83
Partizan Belgrade – Cedevita Olimpija, G3: 90-71

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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet is stuck between AdmiralBet ABA League and Serbian SuperLeague schedules, and the club’s general manager, Nemanja Vasiljevic, opened up about the complicated situation.

Dates for ABA finals and SuperLeague finals are suddenly overlapping, with the Belgrade club expected to play for the Adriatic crown 21 days after advancing from the semis, and Vasiljevic believes the only solution is for the SuperLeague to be finished before the regional competition, as the club announced.

“Our priority is winning the domestic league, and we’ll always participate there, along with the Serbian Cup. We’ve never backed down, even when we were in a worse position, while others haven’t played SuperLeague for two years. Should there be a date change in the Serbian League now? Absolutely not. Our statement was clear, and those who view things realistically must have recognized it as the only logical solution.

Otherwise, we would finish the ABA League on June 22 and then immediately start the Serbian League, concluding the season in early July. The NBA has 30 teams and will finish their season before the ABA league,” Vasiljevic said to Mozzart Sport.

The players are the ones who suffered the most with the significant gaps between games, as Crvena Zvezda played only three games in May after seven months of playing in a dens schedule with EuroLeague, ABA League, and Radivoj Korac Cup matches. Also, with regional competition potentially ending on June 22, they won’t have much time to rest before their national team duties with the FIBA World Cup upcoming.

“Does anyone think about the players? They have been playing since October and won’t have time to rest, considering that they will soon start their national team duties. They don’t know what’s happening. They just want to play, to win the title, and now someone wants to take away their right to fight for it.”

Zvezda tried to schedule some friendly matches to stay in shape but couldn’t find opponents due to playoffs being played across the continent.

“We didn’t have anyone to play with because everyone is playing in the playoffs in their national championships. We wanted to go abroad as well, but there were no opponents. Even if there were, a friendly game is not the same as a competitive game. We held one training game, and now the players are playing between themselves.”

With the season dragged to late June and uncertainty about being part of the EuroLeague for the next one, planning for the future gets complicated, as Vasiljevic recently explained to Eurohoops. Mainly because the A-licensed teams already started making moves.

As Eurohoops reported, Crvena Zvezda’s star player Facundo Campazzo has a deal to return to Real Madrid on a three-year contract. Still, Vasiljevic noted that the Belgrade club also made him an offer.

“We want to keep him. We presented him with an offer for the next season a while ago, and he said we’ll discuss it after the current season. He’s focused on the ABA League and wants to win it. Regardless of what happens, we’ll assemble a strong team and focus on having as many local players as possible.”

As for the Serbian players, Crvena Zvezda wants to keep Luka Mitrovic and Ognjen Dobric.

“We want both of them to stay. We’re in talks regarding new contracts and hope for a positive outcome. They are Zvezda’s children,” the Belgrade club’s GM, Nemanja Vasiljevic, concluded.

The post Crvena Zvezda GM Nemanja Vasiljevic: “NBA will finish before ABA League” appeared first on Eurohoops.

Reacting to a complicated situation, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet clearly confirmed intentions of skipping the AdmiralBet ABA League Finals in favor of competing for the domestic league championship in Serbia’s SuperLeague Final Four.

The team coached by Dusko Ivanovic has advanced to the Finals of both the regional and domestic leagues. The conflict was created from the schedules released by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and the ABA League.

Rejecting ABA’s ensuing schedule, the Belgrade outfit will not play Game 1 and Game 2 of the Finals, the team announced Saturday.

Double trouble

Serbia’s SuperLeague Final Four best-of-three championship series vs. Mega MIS or FMP Soccerbet

Game 1: 10/6 or 12/6*
Game 2: 13/6 or 15/6*
Game 3**: 16/6 or 18/6*

* if the best-of-three series between Mega MIS and FMP Soccerbet stretches to Game 3

** if necessary

AdmiralBet ABA League best-of-five championship series vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet or Cedevita Olimpija

Game 1: 12/6
Game 2: 14/6
Game 3: 17/6
Game 4*: 19/6
Game 5*: 22/6

*if necessary

• In deciding Game 3 of the ABA Semifinals, Partizan will host Cedevita Olimpija in Stark Arena Tuesday, 6 June.

Partizan is out of the domestic league

In a helpful reminder, crosstown rival Partizan missed the deadline to register players for the domestic league. Instead of entering directly in the Final Four, participation was ruled out. Consequently, the Final Four was limited to three teams, Zvezda plus the winners of the Quarterfinals groups, Mega and FMP.

Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net

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The post Crvena Zvezda fires at overlapping Finals, prefers Serbian league over ABA appeared first on Eurohoops.