Anadolu finshed the last 10 rounds of the competition with an 8-2 record and stormed into the playoffs as the sixth seed. They of course face the third seeded Olympiacos Piraeus who who has one of the most difficult courts top lay on in all of Europe.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

The Peace and Friendship stadium will be host to the first two games of the series and right now we will look into game one with some help from 888sport.com. The home team is the favorite by 6.5 points and pays 1.94 to 1 and the game total is set at 151.5 which pays out 1.91 to 1. The team split their season series with two games that do not have much bearing on this playoff. Game 1 was played way back in round 2 and the Greeks enjoyed a 24 point blowout but had the favor returned in round 29 just a couple of weeks ago with a hard fought 8 point win for the Turks. These games do not give us much to work with and either does the fact that Olympiacos limped into the playoffs with three straight losses.

This information makes this a difficult game to find the best betting angle but luckily I have done some research for you. Olympiacos is a very defensive team and at home only allow 70 points a game to their opponent and rank second in Europe allowing only 74.2 points throughout the 30 game schedule. Anadolu i son the opposite side of this spectrum and allow 83 points a game and plays more of an uptempo type of game. Looking at the numbers and knowing a little about playing in this famous stadium my prediction is the Olympiacos defense should suffocate the turks. The final of this game should be in the mid to low 70s. My prediction would be a final score of 76-69 which keeps us below the threshold of 151.5. This is a tough game to call but I honestly believe defense determines the result in Athens…….. UNDER 151.5 @ 1.91 or we can look deeper into 888sport.com and find a better payout, for example…….UNDER 147.5 @ 2.38. Points will be hard to come by in this game. Remember, the last game in Istanbul only came in at at 146 total points and in game one Anadolu was only capable of putting up 66 points………..LOVE THE UNDER!!!!

Good Luck

The first two games to start the Euroleague playoffs this Tuesday are very good opportunities to make some extra cash with 888sport.com. There are many different philosophies when you start a five game playoff but the most important of them is to pull out all the stops to win that first game. This philosophy is consistent for both the home team and the visitors. Tuesday the 17th of April we get started in Russia with CSKA Moscow facing Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz, then in Greece it’s Panathinaikos Superfoods and Fenerbahce Istanbul. Now let's go over some important keys and find where we're going to make our money.

• Bet on Euroleague

CSKA is at home where they are one of the most dominant teams in all of Europe and I’ll leave you with a little information here to understand exactly what I mean, 14 victories with only 1 defeat at home this season. Of those 14 wins the Russians  average margin of victory was 14.35 points per game and that  includes their 112-84 destruction against Baskonia in round 9. It should also be noted that Vitoria has lost 10 consecutive games in Moscow since 2005. With all this information, one would think we should bet on CSKA but the win only pays 1.12 to 1 at 888sport.com. CSKA are also favorited by 11.5 points which pays a little better at 1.91 to 1. If you ask me the 11.5 points could be too much for this first contest because the norm in these cases is the road team does everything they can to try and pull off the quick surprise. That's why I think if we look towards the over/under of 165.5 points we give ourselves more options to win. These teams like to score and and I do not expect any type of defensive battle. The play here is OVER 165.5, which also pays 1.91 to 1 and I feel is less risky.

The matchup between Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce is another chance to win some cash. Two teams that are in the playoffs thanks to their intense defense and I do not think their styles will change much during this series. The biggest problem for the Turks is their inability to score points while they hold teams to a low output and that’s reason I give a big advantage to the Greeks in game one. The atmosphere in Athens and home court advantage will be two reasons that Panathinaikos should fly out of the gate and get off to a fast start. In 888sport.com the Greeks are favorites by 3.5 points and I think they will cover this number but it is paying only 1.84. The alternative bet which is a Double Opportunity bet for Panathinaikos knowing that they will come out very strong in the first half and should win the game. In Double Opportunity we play the 1/1,that means the home team will be leading at the end of the first half and also will win the game. This bet is a bit more risky but pays much better at 2.20 to 1.

We can play each one as individual bets or combine the two bets  which will increase our profits to a 4.20 to 1 payout. I honestly like both these plays so feel free to do as you please just make sure to get in on the fun.

Good Luck.

Well, it is finally upon us after watching an incredible 30 game regular season the playoffs will commence on April 18th and the first matchup will see last years champion CSKA Mocow at home taking on Baskonia Vitoria.

• Euroleague Betting Odds

Other matchups will be Panathinaikos against Fenerbahce where the Greeks outlasted the Turks to hold on to home court advantage.The city of Athens will be filled with basketball that week because Olympiakos was not to be outshined by Pana and also have home court for their five game playoff against Anadolu Efes. The final series of course is the regular season champs Real Madrid facing Darussafaka who had to fight until the 30th round to seal their ticket into the playoffs.

There you have it, the four playoff rounds that we have been waiting for and now I want to take a look here at the odds that 888sport.com is giving to each team to take home the trophy this May in Istanbul.

Real Madrid has taken over as the favorite paying 2.50 to win this competition in 888sport.com. The constant favorite has been CSKA Moscow throughout the season but suddenly find themselves paying 2.75. The change no doubt was slight but very justified as I see Real Madrid being the more complete team right now as the regular season has come to an end. These future bets can be fun and give us something to look forward to as the Final Four approaches but when I look to these types of bets I like to look for value.

I will analyze later each matchup to see where the money can be made but right now let me explain what I mean by looking for value. Here is a look at the top five favorites and what they pay as of Monday April 10th;

2pt">REAL MADRID                     2.50

2pt">CSKA MOSCOW                   2.75

2pt">OLYMPIAKOS                       7.50

2pt">FENERBAHCE                      9.00

2pt">PANATHINAIKOS                9.00

To be honest, I will not waste your time with the other three, although they pay extremely well I do not see much of a chance of them arriving to the Final Four in May so we will stick with the top five.

I will immediately drop Fenerbahce from this list, even though they would be playing in Turkey and they have decent value as last year's runner up, they have finished the regular season in a free fall and are just not the team they were last season so I do not give them many options to win. We are looking for value so I will also drop Real Madrid and CSKA from my list because they pay little and I think we can profit from them on a game by game basis.

So with three of the five scratched off our list we are left with the two Greek teams. Olympiakos paying 7.50 and Panathinaikos at 9.00. Both teams have home court advantage for the 5 game series but I give the advantage here to Pana against Fenerbahce strictly based on their defensive strength versus a Turkish team who has had trouble scoring. Both Greek teams will almost certainly be in the final four which should make Istanbul a fun place to be but who are we going with?

If Panathinaikos moves on they will face Real Madrid in the Semi Finals and Olympiakos would most likely face CSKA Moscow. Both of these matchups do not sit well for the top teams because the Greek style is to win with strong defense and a physical presence, both Madrid and CSKA like to score. The Finals are usually a slower paced more defensive game which makes me think we can actually see the distant possibility of an all Greek final.

Looking for where to make money I would say that any play here on the two Greek teams would be a good play but in an all Greek final I would go for the bigger money winner and the hotter team down the stretch.

PANATHINAIKOS @ 9.00

We have arrived to Round 29 of the Euroleague and things are slowly taking place for the playoff picture that will begin on April 18th. The top three teams are set although the exact order is yet to be determined but there is still a battle brewing  for the fourth place spot and home court advantage as Fenerbahce is slowly slipping with consecutive losses to Macabbi and Anadolu, plus head to Spain this week to face Real Madrid.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

Panathinaikos and Baskonia faced off last Friday and the spanish side let a huge opportunity slip by. With a win Baskonia would of pulled into a tie for the fourth  position and own the head to head advantage over Fenerbahce but it was Panathinaikos that looked like the more experienced team and pulled out a very impressive win on the road. The big matchup this week is Panathinaikos at home against CSKA Mosow who also reamins in a fight for first place with Real Madrid who as I mentioned facing Fenerbahce at home this Friday. It is a wild ride on top of the standings but now let me look at how wild things are getting for that eighth playoff spot that still remains open.

Darussafaka and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) have one game separating them for that final spot and find themselves in a very precarious position. Darussafaka travels to Germany this week to face Brose Basket who seemed to give up two weeks ago but then went on the road to beat Milan last week while Darussafaka took care of Galatasaray at home to stay alive. The main reason they remained in the hunt has been Red Stars inability to clinch a playoff spot with two losses last week to Olympiakos at home and a decimated Barcelona team in Spain.

These two teams will face each other next week in the final round of the regular season that just might be an all out fight for that final spot in Turkey. The head to head right now is held by Darussafaka thanks to a three point road win in Belgrade way back in Round 1 of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague season. This sets up without a doubt as the game of the week depending on if all goes right this week. In the scenario that the Turks lose to Brose and Red Star takes care of business at home that final game will become irrelevant. Considering how this season has gone I doubt that will happen but no matter what Darussafaka must go on the road and win their most important game of the season, that is until next week……………….Stay Tuned!!

Just when you thought the Euroleague could not get any more interesting than it already is we have the final double session week of the season with only four games remaining before the playoffs. Still only three teams have qualified for the playoffs as everyone fighting for the other spots did not let the pressure get to them and all stepped up in Round 26 with major victories.

• Euroleague Betting and odds

Red Star, Anadolu Efes, Darussafaka and Zalgiris Kaunas  all won their important games to stay in the fight for those final playoff spots while Baskonia and Panathinaikos did what they needed by defeating the two top teams in the league. The Greek side beat Real Madrid on Thursday and Baskonia took care of CSKA Moscow to remain tied for the 5th position, but only two games from fourth place Fenerbahce for that final spot to obtain home court advantage. Let’s look at a couple interesting games for this weeks action right here.

If you have followed me throughout the year you have seen that I love Red Star, especially when they play at home and on Wednesday night they will face Olympiakos in Belgrade. In 888sport.com the home team is favored as I expected, by 2.5 points but I am not so sure about this game. The Greeks are paying 2.23 to win the game outright and if you take the 2.5 points with Olympiakos it will pay 1.97. The reason why I will go against Red Star is simply because the Greeks will be looking to avenge last weeks home loss to Galatasary. A victory in Belgrade will clinch home court advantage for Olympiakos and I can’t help but to like them in this type of position. I know Red Star in all reality needs this game more but I see Olympiakos being the stronger team…… OLYMPIAKOS TO WIN @ 2.23

Game two, also Wednesday night will be El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. We all remember the 39 point victory by Real the first time these two teams played each other earlier in the season. Normally here I would say look out for the revenge factor and take the 9.5 points that 888sport.com is giving to Barcelona but these two teams faced each other 10 days ago in the Spanish league and Barcelona gave Madrid all they had and still lost by one point when it was all said and done. I am not sure Real will trounce Barcelona by 40 points again but a win will secure they have home court advantage also. This game will be tight for a little while but Real should run away late……REAL MADRID -9.5 @ 1.91

Enjoy this week, it’s the last double week of the season and Good Luck!!!

This is exactly what everyone in the Euroleague offices wanted when they decided to change the format to a round robin and having every team play each other twice a season. This league is as tight as it can be considering we did not see any team classify for a playoff spot until the end of the 24th week of competition. Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Olympiakos are the first three teams to enter into the playoffs but niether of these teams is guaranteed the home court advantage yet.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

The first eight teams enter into the 5 game playoff that will commence on April 17th and go until May 2nd, if any of the series reaches it’s fifth game which I can almost assure you that at least one them will. Right now the fight is for those final spots and it looks as though Fenerbahce will kind of limp into the playoffs with 16 victories but the real fight is between the fifth and tenth place teams. See graph at the bottom.

Scheduling is so important now also although there are few easy games in this league. Let’s look at the remaining teams schedules that are fighting to reach the playoffs.

-- 5th Place Baskonia had a huge road win in Fenerbahce last week and receive CSKA at home this Friday but after that they look ok with four games against teams with a combined record of 42-58

--Panathinaikos has a bit more complicated future with Real Madrid at home, Baskonia on the road and CSKA at home in three of their final five games.

--Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) Schedule is not so difficult but have three road games where they do not play their best especially after the 30 point loss in Madrid last week. The good news is the most difficult game they will play is against Olympiakos but that will be played in Belgrade.

--Anadolu blew a chance to solidify things last week with an awful home loss to Brose Basket to push them down to eigth position. It’s not hard to see the magnitude of that loss since they finish the last three weeks at home against Fenebahce, Olympiakos and end the season in Real Madrid. Tough road for a team clinging on to that final playoff spot.

--Darussafaka has been fighting and hanging around that 8th-10th position for some time now but not realy able to sneak into those top eight spots. They are a team to keep an eye on because 3 of their last 5 games are at home. The most difficult matchup is at CSKA in round 27, let us not forget that it was the Turks who handed CSKA their first loss of the season in week 7 so they should be looking for revenge.

--Zalgiris at 11 wins is the most desperate of the teams and played that way last week to make an amazing comeback and beat Panathinaikos at home to keep them alive. They start at Unics this week then have another huge home game with Anadolu which makes these next two games imperative to the Lithuanian club. It’s too early for Zalgiris to look ahead since they need to win at least 4 of 5 and look for help from other teams along the way.

Enjoy these final five rounds of the best basketball that Europe has to offer. Every week should be a new scenario for all these teams fighting for those final spots. Look back soon for some money winning tips also.

5. Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz  14-11       
6. Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens  14-11 
7. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade  14-11 
8. Anadolu Efes Istanbul  13-12 
9. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul  12-13 
10. Zalgiris Kaunas  11-14

The break is over and the best basketball that Europe has to offer is ready to return to the main stage and things will be heating up rather quickly. Round 23 has some good looking match ups and we are not going to waste any time at all finding some ways to win money. Thursday is as good a day as any and I see a few things I like. We must be a little careful though and take into consideration that just because the Euroleague took a break does not mean the players and teams did. Most teams participated in their domestic weekend championships that might have taking its toll on some.

• Bet on Euroleague

The first game is a game that looks interesting to me because of the offensive potential of both teams. CSKA plays host to Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv and to be honest I expect to see a lot of points in this contest. CSKA at home is very powerful and love to dominate visiting teams while Maccabi has tremendous offensive ability but lack defensive discipline. This combination makes for an up and down, run and gun game that we have been used to seeing with this year’s new league format. The total in this game set by 888sport.com is at 167.5 and I honestly see this game going over that number. Looking at the numbers, Maccabi gives up almost 84 points a game while CSKA is first in the competition scoring close to 88 points a game. I would've totaled this game out around 172.5 easily, so my money will be on the over 167.5 that pays us 1.91.

Game two is the last game for Thursday between EA7 Armani Milan and FC Barcelona. Studying these two teams that have had awful seasons due to many injuries and internal issues we can find some unusual sunshine peeping through the clouds in Milan. EA7, who went on a devastating  9 game losing streak has actually looked good lately by winning 3 of their last 5, with the only two losses on the road to Real Madrid by five points and Anadolu Efes by four. Barca has been another story, losing their last 4 games and 6 of the last 7 have all but knocked Barcelona from any playoff hopes. Losing in the Semi Final of the Spanish Kings Cup on Saturday did not help the situation either and this will be a tough spot for Barcelona with a Milan team looking for payback after suffering a 14 point loss back in December in Spain. The line stands at Milan a 2.5 point favorite paying 1.90 but I see this as being an opportunity for the Italians to continue to build. Look deeper to find some better value, there is a good chance Milan wins this game between 6-10 points.

Sit back and enjoy, last week was tough with no Euroleague but don’t worry, it’s back and this final stretch will be better than ever.

Good Luck!!!

I Feel Devotion is the motto of the Euroleague again this year and the true reality is there has never been so much devotion to a season than the Euroleague and it’s organizers are feeling now. The format change of the regular season and Top 16 to just an all out 16 team “everyone plays everyone” is playing out to be one of the best decisions in the history of the competition. I wont lie, I liked the older format and was not happy about the change but I must continue to be honest and realize that this is the way to do things. Congratulations to the competition committee and the players for making this such an exciting season.

• Euroleague Betting Odds

Now let’s get down to the important stuff while the players had to take a break this week and play in their respective domestic league championships. The standings are somewhat to be expected although it has not been an easy road for any team up until this point. Each team has had their fair share of ups and downs throughout the first 22 games of the season. The teams that have been able to control the bad times and take advantage of the good are the ones we find up top.

The usual suspects like Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahce and Olympiakos occupy the coveted top 4 positions and would retain home court advantage if things were to end today. The good news is we still have 8 more rounds of this over the next two months and things will change. Right now the next 4 spots are held by Panathinaikos, Red Star, Baskonia and Anadolu Efes but here is where it gets tricky. Only two games separate the 9th place Darussafaka team from the 5th place Greeks from Panathinaikos and only three from 4th place Fenerbahce. Trying to understand this competition is difficult if you have never lived it, every week is of the utmost importance and there is no room for failure especially in these final 8 weeks.

The question here is, Who is going to win this thing? Well, according to 888sport.com the all out favorite is second place CSKA Moscow paying at 2.40 and the next favorite at 3.50 is Real Madrid, the league leaders as of Round 23. Fenerbahce Ukler pays 3.75 and Olympiakos is at 9.00.

As you can see by these odds this looks to be a 3 team race to the finals, since after these numbers Panathinaikos comes in paying 31.00 and a bunch of teams at 51.00. To me Real Madrid looks most consistent this season and just built some internal confidence by winning their National Competiton with three very difficult games. CSKA looked to be the best team with the best roster until losing 5 of their last 9 games and slipping from the top spot they controlled since October.

I love this league and as most of you know who read these articles I am not a person to bet on futures. I like immediate results and paydays and have been pretty luck lately finding the hot teams like Red Stars 7 game win streak and Baskonia when playing at home, but if you like the future thing than here is my opinion. We must look for value on our money and that is why I like Olympiakos. This a team that is always danegerous and almost impossible to beat at home. If they get to the Final Four in Turkey we all know they automatically become a threat to take home the title as they have done so many times before when unexpected and at 9.00 to 1 they are to me the best future bet on the table.

Let’s talk about Thursday Euroleague here and enjoy some winnings so we can continue to play the Friday games. It’s been a crazy month in this competition with a few changes like Real Madrid taking over the top spot and CSKA Moscow taking a slow slide down the the table. Fenerbahce seems to be back now that they are at full strength. We have nine games left in this regular season and things are really heating up. I want to look at a few Thursday games that I find really interesting.

• Euroleague Betting and odds

Game one is Real Madrid who will be traveling to Kazan to take on Unics. Normally a difficult trip for teams but a must win game on the road for all teams that aspire to classify in the top four positions and earn home court advantge throughout their playoff series in April. Madrid is playing some good basketball right now and have found a confidence within themselves that should carry them through this contest. Unics is hurting, just look at their 15 point loss at home last week to Olympiakos.

The Greeks did not travel with three of their best players and found themselves up 33-13 in the first quarter. Madrid knows how important it is to not only stay in the top 4 but to end in first place to face the team that finishes eighth. 888sport.com has Madrid as a 7.5 point favorite, normally a lot of points for a road team to cover but I see this Unics team giving up soon. We can take Madrid minus 7.5 that pays 1.89 or I would even look at the first half line of Real -4.5 that pays a little better at 1.94.

Game two is one that looks too good to be true. CSKA Moscow plays host to one of the hottest teams in the league until a home loss last week against Efes in Belgrade. Red Star or Crvena Zvezda has been playing incredible basketball winning 7 straight games until maybe they ran into a case of overconfidence. This week they should wake up a bit and respond against a Moscow team that has been very beatable lately. On top of that they are receiving 16.5 points as the underdog. Again, I repeat, too good to be true? Not for me, I love this team, CSKA struggles with teams that defend hard for 40 minutes so this should be a difficult game for the Russian side. They should pull out a victory but I seriously doubt by 17 points and could go down to the last minute. Red Star pays 1.91 to cover those 16.5 points. That is a definite play for me this week and while I’m laying my money on that I might throw a small part on Red Star to surprise everyone, at 14.00 to 1. Why not?

Enjoy Thursdays action and when we win we will be back for more on Friday!!

Good Luck!!!

This is the beginning of another double week in the Euroleague. A week where most teams have tried to rest their star players in the domestic leagues so they can be physically prepared to take on the rigors of two games in 48 hours plus the travel. Usually here is where I like to look into teams travel schedules and see where they have been and where they are going to get an idea of what to play.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

Let’s look at one of my favorite teams this week Crvena Zvezda or Red Star who is by far the hottest team in the league right now with 5 straight victories. Three of those five are against Euroleague powerhouses Real Madrid, CSKA, and Fenerbahce all at home, add that to a 16 point road win in Kaunas against Zalgiris and last week a game we predicted right here in 888sport.com at Tel Aviv against Macabbi that paid us 3.45, not bad at all.

We know that famous expression though, “all good things must come to an end” and this just might be the week, but that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on this team. This will be their second road game in a row traveling to Vitoria, Spain to take on Baskonia Vitoria tonight at 21:30 CET before returning home to face Panathinaikos on Thursday. Baskonia is 8-1 this season at home and 21-2 in the last two years, pretty impressive numbers. Combine that with a 30 point loss in Athens to Olympiakos last week and Baskonia should win what will be a hard contested match. 888sport.com has the Spanish team favored by 8.5 points but I honestly believe we have to stay with the hot team. Red Star might not pull out the win here which pays 4.10 but those 8.5 points sure look good for a team as hot as they are right now. Crvena Zvezda + 8.5 @ 1.87

The second game will be played tomorrow, Wednesday the 25th at 20:00 CET in Germany when Brose Basket welcomes Real Madrid. Brose plays very well at home but are very beatable especially against a team as deep as Real Madrid. I was at the game in Kaunas last week watching Real just holding on during the first 30 minutes of the game, taking everything that Zalgiris had to give but the depth and experience in the end opened a tied game after the third quarter into a 15 point victory for Real. The same should happen here against Brose. Madrid is a 4.5 point favorite in this game and should be able to run away late. Real Madrid -4.5 @ 1.94

Good Luck and see you again on Thursday!!!!