New ULEB Cup champion will be crowned and the right to play in next season's Euroleague won on Sunday when a pair of neighboring teams from Spain, DKV Joventut Badalona and Akasvayu Girona, meet in the title game at the Final Eight in Turin, Italy. The fact that Badalona and Girona are situated just an hour's drive apart in northeastern Spain and know each other so well will give the final an unusual twis - but not an unprecedented one. Teams from the same country have faced each other in continental finals before, but perhaps none of them were so close in proximity. How that familiarity affects Joventut and Akasvayu, who have played three previous games this season, will be key to the outcome on Sunday. Joventut won the first of those contests, the final of the preseasons Catalan League tournament, while the teams have traded big home wins in the Spanish League regular season.
The last of those, in late March, was won by Akasvayu. Sunday's final will have its star power, for sure, but may turn on the great depth that helped carry both teams through the Final Eight quarterfinals and semis. Without much trouble, Joventut downed yet another Spanish team, Pamesa Valencia, in the quarters and Galatasaray of Turkey in the semis. Akasvayu dispatched a pair of Russian powers, Unics Kazan and Dynamo Moscow, in that order. Joventut's big wins all season have centered around restless swingman Rudy Fernandez, who scored 27 points in the semifinal, but he is never alone. Point guards Demond Mallet and Ricky Rubio are offensive and defensive specialists, respectively. They will have their hands full with Victor Sada, whose 7 steals and 6 assists were crucial to upsetting Dynamo. Fernandez will have to defend ice-cool veteran Arriel McDonald, who is Akasvayu's top scorer in the Final Eight. An unpredictable battle at small forward pits Lubos Barton and Ferran Laviña of Joventut against Fernando San Emeterio and Branko Cvetokovic of Akasvayu. In the paint, Akasvayu's anchor is Marc Gasol, who has scored solidly in Turin. He has had unexpectedly strong scoring help from Ivan Radenovic, who has doubled his ULEB Cup scoring average to 15 points in Turin, while power forward Erik Daniels has been steady on the boards. Joventut counters with a similarly versatile big man, Jan-Hendrick Jagla, and a pair of big bodies to mark Gasol, banger Eduardo Hernandez-Sonseca and jumping jack Jerome Moiso. It is hard to give either team an edge in experience, as both Fernandez and McDonald have been MVPs in similar situations in the past. The personal ties between the team, like Fernandez and Gasol winning the last World Championships together on the Spanish national team, make the final even more interesting. Joventut is probably the favorite in theory, but that pressure and Akasvayu's clear understanding of the opponent make the game more of a toss-up at tipoff.
Betting overviewNothing more to add. ULEB Cup Final with clear title favourite DKV Joventud. They had one rest day more and should use this factor to win this game. I see no value in outcome because first it is a final and second both team knows each other very well and are tied 1-1 with victories this year against each other. But if we take closer into this year games between these clubs we will notice that both ended with 165+ points scored (92:73 and 87:80). Both games were played in high-tempo (178 and 180 possessions per game) and for both games bookmakers have set over/under line 7-10 points higher that today (167.5 in first game and 163.5 in second).
For today's game bookmaker set 156-157.5 pts line because of team statistical numbers in Uleb Cup competition. But I think that this is a bit wrong line. In first 2 games each quarter has ended with at least 38 points scored and I can't expect team to slow down tempo today because both team styles are offensive-oriented. I think that 83-76.5 is more fair for this game and personaly I expect to see 160-164 points game.
Prediction: First half should be more or less equal but before the half time usually Joventud manages to make a short-run. I expect to see something like 42:35 in the half time, in second half Joventud should be able to use their fresh legs and push tempo to make this game more offensive and in the end we will see Joventud win by 7-12 points.
Predicted score: Joventud 84 - 76 Girona
Pick: Over 155.5 @ 1.85 4/10 Expekt 
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