Buducnost Voli will begin their AdmiralBet ABA League quarterfinal series against Cluj on Tuesday at 6:45 PM at Morača. The first match will be played in Podgorica, the second on May 8 in Romania, and the eventual winner would once again be at the home of the blue and whites.
And that's exactly why this first game is not just the opening of the playoffs. It is an invitation for "Morača" to once again do what it does best – to view the game not just as an event, but as a joint effort.
Buducnost finished in fourth place in the Top 8 stage, with Cluj right behind them. The table thus determined the clash of fourth and fifth, but this is not about rivals who will be looking at each other for the first time across the center. Quite the opposite. This is already the third ABA meeting between Buducnost and the Romanian team this season, and the previous two left enough material to know where the danger is, and where the space is for the blue and whites.
In Morača, in mid-March, it was 94:89 for Buducnost. It was not a walk in the park, nor an evening in which the opponent disappeared after the first rush. Cluj came back, hit, forced the host to break the game several times, but Buducnost had Rashid Sulamon in the finish, steadier hands and enough character to seal the victory. A few weeks later, in Cluj, the picture was completely different. The Blues celebrated 110:72, shot excellently for three points, tied the record for the number of three-pointers made, opened the court and showed that, when they get into rhythm, they can turn an away game into a demonstration of authority.
But before those two ABA answers, there is also a game that still has a fresh taste in Podgorica. On March 11, Cluj stopped Buducnost in "Morača" and celebrated 100:82 in the round of 16 of the Eurocup. It was a night in which the Romanian team hit the rhythm before Buducnost. That's why this series is not just an ABA League quarterfinal. It is also an opportunity to repay a debt from the Eurocup not with words, but with contact, defense, energy and full "Morača".
And the playoffs don't live off old scores – they just bring them to the table.
Cluj has enough offensive talent not to be viewed through the prism of its last defeat. Dušan Miletić is a center who can punish carelessness in the racket and on the rebound, Mitchell Creek brings experience and points, Fats Russell rhythm and assists, and Mihaj Silvašan's entire team has enough width to punish any soft rotation. This is not an opponent that should be offered comfort. If Cluj enters the game without pressure on the ball, without contact and without the feeling that they will have to go through the wall for every point, then the series may take on that nervous tone that Buducnost does not need.
That's why the first task for our guys is clear: from the first minute, make the game your own. Don't let Cluj spread its wings, don't open up transitions for them, don't give them easy shots from the second attack. Buducnost has players who can turn these kinds of evenings around in more ways than one.
However, in games like this, it's not enough to just have a plan. The plan has to be implemented.
And that sound in Podgorica has a name. It's called "Morača".
This is not a catchphrase, but a real basketball fact. Buducnost is a completely different team when the stands catch up with the defense, when the first foul is not just a foul but a message, when every jump looks like a joint jump of the entire hall. Cluj knows what it's like to win in Podgorica, they did it in the Eurocup, but they also know what it's like when Buducnost responds in "Morača".
There is no make-up now, no calculations through the group, no room to say that something will come later. In the playoffs, “later” usually belongs to those who realize in time that the first game is half the series.
That's why Tuesday night is a full house.
For all those who have been waiting for a game that has weight this season. For all those who know that the playoffs are not just basketball, but a test of nerves, character and belonging. For all those who understand that at this moment, Buducnost is not looking for decorum, but energy. That the Blues do not need silent support from afar, but Morača that breathes for every possession.
Cluj is coming for a break. The future awaits them with home court advantage, with two ABA triumphs from two head-to-head matches and with a clear goal to immediately turn the series in their favor. The first victory does not lead to the semifinals, but it opens the door. And the doors to the playoffs open most beautifully when there is a full "Morač" behind them.
Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.
Future – Cluj.
Most-of.
It's time for Podgorica to be heard.
TICKET SALES
Tickets can be purchased at the Mtel Hall "Morača" ticket office on Monday from 10 am to 6 pm, as well as on Tuesday from 10 am until the start of the game, at prices of 4, 6 and 8 euros.
