MIAMI (United States) – On Sunday 9th, Paisas Basketball Club (COL) and Flamengo (BRA) tip off their BCL Americas Quarterfinals series. The first game will take place at Coliseo Iván de Bedout in Medellin, Colombia before they head to Estadio Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to finish out the series on March 14 and 15, if a third game is necessary. Flamengo, one of the most storied clubs in the continent, and champions in 2020-21, start as the clear favorite to win it all thanks to their depth and offensive firepower. They finished atop Group B with a 5-1 record. Paisas is new to the international scene but added several good pieces for the playoffs. After a slow start, they shocked Group A and advanced in second place (3-3). The Brazilians are still adapting to the arrival of new head coach Sergio “Oveja” Hernández but have enough talent and experience to advance to the next stage.
Players to watch
Flamengo has a lot of players capable of doing damage. Shaquille Johnson (13.3 points per game) and Alexey Borges (13.0 points, 7.3 assists and 2.3 steals) led the offense during the Group Stage and on top of that they had six other players averaging more than 8 points per game: Gui Deodato (12.8), Jordan Williams (10.7), Tayavek Gallizzi (8.8), Ruan Miranda (8.6), Kayo Manfio (8.3) and Lucas Stewart (8.2). Hernández will also lean heavily on point guard Franco Balbi (6.7 assists per game) and defensive specialist Jhonatan Dos Santos. Paisas earned the ticket to the next round behind the contributions of their foreign players. Dominican stars Víctor Liz (27.5 points per game), Eloy Vargas (10.8 rebounds) and Juan Rosario (13.3 points and 9.3 boards) played at a high level and so did Americans Glenn Cosey (16.8 points) and Eric Crawford (14.7). For this round, the team got a couple more veteran American reinforcements in Durrell Summers and Thomas Robinson, plus Colombian national team player Álvaro Peña.
Stats don’t lie
Both teams are very solid on offense. Paisas averaged 84.5 points per game in the Group Stage, good for the 4th best mark tied with Real Estelí, but Flamengo lapped the field, becoming the only team to average more than 90 a game (90.3). The Brazilians also led the competition in outside shooting (40.4 percent from downtown), while the Colombians shot 31.9 percent (7th). Flamengo also has a big edge in points off the bench, scoring 33.0 points vs. 18.5 for Paisas’ reserves. The additions to the Colombian squad might even the scales on that front. On the boards, however, these teams are very similar. Flamengo and Paisas were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with 46.0 and 45.8 rebounds per game. Key stat: Alexey Borges owns the BCL Americas record for more steals in a game with 7. He did it against Boca Juniors earlier this season. Thomas Robinson shares the record for most two-pointers in a game in BCL Americas history with 14. He got it in Season 4 with Real Estelí while facing Honey Badgers (CAN).
Previous matchups
This will be the first time these teams face each other, as Paisas is making their first appearance at BCL Americas.
They said
"The key for us will be our defensive intensity and how long we can sustain it. We have to play focused for as long as possible and try to exploit Paisas’ deficits to impose our game.” – Franco Balbi, Flamengo point guard.
“One of the keys is that we’ll be able to have a deep rotation, with top level foreign players. Flamengo likes to press, and our deep rotation will allow us to stay fresh. We must be disciplined on defense and avoid their plan of penetrating and passing. It’ll be crucial to win the first game at home.” – Álvaro Peña, Paisas forward.
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