Latest:
may 31 2026The Vitoria-based team will face Asisa Joventut and recently named May MVP Ricky Rubio in the Liga Endesa playoffs
This Sunday, May 31st, the Liga Endesa regular season finally came to a close after the postponed match between Barça and Valencia Basket was played. The playoff matchups are now set, promising some great games.
One of the most promising encounters in this playoff bracket is the clash between Kosner Baskonia and Asisa Joventut. Paolo Galbiati's team won the Copa del Rey this season, while the Badalona squad finished the regular season flawlessly (5-0) and boasts the recently named May MVP, Ricky Rubio. The head-to-head record this season is tied, as both teams won their respective home games. However, the green-and-black team has been Baskonia's main tormentor in recent times. The team now coached by Dani Miret eliminated them from the 2019 Copa del Rey in Madrid and the 2023 edition in Badalona. That same year they also knocked them out of the Liga Endesa playoffs in the first round with a decisive 2-0 sweep.
Ricky Rubio's MVP Award
The point guard from El Masnou had a brilliant month that earned him the May MVP award after reaching an average of 24.2 efficiency rating per game. He achieved this with a 5-0 record for his Asisa Joventut in the five games in which the point guard participated. In total, Ricky Rubio averaged 16.4 points in May, with 90% from the free throw line (35/39), 52% from two-point range (13/25), and 50% from three-point range (7/14).
Additionally, he recorded 5.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 4.4 fouls drawn, with 24.2 efficiency rating in just over 21 minutes per game. These numbers made Ricky Rubio the May MVP, achieving this award for the first time in his Liga Endesa career.
With this recent MVP award, Asisa Joventut arrives reinforced for the matchup against Kosner Baskonia. Despite this, not everything is positive for the green-and-black squad, as they will be without Ante Tomic, who appears to have suffered an injury that will sideline him for the playoffs. Additionally, Kosner Baskonia holds the home-court advantage, an advantage they have leveraged throughout the season. The Vitoria-based team has won 15 of the 17 games they have played at their Zurbano home arena.
We'll see if Ricky Rubio's MVP-level performance is enough to overcome the absence of Ante Tomic against a Kosner Baskonia that arrives favored by home-court advantage and by the Vitoria team's momentum of closing out a season in which they have already tasted championship glory. What is clear is that both teams will deliver a high level of play in what is already an ACB classic.
