For a team ranked sixth in the regular season, Reggiana presents itself as a very tough contender. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games, the best pace in the Italian league. The good news is that one of those two losses—the second, in Treviso last Sunday, proved inconsequential—was inflicted by Olimpia 40 days ago, 80-76 at the Unipol Forum. Although the game ended to be a close one, Olimpia led for virtually 40 minutes (Armoni Brooks scored 22 points; Stephen Brown didn’t play for Reggiana). But it’s clear that Reggiana is worth more than its sixth-place finish. They’re confident and will pose a threat after making enormous progress compared to the early part of the season, when they struggled mightly, before rebuilding their team with the additions of Brown, JT Thor, and Riccardo Rossato, one of the league’s toughest defenders. Olimpia has won 11 of its last 14 games played in Italy, counting the slip-up in Trento, with the playoff spot sealed. They’re playing with a ten-man rotation, the same one that helped them win the Italian Cup in Turin.

Game 1 is going to be played on Saturday, May 16th, at 18:30 at Unipol Forum in Milano.

COACH PEPPE POETA – “It is a quarterfinals match-up extremely tough against a team that had a terrific second half of the season, put together the best defense in the league, has a clear identity and rigid hierarchies. We will have to think about one game at a time, probably a possession at time, approaching the series with a high level of physicality right from the beginning.”

REGGIANA OUTLOOK – Coach Dimitris Priftis’ team uses a ten-man rotation. The guards are Troy Caupain, Jaylen Barford, and Stephen Brown, joined by Lorenzo Uglietti. The power forwards are Tomas Woldetensae and Riccardo Rossato; JD Thor and Luca Severini are the power forwards; and Jaime Echenique and Bryson Williams are the centers. Michele Vitali played less in the second half of the season but can complete and extend the rotation of the perimeter players, if needed. Caupain, from Cincinnati, who previously also played in Brescia, is the only player on the team who has started every game. He is the top scorer with 15.2 points per game, the best in assists with 5.7 per game, he is shooting 36.1 percent from three and goes to the free throw line 4.6 times per night. Another notable trait for a point guard is his ability to help in rebounding (4.2). Jaylen Barford, from Arkansas, played in Italy at Pesaro, Rome, and Cremona before arriving in Reggio Emilia. He’s a scoring guard who takes over 13 shots per game, averaging 14.8 points, and 3.3 rebounds a night. Stephen Brown, another player with huge experience playing in Europe, arrived in Reggio Emilia from PAOK. When available, he’s almost always started alongside Caupain. He averages 9.2 points and 2.8 assists per game. The fourth guard, Lorenzo Uglietti, is aggressive on the ball and a determined defender, averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. Tomas Woldetensae, a native of Bologna who played at Virginia, spent time in Varese and Napoli after returning to Italy. He typically starts, although he plays no more than 15 minutes per game. He averages 4.6 points per game and shoots 38.5 percent from three. Riccardo Rossato is the the other option at the spot, but he usually plays a more minutes than him. Coming from Trapani, he specializes in defensive duties (he is averaging 1.4 steals per game), although he can also sting on offense (he’s shooting 60.1 percent from two) and provides 7.2 points per game. Finally, Michele Vitali (averaging 3.1 points) is also an option at the position. JT Thor, born in Nebraska but of Sudanese origin, played at Auburn and then amassed 175 NBA appearances after being selected 37th overall in the 2021 draft by the Detroit Pistons. In his first European experience, he is a perimeter power forward (43.3 percent from three), a great vertical leaper (1.4 blocks per game), averaging 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He complements Luca Severini, a national team player, in his first season in Reggio Emilia after a long stint in Tortona. He generally starts (averaging 3.7 points and 3.2 rebounds), but his playing time is less than Thor’s. Colombian Jaime Echenique, who attended Wichita State, gained European experience in Lithuania, Greece, and Turkey before coming to Italy. He averages 11.4 points per game and shoots 60.7 percent from two, but his strengths lie in his offensive rebounding (averaging 2.2 of his 4.9 total rebounds). Bryson Williams, who can also play power forward, often starts at center. He averages 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, doesn’t shoot from outside but he is a 61.5 percent two-point shooter, and is very physical posting up.

THE ANALYSIS – Reggiana is a strong defensive team—they allow 80.2 points per game, second overall, just ahead of Olimpia—thanks to their organization, the addition of a tough defender like Rossato and a rim protector like Thor (27 blocks in 19 games), combined with Jaime Echenique. They allow few offensive rebounds (third overall with 10.1, Olimpia is first) and know how to defend on the perimeter (they allow the opponent to shoot just 33.4 percent from three). Overall, they play at a slow pace and control the ball, so much so that they are the team that turns over the ball the fewest times per game (10.4). Along the way, they lost a shooter in Kwan Cheatham to injury, but Thor has also contributed in this area, opening up the floor at the same position. With 35.2 percent shooting, they are fourth-best in the category, right behind Olimpia.