During the era of best-of-seven championship series, Olimpia’s found itself up 2-0 four different times and each time failed to further extend the lead in Game 3. That did not happen in 2014 against Siena; in 2016 against Reggio Emilia; in 2018 against Trento, and it didn’t happen this year either. Now it will try to dispel the rule by winning Game 4 in Bologna: it remains a difficult task considering Virtus’ home record in the playoffs (16-1 over the last three years), but it is also true that Olimpia won Game 1 in Bologna a year ago and won again this year in the regular season clash. The series, compared to the first offensive explosive game, has been degrading in terms of entertainment since then. After Game 1, about thirty points overall were lost by the teams, thanks to nervousness, tiredness, the importance of the stakes, adjustment made by the two coaches. However, to have the chance to take the win, Olimpia will have to shoot better from both two and three-point range, earn a bigger number of trips to the line, only nine in Game 3, limit the number of turnovers especially unforced or that generate fastbreak opportunities. In general, in this series Olimpia has been able to do better in the rebounding department (Nicolò Melli is averaging 7.3 per game; Johannes Voigtmann 5.7), but only in Game 1 the team was effective attacking the rim, while in Game 3 the accuracy that characterized the first two games was partly lost. The 2-for-14 three-point shooting night combined by Shabazz Napier and Shavon Shields obviously had a decisive impact on the game. The point-guard is the main target of Bologna’s defense with specialists like Hackett and Pajola. As Coach Ettore Messina said after the game “he has to help himself and we have to help him more.” Olimpia spent the day off in Bologna practicing at the Furla gym late in the morning. Before Game 4 he will return to review the game plan on the field of competition and will have its shoot around tomorrow game on the game court. Game 4 will start at 20:30 on Friday night in Bologna. Game 5 will be played next Monday in Milan.