The air in Madrid during playoff week was different. It was sharper, charged with a nervous, anticipatory energy that crackled from the cafes lining the Gran Vía to the hallowed halls of the WiZink Center. The regular season, with its grueling 34-game schedule, was a marathon of consistency. The playoffs were a sprint of survival. Every possession was a heart attack. Every mistake felt fatal.
The matchup against Maccabi Tel Aviv was the talk of the continent. The narrative was irresistible: the seasoned, system-driven titans of Madrid against the explosive, youth-infused energy of Maccabi. And at the center of it all: the rematch. Wilson vs. Carter. The Professor and the Prodigy.
