MKD - A different season in Macedonian Superleague

SKOPJE (Macedonia Superleague) - A lot of things are happening for the first time in FYR Macedonia’s top basketball competition this season.

For starters, the domestic finals series that tips off on Tuesday between FENI and Strumica 2005 will be the first title showdown without traditional powerhouse Rabotnicki - a team that is so dominant that it sort of the Maccabi Tel Aviv of FYR Macedonia.

Robotnicki is the only team that had played in all play-off final series on the previous 15 occasions and won 13 titles, losing only in 2000 to Nikol Fert and in 2007 when Strumica 2005 pipped them to glory.

This will be the first time that a champion other than Rabotnicki, in this case Strumica 2005, will defend the title.

This will also be the first time that the capital city has no representatives in the final series.

On several occasions, it was a capital final, with both of the finalists from Skopje.

Indeed, Rabotnicki took on MZT Skopje six times and Vardar Insurance twice, winning all eight ties.

This season was also the first in which the biggest rivals of Rabotnicki, MZT Skopje, played one more game than the most successful team in Macedonian basketball and lasted longer in the championship.

Rabotnicki v MZT games are like Virtus v Fortitudo in Bologna. FENI eliminated Rabotnicki in the semi-finals 3-1 after starting with a 1-0 advantage due to their four wins in as many games in the regular season.

Strumica eliminated MZT 3-1, a series that started 0-0 due to the teams splitting the four regular-season encounters.

As far as this season is concerned, FENI Industries are the most serious candidates for the title. They lost only one game at home this season.

Emil Rajkovic, the FENI coach, said: “We are an experienced team, consisting of previous winners of many titles, players that played in Rabotnicki and Vardar, winning the National Championship and Cup trophies.

“We are never led by the titles, though, only by the desire to win and the will to succeed. I hope we will make history in this season’s edition of Macedonian Basketball Championship, by winning the double crown. It will be the first title and only the second trophy in Kavadarci, the home town of FENI.”

Rabotnicki did manage to beat them in the semis, but lost overall 3-1.

The advantage in the final tie is for FENI, too.

They lead 1-0 and have homecourt advantage, due to a better score against Strumica 2005 in the regular season (3-1). FENI played a game less than Strumica and had more time to prepare physically and mentally for the final series.

FENI also have the psychological advantage after winning the National Cup final against Strumica 86-83, with team captain Goran Samargiev scoring the winning three-pointer in the last second of the game.

During the final game played in Kavadarci, the homecourt of FENI (organizers of the National Cup Final 8 tournament), Strumica led for almost 40 minutes and went in front by as many as 20 points.

The Cup was the first goal of the investor, the Israeli-born manager of FENI Industries (mining company in Macedonia), Amir Abed, who promised huge bonus for the players and for the coach Emil Rajkovic, a former player of Rabotnicki.

Rajkovic is the youngest coach in the league, born 1978, so that was quite an accomplishment for him.

Miodrag Kadija, the Strumica 2005 coach, said: “We should have finished the semi-finals easier. MZT was a tough opponent. We deserved to win the series (3-1) but it was harder than expected. Now we must forget the past and concentrate on the final with FENI.”


The play-of schedule:


Quarter-finals: (FENI 1st place and Strumica 2nd place - directly to semis)

Rabotnicki F. - Pelister S. 2:0

MZT F.U. - AMAS SP 2:0


Semi-finals:

FENI I. - Rabotnicki F. 3:1

Strumica 2005 - MZT F.U. 3:1


Final

FENI I. - Strumica 2005


Table after regular season:

1. Feni Industries 26/4

2. Strumica 2005 22/8

3. AMAK SP 19/11

4. Rabotnicki Fersped 17/13

5. Pelister Swisslion 17/13

6. MZT FON University 15/15


Branko Cupeski

FIBA