How Red Star Missed Out on the Top 6: The Crazy Four-Way Tie and Rules Many Don't Know

For Red Star to secure a sixth-place finish, they would have needed a victory in Madrid coupled with a Žalgiris loss at home against Paris. With Hapoel now having an insurmountable 23-14 record, only two other teams could potentially enter a three-way or four-way tie with Red Star, but none of these scenarios would advance Saša Obradović's team further.

If Red Star wins, and Žalgiris, Panathinaikos, and Monaco all suffer defeats, the Belgrade side would be tied with Žalgiris at a 22-16 record. However, the Lithuanians would hold the tie-breaker due to a superior head-to-head point differential, thus finishing sixth, while Red Star would be seventh.

The same outcome would occur if Red Star and Monaco win, while Žalgiris and Panathinaikos lose. This would create a three-way tie at 22-16, from which Žalgiris would again emerge victorious, ending the league phase in sixth place. Red Star would once more be seventh, and Monaco eighth.

Finally, in a scenario where Red Star, Panathinaikos, and Monaco all win, and Žalgiris loses, four teams would conclude the league phase with 22 wins and 16 losses. In this four-way tie, Panathinaikos would finish in sixth place, possessing a better point differential than Red Star.

Both teams would have a 4-2 record in the four-way tie, but PAO would have a four-point better differential, precisely those four points that would be erased from Red Star's win in the Principality.

Red Star had won that game in overtime, but according to EuroLeague rules, any point difference gained in overtime is nullified when calculating multi-team ties. Therefore, even this outcome would not have helped Saša Obradović's squad.

VIDEO