Antonio Soto
Madrid (EFE) a result of 82-93.
In such a balanced final, which had gone in favor of the Catalans due to small details, the difference in the outside shot was decisive.
The Whites only hit five of their twenty-one shots and allowed nine free throws, while their opponent, who finished off five men with ten or more points and Jan Vesely and Nico Mirotic as the most outstanding players, scored eleven after twenty-two attempts.
As a continuation of what happened in the first two games of the series, the third chapter of the final began electric, with the two teams squeezing themselves behind and fighting each basket until exhaustion, aware of what was at stake.
Adam Hanga and Nico Laprovittola started as the most toned men, with punctual contributions from Dzanan Musa and Nico Mirotic, who kept the balance on the WiZink Center scoreboard from the start.
Barça power forward Nikola Mirotic (d) fights with Sergio Rodríguez, from Real Madrid, in the final of the Endesa Basketball League that Real Madrid and Barça played this Tuesday in Madrid. EFE/Juanjo Martin
Advantage of Real Madrid at halftime
As expected, the equality experienced at the Palau was transferred to the Madrid venue with a start in which draws followed one another at great speed.
Barça didn’t look so fine from the perimeter and their rival had an impact on mistakes from the free kick that could have cost them the second game, hitting only two of the six they launched in the first ten minutes.
The exchange of blows was reflected in the 21-20 with which the end of the first act was reached.
The game resumed with a 1-9 run in favor of the visitors that forced Chus Mateo to call his men to the bench when he found himself down seven after three minutes in which his team had no fuel and continued accusing his lack of success in the game. outside shot.
Causeur made up for it with his first three-pointer of the afternoon, although Satoransky, one of the best in the final tie, returned it to him on the next play.
The tension increased with the passing of the minutes. Sparks were flying in both areas and the atmosphere heated up due to several arbitration decisions that were strongly protested by the white fans.
Barça remained on top thanks to their strong defense and their greater control of the rebound.
Mateo pulled Sergio Llull as a revulsion and the Spaniard responded immediately, balancing the battle again and revolutionizing everything (31-31).
With eight points from the point guard in two and a half minutes and nine from Causeur in a great second act by the Frenchman, the white team went to the locker room with better feelings and a three-point lead (41-38).
It took Abines twelve seconds to return the tables to the clash with a front three-pointer and Jan Vesely, with six consecutive points, returned control of the game to the Catalans.
The successes followed one another in both baskets in quick transitions but another two triples followed by Laprovittola and Mirotic turned on the alarms again in the ranks of the Euroleague champion.
Barça’s Lithuanian point guard Rokas Jokubaitis (d) fights with Sergio Rodríguez, from Real Madrid, in the final of the Endesa Basketball League that Real Madrid and Barça played this Tuesday in Madrid. EFE/Juanjo Martin
Los triples
The Argentine point guard, with his second hit from the arc and the fourth without a miss in the second part of his team, forced the hosts not to miss to prevent the gap from increasing.
Yabusele and Tavares threw Real Madrid behind them and, in the absence of an outside shot, they maintained uncertainty thanks to their points in the paint (59-59).
They still had fuel for each other to reverse in defense, where each ball was played as if it were the last.
Barça’s fifth triple of the third quarter, signed by Kalinic, left everything to be decided for the last ten minutes of a vibrant show (66-67, min 30).
Once again the Catalans came out more inspired, who with a three pointer from Mirotic and a basket from Jokubaitis threatened the final break because, although their income was only half a dozen points, the clock was ticking in their favor and their opponent was still unsuccessful from the 6.75 line and leaving free throws along the way.
Llull returned to the track to try to revolutionize the clash, but it was too late.
Barça continued hitting with claws from all positions and had an accurate Vesely and several players plugged in at the most opportune moment, which did not happen in a local team that kept slipping away thanks to Tavares’ dominance under the hoops, which only partially compensated for the poor shooting percentages of the whites.
A triple by Sergio Rodríguez with 2.11 remaining, the first for his team in the last quarter, raised the hopes of Chus Mateo’s men (80-85), but the die was already cast and the Catalans finished off the job started at the Palau with his twentieth League, ultimately his only title of the season.
– Datasheet
82 – Real Madrid (21+20+25+16): Williams-Goss (4), Hanga (4), Musa (9), Yabusele (10), Tavares (19) -initial team-, Causeur (11), Rudy Fernández (), Hezonja (7), Sergio Rodríguez (3), Poirier (7) and Llull (8).
93 – Barça (20+18+29+26): Satoransky (8), Laprovittola (12), Abrines (2), Mirotic (14), Vesely (19) -initial team-, Da Silva (4), Sanli ( 6), Kalinic (10), Kuric (3), Jokubaitis (13) and Nnaji (2).
Referees: Carlos Peruga, Benjamín Jiménez and Javier Torres. No deleted.
Incidents: Third game of the Endesa League final played at the WiZink Center in Madrid before some 11,965 spectators. EFE
The duel, very even during the first three quarters, was decided in the final ten minutes, in which the Barça team was most successful with an inspired Jan Vesely, who finished as his team’s top scorer with 19 points. Walter Tavares stood out in the white box, also with 19.