When the time comes for the truth, the Girona basketball did not fail at the beginning of the path that should lead him, first, to the Final Four and then, who knows, if to make the leap to the ACB league 14 years after the collapse of theAkasvayu. It will not make things easy A Coruñathis was clear, but it is also obvious that a team with Marc Gasol plugged in, accompanied by Franch, Sabbath, Urtasun and last night, above all, a very applied one Fjellerup i Champion, can aspire to anything (good). And if it is also defended as it was defended, especially at the beginning of the second half, and Fontajaualthough it was far from full, it turns red and presses as in the big occasions, even better.
Stand up for. As easy to write as it is hard to apply, for sacrificed. If the party plan of Jordi Sargatal was to base the victory from the defense, Girona was applied correctly. For some reason he is one of the best in the league in this respect. A Coruña has a lot of offensive potential and in the first half it was 29 points, with Hamilton (9) as the most prominent man. But at the beginning of the second half Girona shone even brighter and with a partial 8-0 left with a maximum advantage of 11 (40-29), which shortly after reached 12 with a triple de Jawara (43-31). The thing looked good. Girona knew how to keep the difference around 10 points and A Coruña, with Hearst, the last signing, on the bench with zero points, and Hamilton injured in the back, seemed a point less fierce. The Galicians took advantage of two local wrong attacks to get to eight (48-40) but a triple by Fjellerup and a penetration of his (54-40), plus a block of Sorolla, lit Fontajau. At the end of the third quarter the victory was on track, not so much for the result, but also (57-46 despite the third triple of Vegaon the horn), but for the performances of a Girona with stellar Fjellerup and Jawara.
At 6.35 for the end Eric Vila it was 63-50 that forced the visiting coach to ask for time. Sargatal had rested Gasol, Fjllerup and Jawara, but on the court the machine continued to produce good basketball. We entered the last five minutes 12 up (65-53) after the tenth point of Marc Gasol and in the stands the first point of this eliminatory one was already beginning to be celebrated. But A Coruña had not yet said it all. At 2.18 the Galicians got to 5 (67-62) with two free throws from Vega and the referees were much criticized (they had not whistled a foul against the visitors and, on the other hand, 10 on the premises). It was veterans time. Franch with a penetration put the 71-64 less than a minute from the end. A triple by Jawara (74-66) definitely blew up the game and gave the first point of the series to Girona.
