He Real Madrid will have the opportunity this Sunday to defend their status as Euroleague champions against Panathinaikos after beating the Olympiakos in the second semifinal (87-76), after a match in which at times it offered an impeccable image but which became complicated in the second half.
The duel came wrapped in a veil of attractiveness and morbidity, the logical one after in the previous campaign both played in a disputed match for the title that was decided with a final basket of Sergio Llull. This predicted a balanced face-to-face, which at first was not such.
The first half of the white team was perhaps the ‘Sistine Chapel’ of the campus since Chus Mateo directed it, a masterpiece displayed with pageantry in the most prestigious museum. The players did everything well and left a rival who didn’t know where the air was coming from without oxygen or ideas. The first offensive strokes were delivered by the brates, Mario Hezonja and Dzanan Musa, who between the two of them were 5 of 6 in triples that made it 19-8. They were the executing arms at the service of the brain Facundo Campazzo, who finished the first quarter with 6 assists and 4 of his team’s 10 rebounds.
Furthermore, the Spanish team pressed in defense, with an intensity that matched the stage and a Walter Tavares who put fear in painting. That allowed the team to concede only ten points, never more than three in a row; put three blocks and leave Olympiacos at 2 of 6 in shots from two and 2 of 8 in triples. The current champion managed to transfer excellence to the second act, in which he was able to replicate the previous 28 points with his rotation elements, among them a Sergio Rodríguez and a Vincent Poirier who worked wonders in his optimal level of understanding.
However, the Greek side was no longer the same as before. A little less downbeat thanks to the 0-5 partial with which he returned to the hardwood and more graceful in attack guided by Shaquielle McKissic, he began to be dangerous when the exchange of baskets was no longer a constant.
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That happened at dawn in the second half, when Alec Peters decided to ask for the ball and polish it. As their confidence grew, reflected in fourteen points during the third act, that of the red and white team increased. In one hoop and in another. So they could punish one of the few weak points of Real Madrid, the offensive rebound. Georgios Bartzokas’s team captured seven in that period plus six defenders, clearly dominating in the captures section and generating some concern for an opponent who had problems adding positive points (71-58, min.30).
The Madrid side overcame that delicate moment, not allowing the lead to be lower than the psychological barrier of ten points until a three-pointer by Nigel Williams-Goss brought down the wall with six and a half minutes remaining in the match. Fortunately for Real Madrid, the wound did not bleed more. Cold in the hottest moments, the players knew how to remain stable in those margins and give a final bite through two excellent defenses by Campazzo and two scores by Musa that certified the victory.
Datasheet
Real Madrid, 87 (28+28+15+16): Campazzo (3), Hezonja (12), Musa (20), Ndiaye (-), Tavares (9), Poirier (11), Rudy Fernandez (-), Causeur (4), Llull (9) , Sergio Rodriguez (8), and Abalde (-), and Yabusele (11)
Olympiacos, 76 (10+27+21+18): Canaan (7), Walkup (4), Papanikolau (3), Peters (23), Fall (2), -quinteto initial-, Petrusev (5), McKissic (17), Bradzeikis (), Wright (-), Milutinov (-), Williams-Goss (15)
Referees: Sreten Radovic (Croatia), Damir Javor (Slovenia) and Emin Mogulkoc (Türkiye). Tavares was excluded for five personal fouls (min.37)
Incidences: Second semi-final of the Euroleague Final Four played at the Uber Arena in Berlin. The match began 15 minutes late compared to the initially scheduled time due to problems with fan access to the pavilion during the first semi-final between Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce, which caused it to also start 28 minutes later.
2024-05-24 21:19:24
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