CBA – final – working day 2
Balls to Llull. That was the tactic and the success of Madrid in the last quarter. Especially since Barcelona had a tremendous puppeteer since it didn’t even seem like a tennis ball could enter through the hoop. Absurd losses and precipitation that Llull penalized, a player who knows all the colors, who does not understand what pressure is. Three of his three-pointers together with Tavares’ physique put Madrid six points ahead with two minutes remaining. But Sanli and Mirotic did chof from the perimeter and Laprovittola took the reins. A display of basketball and character that was enough to turn the match around, 86-85 with the ball for Madrid with six seconds to go. Llull, of course, took responsibility, but he no longer caught the Catalans by surprise, nor did Mirotic who came to help to avoid the basket, so that Barca won. On 16 occasions a team started the final with a 2-0 series and won it on all of them.
Standing, the Palau gave Mirotic an ovation at the end as they also received him at the beginning, a franchise player who, however, will not continue as a Barca player without, he says, explanations or options, the board of directors reluctant to negotiate a downward renewal. From the club, however, they explain that the player refused in the past to lower his salary -pandemic times- because he understood that Barca began giving him less than promised, since former president Josep Maria Bartomeu made him an offer that he ended up lowering. It is the final point of the idyll between the power forward and the fans. But the epilogue remains and it is against Madrid. Thus, although he missed his first two shots, Mirotic caused a couple of attacking personnel to, from the ground, raise his fist and the spirits of a Palau who was hoarse. Food for 33, which then turned, reversed, and jumped back—movement with copyright— and inside. The dance began. But the points, at that time, came with Vesely, always comfortable with those shots from medium distance, and with Laprovittola, who started strongly from the perimeter, two triples in a row. And in Madrid, Poirier.
It turns out that Barca sought to tickle Tavares both in attack and defense, taking him out of the bottle so that others could penetrate, wearing him down with help in the paint. Outmatched at times, the Madrid center committed two quick personals for Poirier to take over. He took advantage of it. Faster and more energetic, the Frenchman found the openings to reach the hoop, to dunk it twice and score as many more. There Hezonja also appeared to play the tune of Super Mario, to eat the mushroom and grow, to express his great shooting range, 10 of Madrid’s 13 points at the beginning of the second quarter, including a triple from the boondocks. There was also Poirier, who continued to annoy Sanli or Vesely. But Mirotic replied and the choral game of Barca followed, which took advantage of the connections under the post, the rival’s turnovers, also a technique to Chus Mateo and a three-pointer on Vesely’s buzzer, to reach the intermission 45-41. The team beat the individuals.
The scorer Musa tried to throw Madrid on his back. But almost without seeing the basket for a day, he ended up being overwhelmed by anxiety and choosing badly. Cauja for Vesely and Mirotic, who were still in their thirteen. Seated Musa, Madrid recovered the pulse and the taste for circulating the ball, for distributing the shooters and for finding a Tavares who claimed his throne in the bottle. A slap in the face of reality for Barca, who reached the final chapter with difficulties 68-65.
And everything became more ball with the final irruption of Lull and his triples, with his eternity. But when everything seemed lost, Barca explained that they have character and basketball, also the title within a stone’s throw. But that will be seen in Madrid, where the next two stakes will be played if Mirotic and company do not close it before.
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Source: EL PAIS
