By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid is crowned the Spanish league champion for 33rd time, after beating Barcelona 91-84! Pablo Laso’s team managed to stay strong and survive a nerve-wrecking but stunning game with success! Sergio Llull was once again, the X factor to this great success, as he became the man of the game when Real needed him the most. With 19 points, he was rightfully the hero of the game!
Barcelona had one last chance to either make it or break it in the final period, with Tomic and Satoransky putting a lot of energy on the floor. Nonetheless, Real knew better than letting the two take charge for too long. Navarro and Perperoglou kept Barcelona close with long distance shots, yet Llull was fierce and could not be stopped. With under a minute left, Real had a “safe” 7-point lead, 87-80 which didn’t leave any chances of a comeback to their rivals.
In the beginning of the game, Thompkins gave great momentum to Real from inside the paint. The hosts chose to play fast once again, leaving Barcelona stunned. Llull put his team ahead 9-7 at 4′, but Barcelona managed to dominate in boards and just like that, they got their first 6-point lead, 9-15. Tomic was aggressive inside the paint and he wouldn’t settle for anything but score, leading Barcelona to 13-19 early on. With Ayon in, Real’s game became more sufficient in the paint, as the big man could match up Tomic (who had scored 9 points until that point) a lot better. The pressure was obvious for Real, who also missed a few chances to score by the end of the period. Navarro and Ribas chose to attack Real from afar, but Rudy’s answer was quick with his first shot in the game. After 10 minutes, the score was 19-26.
Llull hit the first three of the game for Real and then another one! The missing element of Real’s game in the first period was no longer missing. Lawal then made it a 9-point game for Barcelona and Rodriguez scored from up close for 27-34. “El Chaco” changed the pace of the game 4 minutes in the second period with his incredible defense, which allowed Real to cut the deficit to 31-34. Rudy was there to give the advantage back to Real at 16′ (36-34) and there was a constant lead exchange until halftime. However, Barcelona’s methodical defense and Ante Tomic’s dominance in the paint put Xavi Pascual’s team ahead 45-47!
After the break, Oleson kept things stable for Barcelona, then a steal and an easy fast break basket followed by Carroll. The visitors managed to keep a brief head at 23′, 53-55 through the pressure they put throughout the court. Thompkins and Satoransky exchanced threes, and then Ayon led the game to a 58-point tie. Magical Sergio Llull changed the pace of the game once again for Real, giving the host team room to breathe with his triples. The Madrilenias achieved their biggest lead thus far with Ayon at 70-63, which was improved to 72-65 by the end of the third period.
It must be noted that Navarro is the all time ACB league playoffs scorer, with 1.863 points. Tonight, he stopped at 14.