By Cesare Milanti / info@Eurohoops.net
KAUNAS, Lithuania – Facing a paint monster like Walter Tavares, who ended with an incredible double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds, FC Barcelona tried to shoot way more from beyond the arc against Real Madrid. It helped in the first half, but then it became one of the defeat’s reasons.
Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team shot 14/39 from three at the end of the semifinal, and Nikola Kalinic, who ended the game with 6 points and 2 rebounds in 17:56 minutes, commented on it in the mixed zone following the 78-66 loss against their fiercest rivals.
“We tried to beat them only with three-pointers and the result is 66 points. We didn’t manage to find a way to enter the paint and run them off. Okay, they have Tavares, but you’re not going to win a EuroLeague semifinal with 60 points”, he finally commented. FC Barcelona will now face AS Monaco in the third-place final on Sunday.