By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Sergio Llull’s enormous personality decided a crucial game once again, as Real Madrid defeated Laboral Kutxa 86 – 80, opening the door that leads to the Copa Del Rey Final.
With the score 78 – 78, the Madridistas’ combo guard scored the last 8 points of his team, all in less than 2 minutes. More than half of how much he had scored before that moment, since he finished the match with 15. Still, he was his team’s first scorer and indisputable game MVP. Again.
Baskonia did not provide an antidote for the “Llull virus” that destroyed their hopes of making it to the Final. Instead they attempted some long range shots that didn’t find target. Not the best possible choices, really. Ioannis Bourousis was once again their top scorer (16) and rebounder (13) for Laboral Kutxa but had few helps for his teammates near the end.
While Real Madrid entered the match executing their offensive systems in such an exemplary way that it made Baskonia‘s defense look almost nonexistent, the Basques fought back in the second quarter. By firing multiple projectiles from behind the arc they completed a 14 – 0 run almost in a heartbeat at the end of the first half and went to the locker rooms ahead of the score 44-40.
The two teams remained close for the majority of the third period until Sergio Rodriguez caught fire. His 7 points in a row, 3 minutes into the final quarter, gave a small edge to Real Madrid again. Taking matters to his own hands, Bourousis stroke from afar twice, to tie the match, keeping his team alive. But not fully well, since in the “witching hour” of the last minutes, Llull’s spells could not be countered.