By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a game which started as a big fight, with two teams tied at 20-20 after the first ten minutes, Real Madrid got all the answers. For the second straight season the Madridistas will play a Euroleague final after destroying Barcelona 100-62, without feeling any real threat for most of the game.
This time there wasn’t any comeback. Real got a 73-48 lead in the end of the third quarter, the partial score of the period was 28-11 and Barcelona had just collapsed, being worst almost in everything, even shooting 54% in free throws. The biggest lead of the game was 39 points (98-59) and the only question became really early not the outcome of the game, but the final numbers on the scoreboard. The final 38 points is the biggest point difference in a semifinal game after Barcelona’s win by 34 points in the 1991 semifinal against Maccabi.
MVP Sergi Rodriguez was running the show and had 21 points on 4/5 threes, Nikola Mirotic was impressive with 19 points and only Ante Tomic with 16 points scored in double digits for Barcelona.
As Yannis Bourousis said “nobody expected us to win by so many points because Barcelona is a good team. For us, it doesn’t matter if we won by 38 or by 1 point. What matters is to play with heart and show everybody that we are a strong team” and continued about the final: “It will be a tough final because Maccabi is a very good team. We played against them twice and won in the final minutes. I remember both games really well; they have experienced players and a great coach. It will be a very tough final”.
On the other hand Joey Dorsey admitted: “We didn’t follow the rules that coach told us. We weren’t into the game, we did not communicate on the floor; it’s just crazy. It’s totally disappointing for the fans of Barcelona and ourselves. This is huge. I can’t believe this has just happened. It was mental. This is totally shocking.”