By Cesare Milanti / info@Eurohoops.net
BOLOGNA, Italy – Being pushed by an outstanding sold-out crowd in the Segafredo Arena, Virtus Bologna managed to force Game 7 in the LBA Finals by beating the reigning Italian champions 85-66. Olimpia Milano will have to fight for winning the title in back-t0-back fashion
Daniel Hackett was the MVP of the game for Virtus Bologna, as the experienced Italian playmaker ended with 13 points and 7 assists being perfect from two (5/5) and becoming the all-time assists leader in the history of the LBA Finals.
Marco Belinelli had 14 points and 4/6 from deep, including the fadeaway three-pointer that sealed the deal with 4:43 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Isaia Cordinier followed him with a dunk in transition 27 seconds later and ended the game with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Nicolò Melli was the heart and soul of Ettore Messina’s team, ending the game with 11 points and 6 rebounds in an exhausting performance. Johannes Voigtmann was one of the highest scorers on Olimpia Milano’s side, providing 11 points and a crazy half-court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. Gigi Datome scored 9 points but had to leave the court with 5:58 left after committing five fouls.
Great start by Virtus Bologna, which went up 7-2 after 1:24 minutes of playing time. Since the very beginning, things looked balanced, as Gigi Datome brought Milano back to equalize at 13-13 with back-to-back threes. Marco Belinelli was hot-handed in the first minutes as well, and the first quarter ended with Milano being up 27-23 following a crazy half-court shot by Johannes Voigtmann.
In the second quarter, Virtus Bologna fought back to go up 34-30 with 5:53 left. Things changed one minute later when Milos Teodosic was first awarded a personal foul on Shavon Shields, and then a technical foul for heavily protesting against the referees, forcing him to leave the court with three fouls. However, the home side found an eight-point lead (45-37) with Isaia Cordinier’s three at 2:19 on the clock. They went to the locker room up 49-43 against Ettore Messina’s team.
For the first time in the game, Virtus Bologna reached a ten-point lead with 6:49 left in the third quarter thanks to a layup by Daniel Hackett. A chaotic part of the game followed, with questionable calls and several mistakes on both ends of the floor. Virtus Bologna entered the fourth quarter up 67-59, after only winning the previous one 18-16.
They just had to keep control of the situation, and Sergio Scariolo’s team managed to go all the way until the end of regulation, unlike what happened in Game 4. The black-and-white side extended the lead to a maximum of 20 points (81-61) with 3:32 left in the game, leaving Milano with only 7 points in the fourth quarter.
Nothing changed in terms of roster choices by the two head coaches. After landing roughly on his shoulder in Game 4, Kyle Hines remained available in Game 6 as well, as Brandon Davies was sidelined, alongside Kevin Pangos, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. On Virtus’ side, Sergio Scariolo left out Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.
Before the game, Virtus Bologna’s fans showed massive respect to Kyle Weems, who is set to leave the team at the end of the year after four seasons. “Always a great warrior, Kyle forever black-and-white. You’ve always fought with us, you will never be forgotten by your people”, they said in a tifo.
LBA Finals results and schedule
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4: 93-89
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5: 79-72
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6: 85-66
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 (23/06 at 20:30 CET)
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna