By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MILAN, Italy – Starting the series with the away win in overtime in Bologna, Milan completed the job at home once earning the home-court advantage: Ettore Messina’s team beat Virtus Bologna for the third consecutive season, winning Game 5 of the LBA Finals 85-73 and lifting its 31st Italian championship.
The 2023-24 season wasn’t going well for the red-and-white side, which lost both the Italian Supercup and the Italian Cup, while not getting even into the Play-In scene in the EuroLeague. However, everything was put apart with yet again another imposing triumph domestically.
Following his 21-point night in Game 3, Nikola Mirotic dominated once again the encounter by erupting for a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds, shooting (almost) perfectly at the line (16/18), winning his first trophy with the Italian team after joining last summer.
With his future still uncertain, Nicolò Melli potentially played his last game with the red-and-white jersey by lifting his fourth Italian championship with this club. He contributed to his team’s victory at home in Game 4 with 12 points and 8 rebounds on the stat sheet. Shavon Shields added 12 points.
“Enormous satisfaction. We found the solidity in these Playoffs that we showed only sometimes during the year. We found a result unexpected at a certain moment, beating an amazing opponent. Everybody multiplies the effort, you have to be there to win three straight Italian championships”, Ettore Messina said in the post-game press conference.
The season couldn’t end in a worse way for the black-and-white side, which dominated the scene for most of the season in the EuroLeague as well, only trailing Real Madrid. Providing some energy in the first quarter, Isaia Cordinier, Achille Polonara, and Iffe Lundberg were the only Virtus players in double-digits respectively with 21 points and 12 points brought to the table.
Dominant display for Milan’s three-peat
A beautiful play with Nicolò Melli serving Stefano Tonut in transition – occurred at 4:46 minutes in the opening quarter – looked like the appetizer for a Michelin dinner in Milan. Forcing Luca Banchi’s timeout, the home side wasn’t able to immediately respond, as the black-and-white side built a 14-5 run with an offensive spark coming from Isaia Cordinier. The first ten minutes ended with Virtus up 23-22.
Just like what happened in Game 2, Virtus couldn’t convert from the field in the first 2:44 minutes of the second quarter, bringing tension and nerves to the table. Two ferocious blocks by Nicolò Melli and Nikola Mirotic hyped up the crowd in Unipol Forum, while Shabazz Napier’s deep three-pointer with 4:41 to go before halftime gave Milano an eight-point lead (36-28). At halftime, Milan led 46-36.
The hosts opened the third quarter with a dominant 10-0 scoring run, escaping toward the Scudetto. If that wasn’t enough, Virtus Bologna lost Tornike Shengelia at 6:31 on the clock after committing his 4th foul. Moreover, Luca Banchi’s team didn’t score from the field in the first 6:59 minutes of the third. Reaching the 20-point lead (63-43) with Diego Flaccadori concluding in traffic heading to the conclusion of the third quarter, Olimpia Milan never turned back, leaving Virtus Bologna hopeless.
Despite still showing pride in the last ten minutes, Virtus Bologna’s desperate comeback attempt wasn’t sufficient to come back into contention late in the game. They reduced the gap to 12 points (66-54) with Awudu Abass’ two-handed dunk in transition at 8:07 to go, and to 9 points (69-60) thanks to Iffe Lundberg’s 2+1 play in traffic.
Immediately afterward, Nikola Mirotic seemed to have called game with a huge three-pointer, as Milan went smoothly all the way to the end. Virtus Bologna, however, didn’t surrender and forced Ettore Messina’s timeout at 2:26 to go in the fourth quarter, down 78-69. Virtus Bologna had the chance of a lifetime as Nik Melli lost the ball from the inbound, but Achille Polonara missed the three. When Isaia Cordinier
LBA Playoffs
Quarterfinals (best-of-five)
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Bertram Derthona Tortona 3-2 (92-80, 83-77, 81-91, 75-82, 92-63)
Umana Reyer Venice – UnaHotels Reggio Emilia 3-2 (74-82, 83-75, 66-78, 95-92, 83-67)
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan – Dolomiti Energia Trento 3-1 (84-85, 104-93, 83-68, 87-69)
Germani Brescia – Estra Pistoia 3-0 (79-70, 97-75, 98-77)
Semifinals (best-of-five)
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Umana Reyer Venice 3-1 (103-89, 79-78, 73-78, 96-81)
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan – Germani Brescia 3-0 (95-89, 77-66, 96-89)
Finals (best-of-five)
Virtus Segafredo Bologna – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 1-3 (75-86, 72-64, 78-81, 73-85)
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milan