Real Madrid-Unicaja: second game of the league semi-finals
Following last Wednesday's win, Chus Mateo's side will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in the tie before travelling to Málaga (9.15pm CEST).
Real Madrid faces Unicaja Málaga tonight in the second game of La Liga Endesa semi-finals. With a 1-0 lead after their brilliant victory less than 48 hours ago, the Whites will be looking for another win at home, where they have gone 28 games unbeaten, which would allow them to travel to Málaga with the chance of securing their place in the final.
The second game is usually key in a best-of-five series. A win for Madrid would bring them very close to reaching the final, giving them three chances to do so, and leave Unicaja with all the pressure and no margin for error. Madrid set the tone in the first game with a great performance at all levels (99-81). They minimised the Andalusian side's many threats, stifling them in defence, especially in a spectacular first half with a +15 in the first quarter and a +20 at half-time (51-31), reducing their shooting percentages and looking very confident in their passing, as well as recovering 14 balls. They shut down their top scorers. Between Perry, Taylor, and Cartes, they only scored 14 points.
But as Chus Mateo pointed out at the end of the game, it will be different: ‘It's a victory, it means 1-0 in the series, but nothing more than that. We have to be prepared for everything to change the next day.’ Unicaja will be hurting and looking for a win to turn the playoff around. Madrid will have to correct the few mistakes they made last Wednesday, one of which was allowing the Andalusians 10 offensive rebounds. Kalinoski, Ejim, and Tillie were the ones who carried their team. If Chus Mateo's men show the same energy (it will be their 84th game of the season), concentration, and accuracy from outside (they scored 9 of 14 three-pointers in the first quarter), they will be almost impossible to stop.
Everyone plays a key role
This is the key to this team's success and its 25-game winning streak this season. Unicaja suffered from their collective strength. Six players scored between 9 and 23 points and finished with double-digit PIRs, led by Musa and Campazzo this time. However, everyone was important and contributed at certain moments, such as Ndiaye (9 points in 15 minutes), Hezonja (13 points in 20), and Feliz (11 points in 20), among others. Garuba took a blow that left him with a cut on his head, and is the only doubt for today. Our team can set a new record for consecutive home wins. They now have 19, the same as in 2010/11. In 92.8% of cases, the winner of the first semi-final game qualifies for the final round.