Real Madrid-UCAM Murcia: an unprecedented Liga final gets underway
Chus Mateo's side, who play with home-court advantage, will look to take the first point of the tie at the WiZink Center (8:30pm CEST).
Real Madrid go into their 25th league final in the ACB era. They will face UCAM Murcia in the play-offs for the title in an unprecedented best-of-five series. Our team, which is undefeated in the playoffs, will be looking to take the lead in the first game of the back-to-back series to be played at the WiZink Center. Our 37th league title is just three victories away.
Since 2012, the madridistas have only missed the final during the pandemic, which was played in a different format. For UCAM Murcia it will be their first ever appearance, which makes them even more dangerous. Our team have the challenge of the Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa treble, a feat they have achieved on two occasions (1984/85 and 2014/15). Chus Mateo's team have had their best offensive performance in the last 39 years with an average of 94.8 points per game and a 42.3% success rate from three-point range. They are by far the highest rated team with 118.6 PIR credits. In fact, against Murcia we managed the highest score of the season in LaLiga (106).
Madrid have been performing at a very high level in the playoffs. They saw off Gran Canaria and Barcelona very quickly and with ease. Starting today, they will put their undefeated status to the test against an opponent that heads into the game with extra motivation and nothing to lose in an unprecedented season for them. On their way to the final, they overcame Valencia Basket and Unicaja with home-court advantage. If there is one thing Real Madrid and UCAM Murcia have in common, it is their strength as a team. In the playoffs, five of our players have scored double figures in points, with Tavares and Campazzo leading the PIR ranking. On the opposing side, seven players have between 7 and 15 points.
Full house
They have met three times this season, with two wins for our team (106-92 in LaLiga and 84-79 in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals). But they will be a different opponent this time around. They have recovered from their defeats. Morin has had a big impact on their game, as has Radebaugh, while Sleva, Rodions Kurucs and Caupain have also stepped up. Sant-Roos and Ennis are their other mainstays. Today we will try to continue the spectacular run at home against UCAM Murcia, where we have won on all of their visits throughout the ACB era (25 wins since 90/91).