82-93: Madrid lose league final
Our team came up short in game three of the final against Barça at the WiZink Center.
Real Madrid's season has come to an end following defeat in the third game of the League final against Barça at the WiZink Center. They fought hard until the end but after 88 games, one every three days, the team were pushed to the limit. Despite that, the European champions stayed true to their competitive spirit to head into the break in the lead, but 29 points against in the third quarter ultimately proved decisive. The loss doesn't take the gloss off a wonderful season, which has seen success in the Super Cup and La Undécima, along with a whole host of memorable memories for the madridistas.
The game got underway in much the same way as the previous encounters, hard-fought with barely anything between the two, the first quarter finishing 21-20. Madrid were aggressive near the hoop, making no mistakes zero turnovers and damaging Barça in the transitions. Points were spread around, with 5 for Musa and 4 for Hanga and Hezonja. The only downside were the missed free-throws. Meanwhile, the azulgranas managed to take Tavares out of the paint and create advantageous positions for Laprovittola, Mirotic and Sanli.
Llull and Causeur fend Barça off
The visitors made the most of Tavares' absence in the early stages of the second quarter, with Jokubaitis penetrating and Nnaji asserting his physical presence in the paint. A Kalinic triple put them seven up with 12 minutes played, forcing Chus Mateo to call for a time-out at 22-29. The madridista coach turned to Llull, who answered the call in stunning fashion, alongside the impressive Causeur. The captain delivered his usual drive and energy, posting eight successive points, while the French forward ended the period with nine. The two of them hit 18 of the team's 20 to spearhead a 17-7 run that changed the outlook of the game and put them in the lead heading into half-time 41-38.
The game got underway in much the same way as the previous encounters, hard-fought with barely anything between the two, the first quarter finishing 21-20. Madrid were aggressive near the hoop, making no mistakes zero turnovers and damaging Barça in the transitions. Points were spread around, with 5 for Musa and 4 for Hanga and Hezonja. The only downside were the missed free-throws. Meanwhile, the azulgranas managed to take Tavares out of the paint and create advantageous positions for Laprovittola, Mirotic and Sanli.
Llull and Causeur fend Barça off
The visitors made the most of Tavares' absence in the early stages of the second quarter, with Jokubaitis penetrating and Nnaji asserting his physical presence in the paint. A Kalinic triple put them seven up with 12 minutes played, forcing Chus Mateo to call for a time-out at 22-29. The madridista coach turned to Llull, who answered the call in stunning fashion, alongside the impressive Causeur. The captain delivered his usual drive and energy, posting eight successive points, while the French forward ended the period with nine. The two of them hit 18 of the team's 20 to spearhead a 17-7 run that changed the outlook of the game and put them in the lead heading into half-time 41-38.
Our boys then had to deal with Barça's incredible accuracy in the third quarter, first with Vesely's baskets and then a series of triples 53-57, min.26. Madrid didn't panic though, remaining solid with the ball and finding in the inside power of Yabusele and Tavares, a way to hit back, both men posting eight points each, plus ensuring total dominance in the paint. Poirier's arrival also played an important role against opponents who continued to hit the target from three 66-67, min.30.
Fighting until the last
Barça's point-scoring continued in the closing stages and our boys failed to maintain the offensive aggression they had mustered in the previous quarters. The visitors took control towards the end, led by Vesely, racing to a 10-point lead we were unable to come back from despite giving it our all until the buzzer 82-93, min.40.
REAL MADRID-BARÇA STATISTICS
Fighting until the last
Barça's point-scoring continued in the closing stages and our boys failed to maintain the offensive aggression they had mustered in the previous quarters. The visitors took control towards the end, led by Vesely, racing to a 10-point lead we were unable to come back from despite giving it our all until the buzzer 82-93, min.40.
REAL MADRID-BARÇA STATISTICS