Madrid come back to seal place in Super Cup final!

Real Madrid have made it to the final of the Endesa Super Cup once again (Sunday, 7 pm CEST). Scariolo's charges defeated La Laguna Tenerife in the semi-finals. The Whites got off to a flying start, although the opposition managed to pull ahead by half-time. Madrid responded strongly in the final quarter (17-11) to turn the game around in a breathtaking finale. Llull (12 points) and Feliz (10) were two of the standout performers; Deck (12 points and 19 PIR) and Tavalres (8 points and 15 PIR) were the highest-rated players. Their opponents in the final will be Valencia Basket, who defeated Unicaja.

An even start
The contest began evenly, with Tavares leading the way by posting the team's first seven points of the match. He was joined by Deck and Bruno Fernando, who helped extend the lead as the minutes passed, building a 13-2 run. After calling a timeout, the Canary Islanders rattled off seven straight points to trail by just one at the end of the first quarter (18-17).

The introduction of Garuba, Hezonja and Feliz in the second period allowed the Whites to maintain their lead until Tenerife turned the score around with two consecutive three-pointers to take the lead (24-26). Madrid's opponents enjoyed their best spell on court against a misfiring Madrid side, who failed to react and went into the break ten points down.

Madrid reduce the deficit
Tenerife continued to thrive in the third quarter, extending their lead to 14 points. Real Madrid were struggling to close the gap. However, good shooting from Llull and Feliz from the free throw line brought the Whites back into the game with an 8-1 run. Krämer, Abalde and Campazzo, from the paint, left Scariolo's team five points away from tying the game, with everything to play for in the final quarter (55-60, min 30).

Comeback to reach the final
Few points were scored at either end of the court at the start of the final quarter. After receiving an unsportsmanlike foul, Feliz added four points to leave Madrid three points short with five minutes remaining. Llull reduced the gap to two with a free throw and Abalde put the Madridistas back in front with a three-pointer (64-63). Real Madrid had regained the lead. The heroics of the captain and Deck in the dying moments saw the Whites pull off a comeback to reach another Super Cup final (72-71, min.40), after an extremely challenging game.

STATISTICS FROM REAL MADRID-LA LAGUNA TENERIFE