Madrid continues to be unbeatable under Llull's leadership

After eleven official games and a friendly against the Dallas Mavericks, Real Madrid are still unstoppable. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, a very tough nut to crack, were also unable to beat our team, who pushed them to the limit for three quarters. But Chus Mateo's team also know how to suffer to win. They trailed by nine points in the first half, and the pivots were full of fouls. It was then that they showed their mettle and played their best basketball, with a masterful Llull 19 points and 5 three-pointers at the helm, to overcome the situation and turn the game around with a great second half and a decisive final quarter 21-10. Campazzo also shone, finishing with another double-double 12 points and 10 assists. Fourth win in the Euroleague, the second in less than 48 hours after the win against Zalgiris last Tuesday, also at the WiZink Center. We remain unbeaten this season.
 
The intensity was high from the start, with the Italians making Madrid work hard in defence. Our attacking percentages were good, but the problem was turnovers. The eight we committed in the first quarter prevented us from playing a consistent game and seeing more of their basket. An example of this was Tavares' two fouls and Poirier's three. Nevertheless, with Campazzo leading the way five assists and Deck scoring 6, we managed to score 19 points to Armani Milan's 25, who were also very solid offensively, with many players scoring.
 
The incredible Llull comes to the fore
Madrid's defence improved considerably in the second quarter, with Hezonja, Yabusele and Ndiaye alternating at the back. They plugged the gap caused by turnovers and made an extra effort at the back. Hall and Mirotic kept Messina's side in the game, and the former's three-pointer in the 17th minute made it a nine-point game at 30-39. Ndiaye added an extra touch of aggressiveness, and the captain and his character came through. When things were at their worst, Llull once again got the team going in attack. He had already given us a warning with a three-pointer and a basket, but he brought out his repertoire and his trademark courage to give us the boost we needed to finally catch up with our rivals. Two more three-pointers, the third at the buzzer in the second quarter, brought the score to 42-all at half-time, unleashing the euphoria of the WiZink Center.

After the restart, Madrid played a much more familiar game. They shut down the rebounding, first with Tavares until he picked up his fourth foul, and then with Poirier. He stepped up his defensive level and held Mirotic and Shields. We were able to run and that's when the team really started to click. Campazzo got the ball rolling. He scored 9 points, connecting with the pivots and taking over the rhythm of the game, while Musa wreaked havoc with his forays towards the basket. Chus Mateo's team was at its best. With the score tied 51-51 at the 23' mark, they went on an 8-0 run, which was extended to a 15-4 run over the next few minutes to give us a +11 advantage 66-55, min.38. The reaction from the transalpine side reduced the lead to 6 points heading into the final period.
 
Perfect last quarter
But the best was yet to come. Madrid's approach to the final quarter reflected this. They were unwilling to throw away their efforts against an opponent who had made it very difficult for them. The whole team pulled together to finish brilliantly. Llull put the team in orbit with two and eight points. Rudy and Poirier followed suit. Sergio Rodríguez and Campazzo's alley-oops with the Frenchman he's almost at a double-double a game delighted the fans. Madrid were having fun and at the same time their defence was preventing any chance of a comeback 88-71, 40 minutes. We end the Euroleague double-header with a full house of victories. Their next league game is in Tenerife on Sunday 1:00pm CET.

REAL MADRID-EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILÁN STATISTICS