For yet another year, and for the sixth in a row, Real Madrid will play in the final of the Endesa Super Cup. Chus Mateo's men beat Barça in the first Clásico of the season at the Palacio de Los Deportes in Murcia, playing a very high level of basketball, both in defence and offence. They went one better and, based on grit and character, turned the game around when the blaugranas were 7 up in the second quarter and then took off and gave an exhibition after the break, reaching a 20-point difference. Campazzo returned with a spectacular performance (17 points and 22 in PIR) and Musa (24 points and 24 in efficiency), Deck (14 points) and Tavares (13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 28 in PIR). Our team now play for the title against the winner of UCAM Murcia-Unicaja (Sunday, 7:00pm CEST).
There was no speculation and no trace of it being the first game of the season. The Clásico kicked off with a very high tempo, especially on the defensive side, which marked the first few minutes of the game. Madrid had to combat the success of Laprovittola, almost the only player to score for his side at the start (16 points). And they did so by moving the ball quickly and looking decisively for Barça's hoop. Deck broke down the Barça defence (8 points and 4 rebounds) and Tavares, who came on midway through the first quarter, contributed from the start. The score alternated and a three-pointer from Abrines was answered by Sergio Rodríguez with one from almost mid-court at the buzzer (25-22, min.10).
Madrid finds the balance
Barça took a seven-point lead in the 14th minute (32-25) thanks to their high three-point percentage. But Madrid conveyed very good sensations. They had a great defensive attitude and completely closed down the rebounding. In attack they were generating advantages with a very active Llull, but shots that normally go in were not going in. It was a question of patience and he not despair. A time-out by Chus Mateo brought the team's best minutes of the half. They turned the tap off on the three-pointers and started to find the hoop. Campazzo took control of the game. His intensity (3 steals) and quality (5 consecutive points), along with an immense Deck and Tavares close to a double-double (9 and 7), led a 0-9 run in their favour, which increased to 8-17 to go into the break on top (40-42).
Video.80-90: On to the Super Cup final!
The game shifted into a higher gear after the break. Barça again clung to the three-pointer (Laprovittola, Kalinic and Parker) and seemed to be doing well in keeping up with the pace imposed by the madridistas. Musa scored 8 consecutive points (11 in the third quarter) in a well-functioning attack. Grimau's men tried to get into the zone, but a colossal Tavares made it clear that they could not (4 blocks). With two minutes to go in the third period and the score tied at 58, Madrid made an outburst with a name of their own: Campazzo. Two minutes of magic from the Argentinian followed. His pick&roll with Tavares will do us a lot of good this year. If he doesn't find the centre, he finishes masterfully. Three of his layups opened a gap of +9 before the end of the third quarter and with the whole Palacio crowd chanting his name (59-68).
Madrid steamroller effect
Barça should never be taken for beaten, but Madrid was a team in all capital letters, the European champions version. They wanted to kill the game off and they did it in style. They stood firm at the back, with few fissures, and Musa sealed the victory with three three-pointers and another 11 points in the final quarter. The gap kept widening and was close to 20 points on several occasions, with the crowd enjoying the Madrid spectacle. The 107-78 rating speaks of the superiority of Chus Mateo's team in the semi-final (80-90, min. 40). Our team have now won 11 straight games in this tournament. Tomorrow Sunday, from 7:00pm (CEST), they will be aiming to win their first title of the season.
BARÇA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS
