This Sunday Real Madrid was proclaimed European basketball champion for the 11th time, beating Olympiacos 79-78, in the final of the 2022/23 edition of the Euroleague, in Kaunas, Lithuania, thanks to another ‘magic’. Sergio Llull basket.
IN LOOP!
@23llull#CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/v8eWdTDYgr– Real Madrid Basketball (@RMBaloncesto) May 21, 2023
In the meringues’ last possession of the ball, trailing by one point, Llull scored a basket in the ‘face’ of the ‘giant’ Moustapha Fall, leaving only 3.1 seconds on the clock, enough for Kostas Sloukas to shoot, but without success.
The ‘merengues’ thus completed a recovery that began in the final phase of the game, which ended with a 7-0 run, largely thanks to point guard Sergio Rodríguez, author of a decisive ‘triple’, 47.2 seconds behind final. .
Rodríguez was decisive, with 15 points and nine assists, in a game in which the Cape Verdean ‘giant’ Walter Tavares also reinforced his influence, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, being chosen the ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) of the ‘ the last four’.
The Frenchman Fabien Causeur added 11 precious points and the Croatian Mario Hezonja was also important, with 12.
In the Greek team, the best were the Bulgarian Sasha Vezenkov, who confirmed why he was the MVP of the regular season, with 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and the American Isaiah Canaan, author of 21 points, including five three-pointers. . ‘.
The game started balanced, but after being tied at nine points, the Greeks, with Cannan inspired by long shots, got a 15-3 run and ran away (24-12).
The ‘merengues’ still reacted at the end of the first half, falling to 24-17, and continued on top, managing to get ahead on the scoreboard and take a five-point lead (45-40), ‘cancelled’ by the Greeks until the break (45 -Four. Five).
After a second period in which attacks prevailed (49 points between the two teams), the third had more defense (32), with Olympiacos almost always in the lead and finishing four points ahead (63-59).
At the beginning of the fourth half, the Pireos tried to ‘escape’ (68-61 and 71-64) and, with 2.15 minutes remaining, they continued to win by six points (78-72), but, in the second half, decisive failed to score more baskets and conceded seven points.
Earlier, in the third and fourth qualifying games, Monaco clinched the final podium spot by beating FC Barcelona 78-66.
Source: TSF
