By Javier Molero / info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona defeats Valencia Basket away (112-113) to start leading the ACB final. A titanic effort in overtime gives Xavi Pascual’s team the first point in the battle for the title.
Will Clyburn, a key player in forcing overtime, was the standout with 21 points and five three-pointers. He was accompanied by a sensational Laprovittola with 20 points and 7 assists. For Valencia Basket, Jean Montero’s 24 points were not enough.
A performance worthy of a final
Barça tried to set the pace from the start by seeking out Fall, but taking control at the Roig Arena is challenging. Valencia began to run (12-4), punishing in transitions. The basket exchange did not benefit the Blaugrana, with the crowd supporting their team and growing in the first quarter (25-13)… with eight Valencia players already having scored.
Parra stirred up the game, causing damage from the corners, and although Valencia continued to pull away (40-28), this seemed to be the brief spark that ignited the fuse. Punter followed the Spaniard, silencing the arena on several occasions, and had stellar minutes to get his team fully back into the game before halftime (52-47).
Barça was there, making their presence felt in every possession (59-59). Things were very different from the beginning of the match. Valencia couldn’t find ideas, attacks slowed down, and buzzer-beating three-pointers took center stage. Shengelia sparked things by flexing muscles, and everything was tied going into the final bout (72-75), with the Blaugrana growing.
Laprovittola entered a trance, a classic in these scenarios, and Barça didn’t fail in any possession, a constant in the playoffs (82-86). Clyburn cut the distance with less than a minute to play (95-93), and did it again with 20 seconds left (99-98), minimizing the Dominican star. With Larry making free throws, it was Clyburn again who tied it (101-101) and sent it to overtime.
In extra time, there was a severe basket exchange, with Barça dominating much of the minutes, the duel once again reaching the final seconds (112-113). And the Blaugrana ‘stormed’ the Roig Arena to take a 1-0 lead in the battle for the title. A beautiful, tough, and evenly matched presentation of the fight for the trophy.
Liga Endesa Playoffs
Quarterfinals
- Real Madrid 1 – 2 La Laguna Tenerife (97-98), (83-118), (95-107)
- Valencia Basket 2 – 0 Surne Bilbao (83-80), (71-88)
- Kosner Baskonia 1 – 2 Asisa Joventut (85-71), (63-82), (88-96)
- UCAM Murcia 1 – 2 Barça (68-91), (87-90), (76-100)
Semifinals
- Barça 3 – 0 La Laguna Tenerife (100-67, 97-89, 85-76)
- Valencia Basket 3 – 0 Asisa Joventut (118-117, 90-76, 87-75)
Finals
- Valencia Basket 0 – 1 Barça (112-113)
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