By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
After a painful defeat, nothing beats a resounding victory to remind everyone what you’re capable of.
Valencia Basket has tied the Endesa League final with a brilliant performance against Barça, a 102-75 scoreline that speaks for itself. Once again, Jean Montero (19 points) was the standout player for Pedro Martínez’s team, closely followed by Braxton Key (15 points). For the visitors, only Laprovittola (14), Brizuela (10), and Parra (16) reached double figures in scoring, further evidence of Xavi Pascual’s team’s abysmal offensive performance.
After Thursday’s impressive offensive display, the second game of the final also began with a high level of accuracy… but only from one team. Barça took five and a half minutes to open the scoring, points that came after a timeout called by Xavi Pascual, who had no choice but to stop his team’s disastrous offense. Defensively, things weren’t much better, and Valencia Basket took advantage, closing the first quarter with a 26-11 lead that perfectly reflected the situation at the Roig Arena.
But as the minutes ticked by, Barça improved considerably. Laprovittola’s entry into the game gave them a different dynamic on offense, and with the Argentinian on the court, the visitors enjoyed their best stretch. Little by little, the deficit was reduced to 45-38 at halftime.
After halftime, Barcelona’s dismal outside shooting (at one point a mere 2/17 from three-point range) continued to be a heavy burden for the home team, who saw the game swing firmly in Valencia Basket’s favor (69-44), achieving what was then their largest lead of the game.
With the outcome already decided, the final quarter was a complete rout for the home side, and only Kevin Punter’s ejection broke the pattern of dominance. The American was penalized with both an unsportsmanlike foul and a technical foul, forcing him to watch the game end from the locker room.
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 2 – 0 Asisa Joventut (118-117, 90-76)
Final
- Valencia Basket 1–1 Barça (112-113, 102-75)
Make