The Palau wants to round off the work against Real Madrid
Barça looks for a 2-0 win in the Endesa League final against a champion forced to react
MADRID, 17 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça and Real Madrid meet again this Sunday (6:30 p.m.) at the Palau Blaugrana in the second game of the Endesa League final ‘Playoff’, 48 hours after the first point awarded to the Barça team, ready to round off the task at home.
Sarunas Jasikevicius’ men struck first on Friday in an intense and joyous opening match, where the locals held their pace better in the second half to make it 1-0 with some ease. The Regular Phase champion thus maintains the ‘court factor’ of a still long final to the best of five games.
To make that advantage good, the culé team has to complete the task this Sunday in a second episode in which Real Madrid will undoubtedly try to take a step forward. For the moment, Barça showed character and quality to leave behind a new defeat in the Euroleague semifinals against the whites and, above all, the crisis surrounding Nikola Mirotic that broke out in the previous one.
The Spanish-Montenegrin was received and fired on Friday with a standing ovation and full dedication from the Palau after the club decided not to have him after this season. The ‘bomb’ was not new to the squad and it proved so, without distraction or internal controversy to beat Madrid 97-88 with 14 points from Mirotic.
In addition, Nicolás Laprovittola (19) was very inspired and ‘Saras’ men had 40 minutes of choral exercise, with seven players scoring double figures. Barça managed to increase the defensive intensity in the second half and there a Madrid was left behind that will have to find strength to avoid a dangerous 2-0.
Chus Mateo has been referring to his team’s load of matches for some time, but the Whites are still the rival to beat. The current league champion showed it in Europe, when he defeated Partizan from 0-2 in the playoffs and came back from behind against Olympiacos in the Euroleague final with Sergio Llull’s final basket.
Now, the defense of the ACB title is at stake for a Madrid that relies on the power of Walter Tavares, and the good moment of Williams-Goss, Guerschon Yabusele, Dzanan Musa and Sergio Rodríguez. The whites return to the charge with the aim of redoubling their efforts and enduring the success and aggressiveness of a frenetic final.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
BARÇA: Satoransky, Laprovittola, Abrines, Mirotic and Vesely –possible starting five–; Sanli, Kalinic, Kuric, Jokubaitis, Nnaji, Da Silva, Paulí, Tobey and Martínez.
REAL MADRID: Williams-Goss, Causeur, Musa, Yabusele and Tavares — possible starting quintet — Sergio Rodriguez, Hezonja, Hanga, Llull, Rudy Fernandez, Poirier, Randolph, Ndiaye, Cornelie and Abalde.
–REFEREES: Conde, Pérez Pizarro and Calatrava.
–HALL: Palau Blaugrana.
–TIME: 6:30 p.m./#Vamos-Movistar Deportes.