The loss of the Euroleague is already a distant memory for the Merengues. Just days after losing the European title against Panathinaikos, Real Madrid took revenge on their best rival, FC Barcelona. The White House has maintained its home advantage twice and now leads 2-0 in its semi-final series of the Liga Endesa playoffs.
Carried by their duo Sergio Llull – Dzanan Musa (18 points each), Chus Mateo’s team did not tremble despite the Catalans’ comeback in match 2 (104-98). Guerschon Yabusele (9 points, 3 rebounds), Vincent Poirier (4 points, 3 rebounds) and Fabien Causeur (3 points, 3 rebounds in 13 minutes) were very good complements.
“Sergio Llull never stops making us happy and passing on his magic. It’s a pleasure to see his ease in finishing through contact in the paint as well as his reliability in taking long shots that go to the ceiling and finish in the circle. This is only within the reach of a handful of players. But that doesn’t surprise me, I’ve gotten used to that since the day I met him,” said Chus Mateo at a press conference, who also focused on the Fabien Causeur case. “He is a phenomenon, a soldier ready to do anything for the team. When you have someone who gives body and soul like him… it’s an example of combativeness for the locker room. I know perfectly well what I have with him: a great professional!”
Real Madrid will try to conclude the series at the Palau Blaugrana. In the other part of the table, Unicaja Malaga destroyed its home advantage against UCAM Murcia, revelation of the playoffs with Yannis Morin, who leads 2-0. The winner of the BCL will therefore have to win twice away from home to hope to reach the final.
A record final square!
Note that with an average of 182 points per match, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Unicaja Malaga and UCAM Murcia display offensive statistics not seen since the creation of the Liga ACB. Over the first two duels of the semi-finals, the four teams scored 728 points, or 91 per team (182 points per match). We have to go back to 1986 to find any trace of such a start to the series!
