The first title of the season flew to Madrid. Like the last one from last season. The Super Cup that opens the new course continues to be painted in white, as has been a tradition for the last five years. The team led by Chus Mateo, the coach who led the five madridistas at the end of the League, once again beat Barça in the eighth match of the year (89-83).
Madrid’s dominance in the competition could be personified in the power that shaped Walter Tavares on the court, which was annihilating the three pivots who came out to defend him (Sanli, Vesely and Tobey accumulated 14 fouls out of 15 allowed) and he dazzled the Barcelona area with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks for a PIR of 40. The white pivots only added 6 personal: 3 from Tavares and Yabusele, none from Poirier.
The competition monopolized by the two greats of football and basketball once again opted for the same side. The Barça does not obtain the competition since 2015. In the final in Seville he lacked physicality and, above all, points, intimidation. Barça relied heavily on Sanli, inspired by scoring (21 points) but weak to withstand Tavares’ onslaught. Nor could he with the white giant Vesely and less Tobey.
Just the Sanli points
A preseason five of his own presented Jasikevicius for the duel. More recognizable was that of Madrid, with the only novelty of the Bosnian forward Dzanan Musa, one of the white signings and who had shone in the semifinal with 21 points. He finished with 19. Laprovittola, the Barça striker from the day before, wanted to pass more than score and that difference was transferred to the scoreboard at the beginning. Nothing definitive in a swinging duel.
To the Barça he sustained a Sanli’s devastating start, who added the first 11 Barcelona points (an impeccable series of five shots without failure, including a triple) until Jokubaitis lent his wrist and Vesely closed the fourth. Musa concluded the first half with 10 points, cutting the maximum difference that Barça had acquired (27-37), while Laprovittola had not moved from zero. He moved it with the first basket of the restart, stretching the Barça advantage. He finished the game with the record for assists (14) in the competition and 12 points.
white bounce
the battle of rebound was clearly white (46-34), especially in the offensive captures, where Tavares and Yabusele imposed centimeters and kilos. Madrid, however, wasted the second shooting options that it was collecting as it forced personal ones from Sanli and Vesely. The madridista recovery nested there, in the charge of the rival pivots, which allowed them to close the gap during the third quarter until they were once again ahead with a partial 24-6. He no longer gave up the initiative, although the margins were tight until it led to extra time.
With Barça locked up in the paint, their pivots diffident, Lull dropped his hand without complexes with three triples that relaunched his team. Madrid had all its shooters on the payroll, except for the injured Adam Hanga, and Mirotic and Cory Higgins looked at him from the Barça barrier, who did not enter the list due to some inconvenience, without being able to shed light in the darkness. Only flashes of Jokubaitis and Kuric.
In the dark, only Sanli scored regularly, and the Turk sat down for the last ten minutes. He appeared a few seconds from the end. Late and cold, he took a plug and missed a shot. Before Tavares, of course, who took the MVP.
Data sheet
Real Madrid: Causeur (3), Deck (15), Musa (19), Yabusele (9), Tavares (24) –first five–, Rodríguez (0), Rudy (3), Poirier (2), Hezonja (0), Llull (14).
5 of 20 triples (Llull, 3). 46 rebounds, 18 offensive (Tavares, 5). 13 assists (Deck, Musa, 3).
Barcelona: Satoransky (0), Laprovittola (12), Martínez (0), Tobey (9), Sanli (21) –starting five–, Jokubaitis (11), Kuric (10), Abrines (4), Vesely (8), Kalinic (8).
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6 of 25 triples (Kuric, 2). 34 rebounds, 11 offensive (Satoransky, Tobey, Jokubaitis, Kalinic, 2). 25 assists (Laprovittola, 14).
Partials: 17-15; 12-22; 26-12; 16-22; 18-12 (pr).