Basketball, Game 6, Scudetto final: Virtus Bologna-Milan 85-66, the series 3-3

Three to three and ball in the middle. Bologna wins game-6 with the biggest margin of the entire series and evens the score by postponing the scudetto to the decisive game-7 on Friday at the Assago Forum. Once again the field factor dominates. Superior Virtus with Hackett, Cordinier, Beli and Jaiteh. Milan collapses badly in the final under the eyes of the patron Armani. Rocketing start for both teams. Very high pace, solutions with high percentages. Beli suffered two triples, the same Datome and Voigtmann. Bologna attacks the basket hard, Cordinier is unleashed, he has dynamite in his legs and with stealing and dunking he procures the internal 18-13. Virtus sets its Segafredo Arena on fire with 5 dunks but Milan is not intimidated. Hines and Voigtmann reply with interest. Enter Teodosic who stutters two shots and loses a couple of balls, it’s a difficult time for King Milos. Then Baron overtook from 3 and Voigtmann guessed the prayer from midfield on the first quarter siren: 23-27 Olimpia in the 10th minute after many changes between the two benches.

TALENT

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In the second quarter Teodosic realigns with your talent, so Bologna goes ahead 35-30 with Ojeleye as protagonist. A technician in Teodosic warms spirits, it is the third foul of the Serbian ace, Beli returns while Milan brings back Naper and Melli who starts scoring from below. The game is beautiful and very tough. Cordinier’s triple in transition signs the landlords +8 (45–37), even Hackett, highly motivated, pushes hard like Shengelia who does well to counter Melli. Interval on 49-43 Virtus. High score for a race-6 between teams that should be exhausted from fatigue. Reprise on the same rhythms. Milan misses a few shots, Bologna punishes them with Beli from three and a pirouette by Hackett which is worth +10 (56-46). Then the errors begin, physiological between tension and some bad reading. Napier sewed up to -3 but Ojeleye raised to +8. The score makes the elastic, Bologna holds it in hand. At 30′ it’s 67-59 Virtus. Fourth quarter: no baskets are seen for 4′. Cordinier breaks his fast with two free throws then Hackett flies to +12 and Beli from 3 for +14, finally Cordinier sinks the dunk of +16. It is the apotheosis of Virtus which reaches a 21-point lead (85-64). Friday closes the Forum, it’s the last challenge: whoever wins is the champion of Italy.

Virtus Bologna: Belinelli 14, Hackett 13, Cordinier 13

Milan: Melli 11, Voigtmann 11, Datome 9