Madrid make Berlin Final Four

The European champions remain unstoppable in this edition of the EuroLeague and continue their quest to retain the title they lifted last year in Kaunas. Chus Mateo's charges displayed the DNA that characterises this club to come from behind in a flawless last quarter and seal the tie swiftly. For the tenth time in the last 13 years, the madridistas will be competing in the Final Four in Berlin, which will be played on 24-26 May. Yabusele, with 23 points, spearheaded the team with six players in double digits in PIR. Tavares produced a spectacular double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds).

Madrid were fully aware of the complexity of this third game of the playoffs at the Buesa Arena and Chus Mateo put out a strong, energetic and physical line-up. All five - Campazzo, Musa, Hezonja, Yabusele and Tavares - scored in a very even first quarter. The Vitoria side enjoyed a high three-point percentage from Howard, Marinkovic and Rogkavopoulos. That gave them a slight edge throughout the first 9 minutes, while the Whites had to work hard under the basket. The scoreline ended up reflecting the equality of teams in the opening period (22-22).

Offensive brilliance from both teams
The second quarter was delayed for a few minutes due to a computer issue. Once back on the court, Baskonia took advantage of an unsportsmanlike foul and a technical in a row, along with the Howard-Miller-Mcintyre pairing (6 assists), to make it 37-27 on the scoreboard (min. 13). This was when Sergio Rodríguez came on to the court to spearhead a fast-paced offensive attack. The Canary Islander racked up 6 points and 4 assists in less than six minutes to give our team an extra boost. In this period of small runs, the Vitoria team did better in rebounding and with a terrific success in three pointers (more than 40%) to go ahead with a narrow 56-52 lead.

Ivanovic's men stepped up a gear after the break. Between Marinkovic, with his three-pointers, Rogkavopoulos and Miller-Mcintyre, Baskonia took a 10-point lead in five minutes (70-60). At that point Madrid's response arrived, determined not to lose the game and improving in the rebounding battle. Tavares, who recorded a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds), was a solid presence with his 4 blocks and Hezonja (13 points) and Campazzo did the rest in attack to produce a 3-12 run and send the game into the final quarter at 73-72.

Amazing last-quarter comeback
Despite Deck's triple at the start of the final quarter, Baskonia regained their composure through Howard (23 points, 80-75; 32'). But then there was Yabusele, Hezonja and Llull, with his customary mandarin shot, to turn the score around again (80-83). The Balearic Islander and the Frenchman (21 points) hit three practically consecutive three-pointers to make open up a four-point lead (91-95). A special mention must also go to Sergio Rodríguez, who showed great consistency (8 assists). However, the Basques kept pressing with two minutes to go and Chus Mateo's men had to muster more energy. Campazzo added seven crucial points to seal a fantastic win in Vitoria and a place in the Final Four in Berlin on 24 May