Photo Credit To Matteo Marchi / Massimo Ceretti / Ciamillo-Castoria / Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna
Without ever putting it to safety, but always leading in the final, responding to every Basque rapprochement, Virtus makes an important match theirs well beyond the value of 2 points, responding authoritatively to the debacle with Brescia.
He does this by finding the Abass of the good old days, jousting rarely seen quintets between 3 smalls together or without long centers, having to go against a particular gang of shooters like those in Vitoria. Gradually he imposes his plan by resorting to a rotation of 11 (not only Weems), finding important ideas even from those who have not always played with constructiveness and continuity.
Weighted by too many losses at the start (16 total, 7 in the first 10 ‘) Virtus did not lose heart, finding excellent shooting percentages (60% from 2 and 40% from 3) impacting rebounds thanks to a 2nd more intense time. Decisive in the last 2′ Teo, always surgical in the 20’ on the pitch, as Belinelli had been before, applause also to Shengelia’s endless energy.
Scariolo starts with a small quintet, Ojeleye from 4 and Abass from 3, Peñarroya proposes the former Cremona Hommes, to guide the “Italian” Thompson alongside the elf Howard. He opens Teo but an electrical blackout stops the games, we start again without a scoreboard, Virtus is always ahead but the wave has stalled. An even smaller quintet with Mickey from 5 plays the 2nd part of the fraction, the 9-0 is swept away by an irrepressible Hommes. The losers open the field in Vitoria who places a 4-19 (10 in a row by Giedraitis), in the last 6′ Virtus scores the pittance of 5 points, the -3 is also dripping fat. There are more losses (7) than baskets, holding on to rebounds, for Baskonia only 2 score, but with continuity.
The Basques eat up the bonus in 61”, the free throws aren’t precise but you stay in the slipstream despite tiring attacks. Beli’s spingarde signs the overtaking, an advantage that holds up to the long pause but does not expand due to a Hommes who takes over the scene, +3. Contained losses (2 in these 10 ‘), some rebounding difficulties (0 offensive), shooting averages comfort (75% from 2, 43% from 3), beyond 26 from Hommes & Giedraitis while Howard doesn’t appear.
The rhythms pick up at the restart, after tacky mistakes there are 2 dunks by Jaiteh who also charges behind, Virtus at +8 in the middle of the fraction. The trivialities of small things cost all the advantage that Howard, up to there desaparecido, eats up. Despite his 4th foul he remains unstoppable, the final is signed by Abass and by the man who never rests, Shengelia, +6. Still excellent percentages, badly used the fouls outside the bonus costing Howard’s crazy shots.
Abass makes +9 then the attack packs up and he lives on defense, Scariolo pairs Teo with Beli, the move doesn’t pay off and Vitoria, still on the shoulders of Giedraitis, gets back into contact. In the last 2′ we enter at +2 which Teo immediately expands to 8, with continuous changes of attack-defense quintets. Despite the abundance of baskets plus fouls left, victory is never in doubt, but the difference between baskets with -11 of the first leg is not sutured, the lesser evil from the nightmares from which we started.
The next match will be next Friday at 18:45 in the Euroleague in Istanbul against Fenerbahce, live on Sky, streaming on Eleven Sport and RadioNettunoBologna1.
The tebellino
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 88-83
(16-19; 44-41; 68-62)
Virtus Segafredo Bologna: Belinelli 15, Pajola 3, Bako 4, Jaiteh 5, Lundberg 6, Shengelia 12, Hackett 9, Mickey 2, Weems and Ojeleye 5, Teodosic 17, Abass 10. All. Scary.
Baskonia Cazoo Vitoria-Gasteiz: Howard 10, Heidegger, Raiste, Marinkovic 4, Diez 3, Thompson 15, Kotsar 4, Enoch, Costello 7, Giedraitis 25, Hommes 15, Kurucs. All. Penarroya.
Referees: Latisevs, Difallah, Majkic.
Luke Cocchi (©BasketCity.net)
