Edy Tavares made

the difference

in a Super Cup to whet your appetite, another classic to prolong the sensations and dominance of Real Madrid in a trophy that he has won five times on the run.

As in the last ACB final, the African (MVP then and now) changed everything and was completely decisive in the final minutes and in extra time to ruin a Barça entrusted to

Laprovittola

.

[89-83: Narration and statistics]

They are his blocks, that way of defending taking advantage of the immensity of his extremities, which close all the facilities to the rival over and over again.

But it is also the ability worked and developed to score when he heats the ball the most, to expand his range and his movements in the paint, not to miss free throws (10 of 11...) and to move in the spaces so that his teammates you just have to look for him.

He finished with an exhibition (24 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, a PIR of 40...), but the difference is that this time Tavares won the Super Cup in moments of truth, on that edge where Barça without

Mirotic

could not find his hero.

The final, which ended at the peak of emotion, had wandered among the miseries of preseason basketball.

With little rhythm and too many failures.

Types soon out of breath and strange rotations.

Sertac Sanli, who was once the perfect antidote for Jasikevicius against Tavares, was the star of the day, with 11 points and two blocks, then controlling Tavares and supporting Barça.

Because Madrid had started with momentum and frenzy in their transition game, with Musa as director instead of the injured Hanga.

But all those promises soon came to nothing.

Madrid stopped dead, entangled in the Barça defense, with Llull erratic and five minutes without scoring.

He dominated the offensive rebound, but he was left with 12 points in the second act (29 at halftime) and that Musa closed it with one of those wonders that make him so unstoppable in one on one.

Before, Kuric, who rested on Saturday - entered by Higgins in the final - had done damage and Kalinic had put the maximum (27-37) with a basket after a quick serve, the new ACB rule in favor of agility of the game but that, at the moment, only brings confusion.

The script was repeated on the return leg, with Sanli scoring easily and Laprovittola dominating the tempo of the afternoon in Seville (29-41 was the maximum), with that mettle and that extra second that Barça's circulation is so grateful for and that drives so much mad to the rival.

Musa was the only response from Chus Mateo and two counterattacks in a row were oxygen on that frontier.

Until Llull appeared.

His ability to explode games, to burst trends, is not exhausted.

Already recovered from the injury that caused him to miss the Eurobasket and after a bad first half, the Spaniard put on his superhero cape, chained three consecutive three-pointers and Barça shattered like a glass against the ground.

All of the above by land, with a partial that became 25-6 and that turned everything around.

Saras already warned about it in the same preview: "And then from the bench comes, as I usually say, the heart of Madrid: Llull and Rudy".

But the Lithuanian had Laprovittola left.

He had not fallen to the canvas and Madrid, who lost Rudy due to a wrist injury, lowered their momentum somewhat with a gray Sergio Rodríguez at the controls so that the duel went to the finish line completely even.

Lapro and Tavares, who became a couple, challenged each other under the Seville sun in an exciting outcome that ended in extra time because Deck, in a bad last play by Madrid, missed a frontal and distant triple.

In the give and take of extra time, everything went through Tavares, who ended up ruining each rival pivot.

Not even Laprovittola's record 14 assists were enough.

Madrid, who have won five of the last six matches against Barça (far from those ghosts), won their ninth Super Cup in Seville.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

  • Sergio Lull

  • Seville

  • real Madrid