Lucas Sáez-BravoSpecial envoy Málaga
Special envoy Malaga
Updated Sunday, February 18, 2024-20:47
The tournament that blessed 'lasismo' in 2011, the Cup that inaugurated an era, the one that Real Madrid had resisted more than necessary, reconquered where they won it the last time, in that magical Martín Carpena for white. Four years later, he is once again the king after a final of power against Barça, of absolute equality until the moment of truth, when the MVP
Campazzo
accelerated and the rest followed him without looking back. [96-85: Narration and statistics]
To know more
Copa del Rey.
Barça defeats Real Madrid in the Mini Cup: the Dabone show, giant children, suspicions and 5,000 people at the Carpena
Editor: LUCAS SÁEZ-BRAVO (Special Envoy)Málaga
Barça defeats Real Madrid in the Mini Cup: the Dabone show, giant children, suspicions and 5,000 people at the Carpena
It is Chus Mateo
's first Cup
, his second title (not counting Super Cups) in two years after taking over from
Pablo Laso
on the bench. Because the European champion coach had a pending account, that blur from Badalona. It is the trophy that also confirms Madrid's wonderful start to the season, which had won three of the previous four against
Roger Grimau
's Barça and did so again to win the 29th Cup in its history and remain at the top.
There were no heroes in Carpena, neither the
Pau Gasol
of 2001 nor the
Sergio Llull
of 2014. Nor were there any controversies or heart-stopping endings. The experience, physical and mental capacity, resistance and wisdom of Chus Mateo had a lot to do with Madrid's victory, who barely moved his rotation throughout the second half, who struck at the right moment, with two slaps from
Vincent Poirier
who were gold, six offensive rebounds for the Frenchman, much better than
Tavares
all weekend, a general trend for a Barça that was dying out there,
Willy Hernangómez, Vesely
and company incapable of stopping this bleeding in the paint.
And Grimau seemed to know it at the start, with a quintet at the top. And the first half could not have been more even, a balancing act between two teams that measured their virtues but also their fears. That they tried to maintain consistency, but that they succumbed to their occasional mistakes. Just a couple of scratches in the dawn. A 9-0 with which Real Madrid answered the initial basket by
Jabari Parker
, the best Barça player all afternoon. And a 2-10 for Barça later, when Mateo took too long to move his bench (the starting five played the entire first quarter) and paid for his fatigue. Every time one of the two tried to raise their voice, he soon got a response, Campazzo's triple on the horn with two followed by
Laprovittola
and always like that.
Jabari completes a counter.ACB Photo
Even more so in the second act, basket by basket, a give and take. The emergence of
Hezonja
, very powerful, drew attention, taking over the stage the same great guy who a few hours before was complaining on the bench after his poor performance in the semifinals. He appeared with 12 points, but also steals, rebounds and a great assist to Poirier, another one who stood out. At Barça everyone responded, to such an extent that, with a triple on
Kalinic
's horn
, Grimau's men went into the break with an advantage.
The exchange of blows continued around the corner, as if it were the only way for both of them to advance. More attack than defense,
Musa
on one side, Jabari on the other, long live the talent. Minutes passed and the temperature inevitably rose, tension also back and forth. Tavares' first basket and a counter from the enraged
Deck
were answered by Jabari, displaying all of his promise. The points in Poirier's zone, from
Brizuela
's triple
or Willy's baskets... There was always someone willing to stop the escape attempt.
Llull, with the champion trophy.ACB Photo
But Real Madrid saw the finish line and anticipated it, like good sprinters. Right at the beginning of the final act, three triples (two from
Yabusele
and another from Deck) to open a small gap (77-68), a gap that Barça was no longer going to be able to close, a deadly mistake after a final in which he had rowed so much and so much.
It was a risky bet by Chus Mateo, who ignored his usual rotations and played with just seven men throughout the second half. Until the 37th minute, only Poirier had replaced Tavares. Then Hezonja appeared, great in the second act. But his team was already heading towards victory, with the desire to reconquer it. It was a choral effort, but if there is a proper name it was Vincent Poirier, the antihero with his blocks, his rebounds and his intensity.