Olimpia Milano’s dream stops at its best. It will be Barcelona to face the Turks of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the final of the basketball Euroleague. In the second semifinal the Catalan team beat Olimpia 84-82 in a heart-pounding final. A decisive goal by Higgins with 0.8 tenths from the end. Barça dragged to the final by 21 points from Mirotic and 17 with 6 assists from Calathes. The 23 points of Punter who missed the triple of the victory on the siren and the 14 of Micov are not enough in Milan.
A real joke for the team of coach Ettore Messina, capable of overturning a difficult first part of the match and arriving in the final ahead against the Catalan battleship. First two times of the Blaugrana brand, Gasol and his teammates also reach +11 in the second quarter (51-40) and seem able to control Olimpia’s ambitions.
In the second half, however, Milan returns to the field with greater determination and by closing the defensive shirts manages to recover up to a maximum advantage of +8 (61-69) dragged by Punter, Micov and Rodriguez. Never give up on Barcelona, however, the Catalan team in the last quarter relies on the greater habit of its champions in games of this type and slowly begins to gnaw the Milanese advantage dragged by Calathes and Mirotic.
The final is thrilling: Higgins signs the basket of the decisive 84-82, Punter on the siren fails the triple of the possible final. So much bitter in the mouth for Milan, which still comes out of the event with its head held high, aware that it has now returned to all effects in the elite of continental basketball.