The Sassari play a solid match and in the final they make a great comeback from -13. The first exam passed with flying colors
SENT TO CAGLIARI. It was only the first race of the season, there are months and months of work and challenges ahead of us, but in the meantime the new Dinamo by Demis Cavina has already shown a talent that either you have or not: character. It is above all with heart and courage (but not only, of course) that the biancoblù beat Bayern Munich 86-85 in the semifinal of the City of Cagliari tournament, at the end of a very intense match and with a heart attack ending.
Today at 9pm at PalaPirastu, which yesterday saw the presence of about 400 spectators, Jason Burnell and his teammates will compete for the cup in the final against Baskonia, in the second match in two days against a Euroleague team. It’s only summer basketball, it’s true, but it’s not bad as an appetizer.
Thrilling finale. A very good first half (23-22 at the first siren, 48-45 at the interval), a third quarter of enormous difficulty in attacking, with 7’30 “without being able to move the score, and a last quarter at the pursuit of the boys of coach Trinchieri, who flew up to +13 (63-76). Then Dinamo raised the intensity again, nibbled points after points with Mekowulu and put the arrow with Burnell 19 ”from the end, at 84-83. Then Jaramaz’s response at 6 “and Schelling’s infamous foul at 2” on Burnell, who made two of the three free throws for the final 86-85.
The match. Before the duo, there is great emotion for the minute of silence in memory of little Anita, who tragically lost her life in Sassai. Coach Cavina sends Clemmons, Gentile, Burnell, Bendzius and Moekowulu into the quintet, Bayern are aggressive but it turns out on the arc and is immediately hit by the triples of Bendzius and Clemmons. Mekowulu begins to make its weight felt in the colored area, the Germans try to enter the game and meanwhile Cavina starts the rotations, with Battle, Logan, Borra and Treier. The Professor enters with hot hands and immediately places the triple of 17-11 after just over 6 ‘of play, which leads to the timeout of coach Trinchieri. At the first siren the match is balanced, 23-22, but in the meantime Walden has taken turns and his three-point game gives the Bavarians the first overtaking, at 23-25. Bayern raises the intensity and extends the break also thanks to the second shots, Dinamo grits its teeth and relies as in the old days on Logan, who scores 9 points in an amen and allows the Sassari to go up from 32-39 to 37 -39. Chessa is seen for a few moments, but in the meantime the Banco has taken up laps and Gentile signs the new overtaking from underneath; Burnell extends the break until 11-0, for 43-39. The bombardment of Obst allows Bayern to stay in the slipstream and to reach mid-match at 48-45. The third period for the Sassari is instead very complicated: turnovers arrive in the series and Bayern immediately place a 9-0 break (48-54). Cavina’s guys are dry for more than 7 minutes, in which everything arrives: more turnovers, some blows, open shots on the iron, but also a bit of defense. Meanwhile Bayern flies away (48-59), with a triple from Clemmons that finally interrupts the Bavarians’ 14-0 break and allows Banco to restart. After 59-66 at the end of the third quarter, the last period remains in the “freezer”, until Schilling commits a “terminal” foul on Mekowulu.
The spirits light up, the Sassari decide that they are not there and go back from 68-78 to 74-78. The public cheered on Dinamo, who believed in it and gave a show, until the spectacular overtaking on the last corner. Today it will be very hard, but in the meantime Dinamo has already responded present.