Playoff semifinals: Virtus-Tortona 77-73, Belinelli is from another planet

The championship semifinals begin with game-1 (best of five games). Immediately on the field the Italian champions of Virtus against Tortona. Saturday at the Forum is the first match between Milan and Sassari.

Virtus probably needs the best Belinelli ever to take race-1 and condemn Tortona to an atrocious knockout. The Piedmontese lead up to three minutes from the end, but undergoing the unstoppable and devastating return of the blue phenomenon: 19 points in the last quarter, stuff that only a select few can produce. So the black Vs cash in more than they should, leaving Tortona with only the sensation of the enterprise.

He matches

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The excellent returns immediately put the Virtus in the comfort zone. Teodosic and Shengelia are relentless in pumping the immediate advantage: 7-0, then 10-2 with Weems’ triple. Tortona attacks badly, seems intimidated: 1/6 shooting and too many turnovers on interesting cuts. Belinelli pocket the +9 with a triple of him, then the Piedmontese reaction arrives. The second lines give physical and mental energy to Ramondino’s team that works well in rebounding and finds some offensive rhythm. At the first siren it is 21-16 Bologna. Then it’s up to Virtus to end up in the swamp: 3 points in 5 minutes and overtaking Tortona (28-24), pushed by Filloy, Daum and Macura. Scariolo therefore recalls the Teodosic-Shengelia duo which for Tortona is poison. Virtus new shot, but the Piedmontese hold up the impact and go to rest ahead (38-35) with the triple from Macura, getting hotter and hotter. The 9 turnovers do not penalize Ramondino’s team as much as the 3/15 virtussino from the arc. After the tea, we proceed in tears: Daum’s triple gives the guest +6, then Bologna reacts with the defense and the 8-0 is worth the overtaking immediately deflated by the Sanders-Macura duo. After 25 ‘Tortona still commands (49-43), whose triples, and also the offensive rebounds, continue to make the difference. Bologna is looking for quintets able to overturn the match but at the third siren the Piedmontese are still ahead 55-51. Virtus continues to quarrel with the basket, but Belinelli’s spells, after a shooting match, keep her in the wake. With 5 minutes from the end Tortona is still ahead of a notch (67-63), but it is still Belinelli who invented what Virtus fails to produce with reasoning. At 1’53 “from the gong Bologna at -1 (70-71). Beli continues his omnipotent show: another triple and 18th point in the fourth. Virtus overtakes (75-73). The blow is too strong. Tortona goes On Sunday, again in Bologna, there is game-2.

Virtus: Belinelli 25, Jaiteh 13, Shengelia 11.

Tortona: Sanders 16, Macura 12, Severini, Filloy, Wright 9.