Bologna, 10 June 2022 – One to one and the ball in the center, we would say using a football metaphor. There Virtus Segafredo Bologna raises his head after the knockout in game 1 of the basketball championship finals and in the second act fold the Armani AX Milano 75-68 bringing the series back on track which now moves to the Forum. As well as game 1, tonight’s match was also intense, tight, angular and saw the bianconeri, who started a little quietly, change pace in the second half when the defense tightened their shirts properly (only 30 points granted in the second 20 ‘in Milan) and Toko Shengelia, better than his own with 22 points, despite making a lot of mistakes in the line (1/6) and from the arc (1/5) he took control of the situation in attack, scoring 9 points in the third quarter they actually turned the inertia of the match. In the 10 ‘finals, in fact, Milan tried to get back under by getting help from, Gigi Datome, Devon Hall (16 points) e Shavon Shields (15 points) but in the end he paid dearly for another competition with a lack of shooting (39% from two and 27% from three). In the home of Virtus, which this evening also managed to reverse the situation by rebound (49-36 the final calculation of the carambola under the scoreboards), in addition to Shengelia, Alessandro Pajola and Mam Jaiteh also showed themselves (11 points and 10 rebounds), which appeared in clear growth compared to race 1.
The race
Despite being forced, after just 3 ‘, to deal with the two fouls of Hines, Milan starts well, taking advantage of a few too many losses of Virtus and the offensive transition to take a margin of advantage of three full possessions at the height of a partial of 13-2 (4-13). It rains in the wet, however, for Segafredo who temporarily loses Hackett due to a problem with his left ankle, but the bianconeri – despite some difficulties in shooting (1/7 from three in the initial 10 ‘) – try to react with an 8-2 that is worth -3 (13-15). Weems’ -2 also comes from the arc; Milan, however, does not allow itself to be recaptured, continues to defend strongly in the area and relying on Hall again extends to +6 at the sound of the first siren (17-23).
Archived the first mini-break, Bologna restarts with the right competitive nastiness and, taking advantage of the internal game, returns to -2 forcing Messina to timeout; minute of suspension that does not have the effects hoped for by the white and red coach because the partial widens up to 9-0 with the bomb of Belinelli which is worth the first Juventus advantage of the evening (24-23). Segafredo’s number three is unleashed and puts another five in a row, trusting his team to find Hackett too. Milan still has the merit of not losing the compass and, with the complicity of a technician in Jaiteh, evened the score at 29. The spirits heat up a bit about a contact between Pajola and Rodriguez, but everything is promptly recomposed and the equilibrium remains intact until the end of the first half that ends with a triple from Teodosic for 38-38.
In a start of recovery in which you score with the dropper and commit on both fronts, even trivial ones, Virtus is the first to break free with nine close points from Shengelia for the Juventus +6 (49-43). Olimpia struggles, does not find rhythm in attack but despite everything remains in the wake with the trips to the line and on Hall’s triple is even found at -1 (55-54) then touches the blow of overtaking with Grant’s jumper at the end of the third quarter. Overtaking missed by the arch twice by Datome and then by Hall at the dawn of the final stage and then Virtus, thanks also to an unsportsmanlike by Shields on Pajola, takes the opportunity to slightly lengthen the elastic of the advantage (59-54). On the other hand, with Melli reaching four fouls with almost 6 ‘still to play and Hines temporarily knocked out by a shoulder problem, it is Shields and Datome who take the keys to the Milanese attack in hand, but it is not enough because Virtus now has the inertia of the match in hand and manages to close the accounts with a surgical defense and Shengelia’s final plays.