Real Madrid smother FC Barcelona and join Olympiakos in Euroleague final

Real Madrid’s quest for revenge will end well in the Euroleague final. Ped very close to the coronation last season against Anadolu Efes (57-58) by choosing not to make a mistake on the last possession, the players of the “White House” came to the end of FC Barcelona (78-66), Saturday in Kaunas. They will face Olympiakos, Monaco scorer (76-62), Sunday to try to conquer an 11th European Cup.

Like last season, Barça de Sarunas Jasikevicius fell against their great rival, this time in the Lithuanian coach’s hometown. Fallers of Zalgiris Kaunas in the quarter-finals in three dry matches, the Catalans were however favored by the forecasts. Real Madrid presented themselves diminished in the internal sector without Guerschon Yabusele (suspended), Vincent Poirier and Gabriel Deck (injured). What to offer a boulevard to Nikola Mirotic, the star of Barça.

Barça out of address after the break

But the Spanish interior precipitated the fall of his people by delivering his worst game of the season with a single basket, late in the game (3 points, 1 out of 10 shooting). Jasikevicius’ group has long deceived thanks to its award-winning success. Alex Abrines (16 points) and Kyle Kuric (11) chained the strings from afar to fire the Catalans in the lead at the break (42-36, 20th). Symbol of the Barcelona heat stroke: Tomas Satoransky found the string … from his own camp but just after the half-time buzzer.

“It was hard, they had a lot of skill while our defense was not bad, but that changed in the second half, they were less successful and that gave us confidence”told the microphone of Skweek Fabien Causeur (0 point, 1 missed shot), the only Frenchman from Real in uniform since Petr Cornelie was not on the score sheet on a choice of Chus Mateo.

The people of Madrid ped a 15-0 to the Catalans (47-54, 27th), drawn by Dznan Musa and especially Walter Tavares. Sacred defender of the year, the Cape Verdean pivot (20 points, 15 rebounds) did justice to his trophy. His wingspan deterred most of Barca’s penetrations past his circle and ruled the rebound battle.

Returning to the Spanish capital last summer, Sergio Rodriguez (12 points, 5 ists) planted the final nail in the Catalan coffin by scoring nine consecutive points including an award-winning basket on a caviar from Sergio Llull, another grumbler (60- 67, 35th). Author of three counterattacks in the last three minutes, Tavares then prevented any Catalan revolt.

Follow the Euroleague final, this Sunday at 7 p.m., live on the site and the L’Equipe channel.