Lenovo Tenerife is proclaimed champion of the Champions League after overcoming a somewhat reckless rival from the triple line but who played like at home in Miribilla.
The party could not be complete but it was beautiful. Baxi Manresa wrote the most brilliant chapter of his European career but he had to end it with a bitter ending, as always happens when a final is lost.
The veteran ‘playmaker’ has collected his award as MVP wrapped in tears very emotional, before a crowd that asks him not to retire yet, when he is a few days away from his 39th birthday.
Manresa, however, can go home happy after offering a great collective show between the team and the fans, who have been ’10’ filling the stands of the Bilbao Arena with more than 4,000 Catalan fans.
But the individual quality of Txus Vidorreta’s men added to their great team play have made a comeback impossible for the Bages team, who suffered a gale from Tenerife in the third quarter with a run of 15-30 (21 triple points) .
Manresa: Moneke (24 pts), Thomasson (15 pts) and Francisco (12 pts)
Tenerife: Salin (18 pts), Wiltjer (17 pts) and Shermadini (14 pts)
Defensive rebounds: 27-17
Offensive rebounds: 13-3
Steals: 5-3
2 point shots: 21/35 (60%) – 27/37 (73%)
Triples: 9/33 (27%) – 13/24 (54%)
Free throws: 18/24 (75%) – 5/9 (56%)
The stands empty out little by little while the music and the celebration of the winners continue, and BAXI Manresa has already retired to the locker room.
Official photo of the winners with the beautiful silver trophy that simulates a basketball basket, with Marcelinho Huertas posing in front of his teammates.
Gold medal around the neck and Champions League trophy to the sky of Bilbao to celebrate a historic tournament in Tenerife, which has completed a competition with eleven consecutive victories, including some epic days.
The emblem player of Lenovo Tenerife receives the trophy in tears, the Brazilian is very emotional, offering his recognition to the public.
The Lenovo Tenerife players make the honorary aisle for the Bages men, led by their captain, Rafa Martínez.
An incredible moment has just taken place when the Manresa fans have acclaimed Tenerife, recognizing the winners of this basketball Champions League, in a show of healthy rivalry unthinkable in other sports.
“We tried to focus on the game plan we had, sharing the ball, making them uncomfortable at any point in the game. I couldn’t be happier.”
“In the third quarter they scored a lot of triples against us and they played a great game.”
2:19 to go
3:19 to go.
7:07 to go
Of Tenerife’s 33 points in this quarter, 21 have been in 7 triples. Tenerife escapes with a stroke of talent in this room. Manresa must come back 15 points if they want to win this Champions League, which is currently on track for the islanders.
Manresa 58-69 Tenerife
The Tenerife players have started the second half in ‘steamroller mode’ and already have a 10-point lead. Manresa tries to react with its public. 4:40 for the last quarter.
Manresa: Moneke (15 pts), Dani Pérez (10 pts) and Francisco (5 pts)
Tenerife: Salin (10 pts), Shermadini (10 pts) and Huertas (9 pts)
“I have congratulated the mayor of Manresa because the streets of Bilbao have been filled to cheer and live like a great basketball final.”
Percentage of 2 points: 50%-80%
3-point percentage: 44%-44%
Free throws: 5/6-5/9
Defensive rebounds: 7-14
Offensive rebounds: 8-0
Assists: 6-12
Personal fouls: 12-9
Steals: 2-1
Moneke and Dani Pérez lead the attack for the Catalan team, while Tenerife’s best have been Salin and Shermadini in the low post.
Both teams are better in attack than in defense, with a projection that exceeds 100 points. Manresa has loaded a lot of fouls on some important players, so they will have to slow down for the second quarter.
Request time-out Pedro Martínez for Tenerife’s 0-8 run. There are less than 5 minutes left in the first quarter.
A Bilbao Arena filled to the brim and with almost 4,000 Catalan fans will receive the leading players in style.
We already have the ceremony before the final underway, with a percussion show, and Jose Garbajosa, as representative of the Spanish Basketball Federation, carries the trophy in his hands.
With just over a quarter of an hour left to start this fourth Spanish final in all European competitions, Lenovo Tenerife and BAXI Manresa conspire to make history by lifting their second and first Champions, respectively.
Guillem Jou, captain of the team, also spoke in the preview of the final, acknowledging that his intention is “to reach the end of the match with chances of winning”.
The public in Manresa and Tenerife is already beginning to occupy their seats on the Bilbao Arena track, venue for the Final Four of the 2022 basketball Champions League.
Manresa, meanwhile, is the second best defense in the championship, allowing 99 points for every 100 possessions.
And in the percentage of triples, Tenerife also rules, with 58% compared to 52% in Manresa.
Of the 158 finals that have taken place in all European tournaments in history, a Spanish club has lifted the trophy 38 times, but the last Spanish final was in 2018 between Unicaja and Valencia, in a series of 3 matches, and the last The Spanish single-match final was also in the Eurocup but in 2008, between DKV Joventut and Akasvayu Girona.
In that clash, even without Sylvain Francisco or Dani Pérez, the Tenerife team prevailed over the rocky defense put up by the men trained by Pedro Martínez, which sets a precedent to be taken into account for this afternoon’s final.
The people from Tenerife will dispute, in less than an hour, a final where they will have to face a tide of fans from Manresa, where a few hundred Tenerife fans will leave their voices to encourage their own.
Coach Pedro Martínez is missing Dani Garcia and Guillem Jou, who are still injured and will not be available to fight for their team’s first continental cup.
The Lenovo Tenerife, for its part, has also already reached the facilities of the final of the Basketball Champions League, where both teams now conspire before the match.
The islanders are in a moment of great form in the European competition, and this afternoon they could culminate a great continental season if they manage to lift the cup of champions.
The unknown will be to see how the local fans behave and on which side they stand, if they support the Catalans or the people of Tenerife. The Manresa coach, Pedro Martínez, was “proud” that there were so many fans of his team in the final, to which the Tenerife coach, Vidorreta, responded for his fans “it is not easy to be out for five days” .
The clash for the Champions League title between Lenovo Tenerife and BAXI Manresa can be seen live from 8:00 p.m. on the DAZN platform, on the Teledeporte channel, and on the Esport 3 channel in Catalonia.
The final of the Basketball Champions League 2022 will be played from 8:00 p.m. (peninsular time) at the Bilbao Arena in the Basque city, which has hosted the final phase of this competition.
In this aspect, Lenovo Tenerife has played 5 of the last 6 ‘Final Four’ of the competition, while the Catalans seek their first European title with this experience.
The players from Tenerife stand out for their choral game and their quality in the extra pass, while the players from Manresa are pure courage, physical strength and resistance.
Good afternoon! Hello and welcome to live coverage of the FIBA Basketball Champions League Final.
This afternoon we will live a new historic day for Spanish basketball, where BAXI Manresa and Lenovo Tenerife will meet to lift the trophy of this prestigious competition, this time more even than ever.
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