Valencia Basket returns to the final at the Palau to the sound of Montero

Valencia Basket beat Barça this Monday at the Palau Blaugrana (80-88), in the third game of the Endesa League ‘Playoff’ final, to take a 2-1 lead and come back in this fight for the title that could be decided on Wednesday in the event of a new ‘Taronja’ victory or on Saturday, back at the Roig Arena, if Barça keeps its great end to the game to win the fourth and force that fifth fight.

The ‘taronja’ played great basketball to the tune of Dominican point guard Jean Montero, author of 29 points and increasingly closer to the ‘MVP’, and they led by +18 at the end of the third quarter. Barça neutralized that disadvantage, fighting with everything and inspired by the determination of Tornike Shengelia and the points of Darío Brizuela, but they reached a tie and Barça pulled out, with a painful 0-8 partial with which the Valencians put the 2-1 in their favor in this exciting final.

After the 1-1 at Roig Arena, the series landed at the Palau with a feeling of constant change and once again offered another different match. This time there was no wild exchange of baskets or miraculous comeback, although the ‘culers’ came close. There was Valencian control, patience to withstand the local push and an absolute leader who managed the pace of the match almost at will.

Montero was once again the player who decides big games. The Dominican directed, scored and punished every Barça defensive error, especially in a devastating third quarter. And when Barça threatened to turn the game around in the last period, the point guard appeared again to restore order to Valencia. Braxton Key also grew alongside him, tireless on both sides of the court and decisive in key moments, and Sergio de Larrea who once again assumed responsibility without complexes.

The start was balanced and with an exchange of blows. Tornike Shengelia, by far the best Blaugrana with 25 points, soon supported Barça with constant activity near the rim and from the perimeter and Satoransky even gave the locals a small advantage. But Valencia was already showing signs that it was finding better shots and that its movement was beginning to punish the Blaugrana defense.

The game changed tone in the second quarter. With Barça accumulating errors and losses, Valencia linked a 0-12 run driven by De Larrea and Montero to open the first serious gap of the night. Laprovittola tried to wake up the hosts with a triple and Punter found some isolated point, but continuity was still lacking. Shengelia and Vesely kept Barça alive and a final push allowed them to close the break with a dangerous but still acceptable 36-40.

However, the third quarter was a Valencian exhibition. Montero combusted and Valencia began to punish from all angles. Taylor found space, Key dominated physical situations and De Larrea once again punished from outside while Barça saw the game slipping away. The Dominican linked eight points in a row and closed the quarter with a free triple that shot the difference up to +18 and completely silenced the Palau Blaugrana.

Xavi Pascual’s team, of course, did not stop fighting since a time-out by the Gavà coach at the end of the third quarter. Brizuela ignited the team, Parra appeared with an important triple and Shengelia put on her overalls to lead a huge reaction. Barça went from -18 to a tie (73-73) with a run of 16-2 and at times it seemed like they were going to repeat one of those impossible comebacks that they had already built in these ‘Playoffs’.

But when Valencia suffered the most, its competitive maturity appeared. A three-pointer by Badio – his first points of the game – cut off the local momentum, Montero added from the free throw and then took responsibility again to attack Shengelia and restore the visitor’s calm. Costello and De Larrea helped close the match and Key finished sealing it from the personal line.

There was a bitter feeling on the Blaugrana side. Shengelia put in a gigantic performance and Brizuela was the main agitator from the bench, but the team greatly missed its outside references. Will Clyburn once again fell far short of the impact of the first game and barely added six points, while Kevin Punter, another of the names called to make a difference, finished with only five. Too little to sustain a comeback of that caliber.

The final is now in the hands of Valencia Basket. This Wednesday, Pedro Martínez’s men will have the first opportunity to become champions of the Endesa League and win the second title in their history. Barça, on the ropes, will need to recover its punch and find offensive responses if it wants to return to the Roig Arena and keep alive the dream of Xavi Pascual and Jan Vesely’s last dance.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: BARÇA, 80 – VALENCIA BASKET, 88 (36-40, at halftime).

–TEAMS.

Barça: Laprovittola (6), Punter (5), Clyburn (6), Shengelia (25) y Vesely (11) –quinteto inicial–; Cale (1), Brizuela (13), Satoransky (5), Hernangómez (3), Núñez (-) y Parra (5).

VALENCIA BASKET: Montero (29), Badio (3), Taylor (13), Key (12) and Sako (2) –starting quintet–; Reuvers (2), Pradilla (9), de Larrea (13), Moore (1), Cárdenas (-) and Costello (4).

–PARTIALS: 17-15, 19-25, 21-31 and 23-17.

–REFEREES: Peruga, Perea and Serrano. No eliminated.

–PAVILLION: Palau Blaugrana, 7,192 spectators.