ACB – final – working day 2
Not a single mistake. Four triples scored from four attempts, the only two-point basket he tried. 14 points, six rebounds, one assist. And above all, an endless ovation from the WiZink Center. Rudy Fernández was the undisputed protagonist in Real Madrid’s victory against UCAM Murcia by 79-63, a victory that leaves the whites one step away from the ACB title and with the option of certifying it this Wednesday in the Murcian city. It would be the finishing touch for Rudy, who this Monday could have played his last game with the white shirt at the Palacio de los Deportes, before facing the challenge of playing his sixth Games and retiring after this summer. “It may be my last game here. There are many emotions. I leave with the taste of having done everything for this team. The recognition has been incredible and I take it with me. There are many years, many battles together, many titles, also defeats. I made the best decision by coming here. “I will take this with me for life,” said the hero of the meeting.
To begin with, a three-point contest. Rodions Kurucs and Causeur challenged each other from the perimeter. Musa was also itching inside at the pace set by Campazzo. At UCAM Murcia, Moussa Diagné rose to achieve the almost impossible, blocking the giant Tavares, a man used to sending his rivals to the canvas. The center took a foul on the Cape Verdean in the next play and then faced Facu in a penetration. The two teams pressed each play in a start of a clash of suffocating defenses and few points (7-5 after four minutes of play). Sito Alonso’s team failed too much in their aim and struggled to contain Musa’s offensive flow and Hezonja’s movements in the four position. Kurucs and Caupain came to the rescue from a distance while Sleva woke up in the paint. It was clear that UCAM had not arrived to stroll (18-15 when reaching the first break).
Morin burst the ring with a dunk to reopen the dance. Sito Alonso’s group then exhibited that armor of a supportive team in defense and with no more egos than the right ones when it was time to distribute the ball in attack, no matter how much their players were in front of a showcase they did not expect. A triple by Sleva turned the score around (18-20). The match continued to move over short distances and few spaces, a scenario where he does not feel particularly comfortable in Madrid, happier when he can run and free himself from the chains. Even so, his repertoire is infinite. Sergio Rodríguez, Llull and Rudy got together again on the court, finishing the last episodes together of an unforgettable adventure, and Yabusele multiplied to take the third foul from Diagné and in another play score in an acrobatic way and charge Morin with the same punishment. (31-25). The night was tense and the referees signaled two technicals to the white bench for protesting. Two bingos followed by three from Rudy Fernández stretched Madrid’s lead on the way to half-time: 40-30.
Even Hezonja put his hands on his head for the basket that Sleva took from his sleeve from the perimeter, when the Croatian thought he was already handcuffed. Rodions Kurucs also scored from a distance. In the whites, Musa continued inventing baskets of all colors and Tavares dictated his law under the boards (49-36). The game was more agile, an entertaining exchange of baskets that favored the hosts more: Ennis, Hezonja, Radovic… UCAM had to match many kilos of intensity on the court and Kurucs joined the three-foul club when among several away jerseys surrounded Tavares. Hakanson made it clear that Sito Alonso’s group was not going to give up so easily and Chus Mateo caught up with Rudy. The forward stole and caused Kurucs’ fourth. There’s a reason it’s a basketball encyclopedia. UCAM still made a mistake in the last tenth of the third quarter (57-52).
It was Rudy’s night, who hit a triple again at the start of the fourth quarter and shortly after scored a basket in the last breath of the possession. The eternal player did not fail to open the gap (64-54). UCAM Murcia wanted to accelerate the transitions, always feisty. The surprising finalist of this ACB, a team with all the letters, never lost face of the match, no matter how difficult it was to contain Madrid when it discharged all its offensive battery and that each success in the opposing ring cost the world. The white team closed the rebound and punctuated the duel with a triple from Hezonja and another, of course, from Rudy (74-61). The forward kissed his shield when Chus Mateo replaced him with a minute and a half left, and was moved to tears on the bench when the stands chanted his name relentlessly for many minutes. At Rudy’s farewell party, the whites left the League title in the palm of their hand.
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