May 24, 2012
Spanish League Semifinals, Game 4: June 9-10, 2007
Raul Lopez - Real Madrid Everything will go down to Game 5 in the Spanish League semifinals, as Real Madrid and Tau Ceramica got respective road wins against DKV Joventut and Winterthur FC Barcelona in Game 4, tying their best-of-five semifinals series at 5-5. Real Madrid overcame a do-or-die situation by edging DKV Joventut 70-72 on the road on Saturday. Raul Lopez paced the winners with 13 points, Felipe Reyes and Louis Bullock each added 12 while Alex Mumbru had 11 for Madrid. Lubos Barton led Joventut with 14 points while Dimitri Flis added 13 for the hosts, whose superstar Rudy Fernandez played with back spasms and was limited to just 3 points. Meanwhile, Tau tied its series at 2-2 by downing Winterthur FCB in Barcelona on Sunday. Luis Scola led the way for Tau with 17 points, Igor Rakocevic added 15 while Lou Roe posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Jaka Lakovic had 25 points for Barcelona while Juan Carlos Navarro added 12. A 0-8 run allowed Tau to seal the outcome in the final 3 minutes. Tau and Madrid host Game 5 on Tuesday, so get ready for more action!

On Saturday, Madrid started the game with a different defensive attitude that paid off immediately. Back-to-back triples by Axel Hervelle sparked a 0-11 run that Lopez capped with a basket. A hyperactive Reyes allowed Madrid to keep a 13-19 edge after 10 minutes. Barton and Ricky Rubio tried to lead the Joventut comeback, but Louis Bullock and Marko Tomas still kept Madrid ahead, 25-31. Mumbru and Lopez combined for 9 late points to give Madrid a 35-42 edge at halftime. Reyes and Charles Smith fueled a 0-6 run that boosted Madrid's lead to double digits, 46-56, at the end of the third quarter. Joventut did not give up, however, as three-pointers by Fernandez and Marcelinho Huertas got the hosts within 54-58. Madrid now had troubles against Joventut's outstanding zone defense, while a three-pointer by Flis tied it at 63-63 with 2 minutes to go. Lopez hit 4 free throws in a 0-6 Madrid run, but Elmer Bennett, Flis and Rubio still got Joventut within 70-71 with 7 seconds remaining. Joventut opted to foul on Kerem Tunceri, who missed his second shot, but the hosts did not manage to take a shot in time.

On Sunday, Barcelona struggled to score early in the game and Tau made the most out of it. Scola had 7 points in a 0-9 run that put Tau way ahead, 4-13. Roe and Rakocevic still helped the guests to keep an 11-17 edge after 10 minutes. Navarro and Roko-Leni Ukic led the Barcelona comeback, as a 9-2 run gave the hosts a 20-19 edge. Roe and Zoran Planinic allowed Tau to stay in the game while Scola sat on the bench with foul troubles, but even with that, Jordi Trias dunked it to give Barcelona a 34-33 halftime edge. Both teams dramatically improved their offense after the break, as Rakocevic and Fred House scored from downtown for a 38-43 Tau edge. Lakovic got Barcelona within 51-52, but a 0-7 run that Scola capped with a layup allowed Tau to stay ahead, 57-61, at the end of the third quarter. Denis Marconato, Lakovic and Navarro fueled the Barcelona comeback, with a driving layup by Ukic put the hosts ahead, 69-68, with 3 minutes to go. Scola had fouled out, but Prigioni buried a critical three-pointer, starting a 0-8 in which free throws by Roe, Tiago Splitter and Rakocevic sealed the outcome, 69-76. Barcelona ran out of time while Tau managed to stay alive in the series.

SPANISH LEAGUE: Semifinal Playoffs, best of 5 games
RecordTeam
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
2
Tau Ceramica (1)
81
76
78
77
June 12
2
Winterthur FCB (4)
73
83
80
71
-
2
Real Madrid (2)
72
69
71
72
June 12
2
DKV Joventut (3)
70
76
85
70
-

Semifinal Playoffs Games
Game 1
Tau Ceramica vs. Winterthur FCB
81-73
June 1
Game 1
Real Madrid vs. DKV Joventut
72-70
May 31
Game 2
Tau Ceramica vs. Winterthur FCB
76-83
June 3
Game 2
Real Madrid vs. DKV Joventut
69-76
June 3
Game 3
Winterthur FCB vs. Tau Ceramica
80-78
June 8
Game 3
DKV Joventut vs. Real Madrid
85-71
June 7
Game 4
Winterthur FCB vs. Tau Ceramica
71-77
June 10
Game 4
DKV Joventut vs. Real Madrid
70-72
June 9
Game 5
Tau Ceramica vs. Winterthur FCB
-
June 12
Game 5
Real Madrid vs. DKV Joventut
-
June 12
Sunday, June 10, 2007
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