November 21, 2008
Spanish League Semifinals, Game 2: June 3, 2007
Denis Marconato - Winterthur FCB Winterthur FC Barcelona and DKV Joventut registered respective road wins in the Spanish League semifinals on Sunday to tie their respective best-of-five series at 1-1. Barcelona bounced back from its initial loss in its best-of-five semifinal series by edging Tau Ceramica 76-83 in Vitoria in Game 2 on Sunday morning. Series is tied at 1-1 but Barcelona hosts Games 3 and 4 next weekend. Juan Carlos Navarro led the winners with 22 points but Denis Marconato had 7 of his 15 points in the final 2 minutes to seal the outcome down the stretch. Jaka Lakovic added 13 while Gianluca Basile had 10 for Barcelona. Igor Rakocevic and Luis Scola led Tau each with 22 points while Tiago Splitter added 13 for the hosts. Meanwhile, DKV Joventut tied its series at 1-1 by beating Real Madrid 69-76 on the road in Game 2 on Sunday night. Rudy Fernandez led the winners with 15 points, including a critical triple that sealed the outcome in the final minute. Lubos Barton added 13 points, Dimitri Flis 12 and Elmer Bennett 11 for Joventut. Louis Bullock led Madrid 18 points while Charles Smith and Axel Hervelle each had 13 for the hosts.

Real Madrid struggled to score in the opening 5 minutes, while Bennett followed a triple with free throws for a 13-21 lead after 10 minutes. Madrid did not panic, however, as Smith led a 9-2 run that brought the hosts back in the game, 22-23. A three-pointer by Kerem Tunceri made Madrid get the lead, 29-27, but Barton soon answered from downtown and Fernandez added a power layup for a 31-34 Joventut edge at halftime. Triples by Barton and Ferran LaviƱa made Joventut extend its margin to 33-42. Raul Lopez stepped up to keep Madrid close, 44-47, but a technical foul on Bullock allowed Joventut to stay way ahead, 45-54. Back-to-back triples by Bullock sparked a 12-0 run that gave Madrid a 57-54 with 8 minutes to go. The game turned into a thriller when Barton followed an alleyoop dunk with a triple in a 0-9 run that gave Joventut a 60-66 lead. Hervelle stepped up with 7 quick points to get Madrid within 67-69, but Fernandez beat the shot clock with a triple and added free throws to seal the outcome.

A 6-0 run that Lou Roe capped with a free throw allowed Tau to get a 15-11 lead after 6 minutes, but Marconato dunked it twice and Lakovic back-to-back triples for a 21-23 Barcelona edge after 10 minutes. An outstanding Scola kept Tau in the game, but Basile and free throws by Lakovic and Jordi Trias allowed Barcelona to stay ahead, 38-41, at halftime. Navarro came off the bench and buried consecutive triples to give the guests their biggest lead, 46-56, late in the third quarter. A zone defense allowed Tau to get back in the game, as a three-point play by Scoal put the hosts ahead, 61-60. It all came down to the final 3 minutes, as Navarro shined with an off-balanced "bomba" while Marconato beat the shot clock with a triple, good for a 68-75 edge. Tau got within 76-79 but Marconato made 4 free throws in the final 24 seconds to win it for Barcelona.

SPANISH LEAGUE: Semifinal Playoffs, best of 5 games
RecordTeam
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
1
Tau Ceramica (1)
81
76
June 8
June 10
June 12*
1
Winterthur FCB (4)
73
83
-
-
-
1
Real Madrid (2)
72
69
June 7
June 9
June 12*
1
DKV Joventut (3)
70
76
-
-
-

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
-
June 8
Game 3
DKV Joventut vs. Real Madrid
-
June 7
Game 4
Winterthur FCB vs. Tau Ceramica
-
June 10
Game 4
DKV Joventut vs. Real Madrid
-
June 9
Game 5
Tau Ceramica vs. Winterthur FCB
-
June 12*
Game 5
Real Madrid vs. DKV Joventut
-
June 12*

Sunday, June 03, 2007
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