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Spanish League finals, Game 4: June 24, 2007 |
ULEB Cup champion Real Madrid is now the Spanish League champion, too, after dominating on the floor of archrival Winterthur F.C. Barcelona 71-82 on Sunday to take their best-of-five final series 3-1. Madrid dominated the backboards once again in Game 4 and followed the scoring of big man Felipe Reyes, who was chosen the finals MVP, to the title. Reyes hit 10 of 14 two-point shots and finished with 21 points. Kereme Tunceri buried 5 of 8 three-pointers for 15 points. Louis Bullock added 12 points for the winners, Raul Lopez and Charles Smith 10 each. Madrid's defense put the breaks on Barcelona scorer Juan Carlos Navarro, who had just 5 points. Jaka Lakovic led Barcelona with 15 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Michalis Kakiouzis was the only other double-figure scorer for the hosts, with 11 points. The victory ended a remarkable season in which Madrid took the ULEB Cup and Spanish League while making the Spanish King's Cup final under rookie head coach Joan Plaza. It was Madrid's second domestic crown in three years and 30th overall.
 The first quarter was much like the rest of the series, with Barcelona staying a step ahead of its guests as Jordi Trias made a basket at 11-7, while Lakovic and Rodrigo De la Fuente kept their team ahead with triples at 17-16. Reyes and Tunceri triggered a 0-9 run then and Madrid went on to win the first quarter 22-27. A pair of triples by Smith early in the second quarter boosted the difference to 24-37. Barcelona continued struggling on offense and Madrid took advantage as Tunceri's third shot from the arc made it 30-43. Bullock's 4 free throws in the final minute pushed the difference to 16 points before the half finished 31-47.
The lead ballooned to 19 points, 33-52, as Axel Hervelle hit a triple and Reyes another basket early in the second half. Barcelona finally reacted with a 9-0 run in which Roger Grimau had 4 points and Lakovic a triple. Yet another Tunceri triple helped Madrid maintain double-digit leads, however, until Hervelle and Reyes finished the third quarter by boosting their team in front 50-64. Barcelona had little to say about the matter until Kakouizis blasted 5 points in a row to make it a five-point game before Lakovic shot from downtown to cut the difference to 71-75 entering the final minute. Raul Lopez answered Lakovic seconds later, however, and Tunceri downed his fifth triple for good measure, letting Madrid celebrate on the floor of its enemy.
SPANISH LEAGUE: Final Playoffs, best of 5 games |
| Record | Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | 3 | Real Madrid (2) | 69 | 83 | 70 | 82 | x | 1 | Winterthur FCB (4) | 62 | 80 | 75 | 71 | x | Spanish League Champion 2006-07: Real Madrid |
Final Playoffs Games | | Game 1 | Real Madrid vs. Winterthur FCB | 69-62 | June 17 | | Game 2 | Real Madrid vs. Winterthur FCB | 83-80 | June 19 | | Game 3 | Winterthur FCB vs. Real Madrid | 75-70 | June 22 | | Game 4 | Winterthur FCB vs. Real Madrid | 71-82 | June 24 |
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Sunday, June 24, 2007
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Euroleague.net |
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