2013-14Final FourSEMIFINAL A
FC Barcelona 62
Real Madrid 100
May 16, 2014 CET: 21:00
Local time: 21:00 MEDIOLANUM FORUM

Real Madrid routs Barcelona to make history

Real Madrid returns to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four Championship Game for a second straight year after once again beating fierce El Clasico rival FC Barcelona 100-62 in Friday’s semifinals at Mediolanum Forum in Milan. El Clasico turned into a 38-point blowout, which was the largest margin of victory ever in a Euroleague semifinal in the Final Four era, surpassing Barcelona’s 101-67 defeat at the hands of Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1991. Madrid broke the game wide open with a 26-1 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. After losing to Olympiacos in last season’s title game, Madrid this time hopes to claim record title number nine; Madrid will take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in Sunday’s championship game, looking to snap its 19-year drought. Madrid advanced to its 16th Euroleague final, which is also the new standard. Freshly crowned bwin MVP Sergio Rodriguez paced Madrid with 21 points and 6 assists, while Nikola Mirotic added 19 points, Rudy Fernandez had 12 and both Felipe Reyes and Sergio Llull tallied 11 for Madrid. Barcelona was paced by Ante Tomic with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Just like Kyle Hines from CSKA Moscow in the first semifinal, Barcelona’s Kostas Papanikolaou also missed out his chance to win a third consecutive Euroleague title – something only Sarunas Jasikevicius has done since 1991. Papanikolaou had 6 points and 5 rebounds in the loss.

First quarter: Huertas puts Barca up, Mirotic leads Madrid back

Marcelinho Huertas got things going with a long runner off the glass, but Mirotic and Llull answered each with a jumper. Barcelona went in front when Papanikolaou made a layup-plus-foul, and Huertas fueled a run that Barca used to pull away. He first assisted Tomic for a layup and then made 3 of 4 free throws, before throwing an alley-oop pass for a Tomic dunk and 12-4 lead. Llull scored from close range after a timeout by Madrid coach Pablo Laso, and Mirotic followed it with a baseline jumper. An alley-oop dunk from Marcus Slaughter, and a fastbreak layup from Llull quickly got Madrid back to 13-12, forcing Barcelona to call a timeout. Brad Oleson nailed the first three-pointer of the game, but Mirotic sank a pair of free throws, and a long jumper for 16-16. Lorbek fought his way for a layup in traffic, and after Rodriguez hit a triple for Madrid to regain the lead, Tomic made free throws to round things up at the end of the first quarter at 20-20.

Second quarter: Rodriguez flashes MVP credentials

Reyes scored inside to put Madrid back in front at the beginning of the quarter, and Rudy banked in a runner for a 20-24 edge. While keeping Barcelona scoreless for more than four minutes to start the quarter, Rodriguez hit a three-pointer, added a pair of free throws, then assisted Salah Mejri for a big dunk that extended it to 20-31. After a Barcelona timeout, it was three-point fireworks. Juan Carlos Navarro was first to nail a triple, only for Reyes to answer right back. After Papanikolaou buried a shot from downtown, Fernandez had a response of his own behind the 6.75-meter arc for a 26-37 lead. Tomic snapped a run of triples with a basket from close range, and Rudy drove for a layup to keep the margin in double digits before Lorbek and Reyes, too, traded baskets inside, making it 30-41. With both teams deep in the bonus, and going to the free throw line often, Mirotic and Rodriguez each made a pair to make it a 13-point game. Oleson hit a three-pointer and Tomic made a floater, cutting it to 37-45 at halftime.

Third quarter: 14 unanswered points put Los Blancos in control

Fernandez hit a three-pointer opening the scoring in the half, and after Oleson answered with a long jumper, Tremmell Darden nailed a corner triple and Mirotic scored from close range. With Barcelona needing some offensive production quickly, Tomic had a basket-plus-free throw, and Huertas made a runner, but big man Ioannis Bourousis hit from downtown to make it 44-56. Tomic made a two-handed slam midway through the quarter, but Rodriguez hit from long range and Bourousis from close range. Madrid’s run continued with a fastbreak layup from Fernandez, and after a Barcelona timeout, Rodriguez made another three-pointer, a pair of free throws, before making a steal and racing for a fastbreak layup, and a 47-70 lead. Joey Dorsey snapped a 0-14 run with a free throw, before Mirotic sank a corner triple extending the difference to 48-73 at the end of the quarter.

Fourth quarter: Margin swells as Madrid fans sing

Bourousis opened the fourth quarter with a layup and a block on the defensive end. Triples from Llull and Mirotic helped bring the margin to 48-82 before Dorsey scored inside to end Barcelona’s spell of almost eight minutes without a field goal. Madrid kept it foot on the gas, with Jaycee Carroll and Darden hitting back-to-back shots from downtown to increase the difference to 52-88. With the game clearly out of the reach, Alex Abrines scored a layup and Nachbar sank a triple, but Reyes and Marcus Slaughter kept adding to Madrid’s tally. Dorsey’s basket made it 59-92, but Carroll buried a jumper to help keep the margin above 30. In the closing minutes, Reyes and Llull made it 59-98, before Lorbek scored a reverse layup-plus-foul, and Carroll a fastbreak layup to round out the scoring.

Nikola Mirotic - Real Madrid celebrates - Final Four Milan 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Igor Petrinovic, Euroleague.net in Milan
Referees: CHRISTODOULOU, CHRISTOS; BELOSEVIC, ILIJA; LOTTERMOSER, ROBERT
Attendance: 11843 (Tentative)
By Quarter1234
FC Barcelona20171114
Real Madrid20252827
End of Quarter1234
FC Barcelona20374862
Real Madrid204573100
FC Barcelona
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
00 PULLEN, JACOB 8:31   0/2 0/3     1 1 1 1         1 -1
6 DORSEY, JOEY 15:10 5 2/5   1/2 2 4 6 1   1   1 4 1 3
8 SADA, VICTOR 3:20                   1         -1
9 HUERTAS, MARCELINHO 28:32 7 2/4 0/1 3/4       6   4     1 4 8
10 ABRINES, ALEX 12:18 2 1/4 0/2   1   1 1         1   -2
11 NAVARRO, JUAN CARLOS 18:54 3 0/2 1/2         1   3       1 -1
16 PAPANIKOLAOU, KOSTAS 21:41 6 1/2 1/2 1/3 2 3 5 1   1   1 2 2 6
24 OLESON, BRAD 26:52 8 1/3 2/3     1 1 1     1   2 1 7
25 LORBEK, ERAZEM 26:14 8 3/5 0/3 2/3 1 3 4           2 3 7
30 LAMPE, MACIEJ DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
34 NACHBAR, BOSTJAN 10:39 7 1/4 1/2 2/3 2 1 3 2   1     5 4 5
44 TOMIC, ANTE 27:49 16 6/8   4/9 2 6 8 1 1 2 1   3 6 21
Team           1 2 3               3
Totals 200:00 62 17/39 5/18 13/24 11 21 32 15 2 13 2 2 20 23 55
        43.6% 27.8% 54.2%
Head coach: PASCUAL, XAVI
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Real Madrid
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
5 FERNANDEZ, RUDY 29:04 12 3/5 2/7   1 3 4 2 1       2 4 14
9 REYES, FELIPE 15:17 11 4/4 1/1           1 2     4 1 7
11 DIEZ, DANIEL 3:21     0/2     1 1               -1
12 MIROTIC, NIKOLA 24:35 19 4/4 2/4 5/6 1 3 4 1   1 1   2 8 27
13 RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO 20:51 21 1/3 4/5 7/7   1 1 6   2   1 1 4 25
20 CARROLL, JAYCEE 13:14 7 2/3 1/2     2 2 1 2     1     9
21 DARDEN, TREMMELL 23:26 6 0/4 2/2     3 3 2         4   3
23 LLULL, SERGIO 30:12 11 4/6 1/3   1 4 5 3 2 2     2 1 14
30 BOUROUSIS, IOANNIS 15:59 7 2/5 1/3     4 4 1 1   1   3   6
44 SLAUGHTER, MARCUS 11:30 4 2/2     3 2 5 1         4   6
50 MEJRI, SALAH 12:31 2 1/2       2 2           1 1 3
Team           2 3 5     1         4
Totals 200:00 100 23/38 14/29 12/13 8 28 36 17 7 8 2 2 23 19 117
        60.5% 48.3% 92.3%
Head coach: LASO, PABLO

Head Coaches

PASCUAL, XAVI
FC Barcelona
"We trained for months to get to this point. The team was very well prepared. We felt like we were in good shape. We got so far away from our opponents and there was no way to get back. We had some psychological problems during the game. It’s our responsibility. I cannot deny that. We could not believe that they got so far away from us. This was a heavy defeat. I was surprised with the result. I would have never thought we would have had such a blowout. I was really surprised. Madrid is a good team and we know of the great quality of the team. If you go one-on-one with them, they can really beat you down. There’s no way to match their talent. On the other hand, we just were not there for the last 15 minutes. They were clever, but we were not up to their level. This defeat will have an influence on us. It really hurts us. It will be tough for us to turn the page.”
LASO, PABLO
Real Madrid
"I want to congratulate my players for the game and for the victory. I think we played a very good game. We started a bit slow and had problems with the defensive rebounds and that didn’t let us control the level of the game. Once we increased the defensive pressure, we were able to control the tempo. We improved a lot offensively, moving the ball. I am happy to have won beating a great team like Barcelona. But we also worked very hard to get here. We are talking about sports, and you know that you can have good and bad days. But the growth of our team is based on our daily efforts.

"We played really great today, but Sunday will be another game. [Maccabi] proved that they are up to the task. We are convinced that we can give our best, but we have to be committed. My team has always been focused. I am always very positive about how my team feels. We have proven that we can live up to these challenges. We were considered the favorites from the pre-season after making the final last year. But that’s the job of journalists to deal with favorites. We know we are the favorite and we have to deal with that. But we have all the respect for Maccabi. We know they’re able to do this. But favorite and underdog is not important. It’s just a game between two great teams that are really well prepared. When you arrive all the way to Sunday, there are not underdogs or favorites. It’s just two teams playing for a championship."

Players

DORSEY, JOEY
FC Barcelona
"We didn't follow the rules that coach told us. We weren't into the game, we did not communicate on the floor; it's just crazy. It's totally disappointing for the fans of Barcelona and ourselves. This is huge. I can't believe this has just happened. It was mental. We didn't play defense, we did not execute anything, we didn't talk to each other. This was a must win for us. This is totally shocking."
OLESON, BRAD
FC Barcelona
"Every day is different and every game is different. I guess it was one of those games for us. They were extremely hot from the three-point line, and once they started hitting threes we could not stop them. They hit some great shots, some tough shots, they are good players. It goes both ways, offensively and defensively. We did not execute our offense, and we gave up 100 points. You cannot expect to win giving up 100 points, especially against a team like Madrid."
NACHBAR, BOSTJAN
FC Barcelona
"We first have to congratulate Real Madrid; they played close to a perfect game. Of course, this is not a realistic result, especially after our good start into the game. When they made their 10-point run, we did not respond and it all went their way from that point on. Nothing was working for us, from open shots and free throws, and defensively, we were making mistakes in situations we defended perfectly the entire season. This is not on one or two players, the entire team is to blame. Each one of us feels the responsibility, and it is one of those games that happens once in your life, and it happened today."
TOMIC, ANTE
FC Barcelona
"We started the game well, and despite playing a bad second quarter we were only down 8 at halftime. I thought at that point that we were in the game, had it under control, but it turned out completely the opposite. It was the worst game we played the entire season. In the most important moment of the season to play like this is embarrassing. In the semifinals of the Euroleague Final Four, to allow 100 points and lose by 38 says it all."
LLULL, SERGIO
Real Madrid
"We played a very good game, a complete game. Everybody helped to win this one. Now we have to forget about the final result: the most important thing was winning the game, no matter the difference. We feel very happy about how we played, but we have to move on. It's very important for us to have another chance to win the Euroleague title. We are now more experienced than last year; I hope that will help us. Now let's think about the final. No matter what happened in the Top 16, when we beat Maccabi twice. This will be a very tough game to win."
RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO
Real Madrid
"Everything went very well. We were very focused and intense. We played one of those great games we have already played during this season. It's unbelievable to win a Final Four game like that, against such a great team like Barcelona. But now we have to keep in mind that there is still a big game to play against Maccabi."
REYES, FELIPE
Real Madrid
"I don't know if this is an historic result, but I know that we played very well overall. We played great defense, we were able to get fast break opportunities. We are looking forward to playing the final. Maccabi has a lot of fans, but we too we a have a lot of support by Madrid fans here. They were very close to us during the whole season and I hope we will celebrate the trophy all together on Sunday night."
BOUROUSIS, IOANNIS
Real Madrid
"Nobody expected us to win by so many points because Barcelona is a good team. For us, it doesn't matter if we won by 38 or by 1 point. What matters is to play with heart and show everybody that we are a strong team. We wanted to go to the final and now we are in the final. Winning by 30 or by 1 doesn't really matter, we are in the final, which is what we wanted. It will be a tough final because Maccabi is a very good team. We played against them twice and won in the final minutes. I remember both games really well; they have experienced players and a great coach. It will be a very tough final."
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