Navarro makes history as Barcelona claims third place
Juan Carlos Navarro added to his legend by leading FC Barcelona to a 93-78 victory over CSKA Moscow on Sunday in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four Third Place Game at Mediolanum Forum in Milan. Navaro scored 20 points and made 3 of 5 three pointers. Those results helped him become the career leader in three-pointers made at the Final Four with 31, which is 1 more than retired CSKA great J.R. Holden, who now sits in second place. Navarrro also moved up to fourth on the career Final Four scoring charts with 168points. Maciej Lamp added 17 points, Joey Dorsey stood tall with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks and Marcelinho Huertas delivered 7 points and 7 assists for the winners. Sasha Kaun netted 13 for CSKA and Nenad Krstic 11. CSKA lead early, but Navarro lead Barcelona back in the second quarter. Barcelona built on that with a strong second half as the lead grew to 19 en route to a season-ending victory.
First quarter: CSKA centers set the tone
CSKA won the opening tip and scored first through Sasha Kaun on the first possession. Bostjan Nachbar sank a jumper for Barca’s first points. A mid-range jumper from Sonny Weems and another two Kaun buckets- the first an alley-oop slam from Milos Teodosic. After an early timeout, Ante Tomic scored on the offensive glass, but Kaun worked Tomic over to make it 4-10. Victor Khryapa slipped after gathering a rebound and Kostas Papanikolaou was first the loose ball, which resulted in a Nachbar slam to trim the gap to 2. Huertas fed Tomic for a floater to make it 12-14 midway through the quarter. Krstic scored 4 straight points – 2 from the line and 2 in the paint – to make it 13-20. Victor Sada in transition and Papanikolaou off a pretty pass from Lampe narrowed the gap. Then Navarro stepped up with his first basket and Dorsey muscled his way to a score as Barca twice came within 1. Krstic free throws made it 21-24 through 10 minutes.
Second quarter: Navarro leads Barcelona surge
A pair of Lampe three-pointers gave Barcelona its first lead. Kyle Hines got on the scoreboard with free throws, but Navarro countered with a three-point play to make it 30-26. Hines and Lampe traded baskets before Dorsey pur Barca up 6. The paced stayed fast as Alex Abrines and Andrey Vorontsevich traded threes. A Navarro basket was matched by a Kaun slam from the hands of Khryapa. Navarro made it 41-35 midway through the quarter. Navarro connected on his first three and – after Teodosic scored for CSKA – Dorsey threw down a wicked one-handed jam for a 9-point Barcelona advantage. After Teodosic scored free throws and Khryapa finished a pretty baseline drive, it was 46-41. The Russian champs continued to rally; Vlado Micov scored from the line and Krstic made it a 3-point game. Oleson free throws and Krstic inside left the score at 50-47 at the break.
Third quarter: Hezonja joins the fray as Barca retains control
Both teams came out full of energy for the second half. Mario Hezonja scored 3 points over two possessions to make it 55-49. A steal from slam led to a Vorontsevich slam as CSKA worked its way back. Navarro knocked down a three only to see Kaun score again. Another Navarro three made him the career leader in triples made at Final Four games with 31. It also put Barcelona up 61-53. Hezonja and Navarro combined to give Barca a double-digit lead. Hines and Weems helped CSKA close the gap before Pargo shook off two defenders and buried a deep three to close the quarter at 69-64.
Fourth quarter: Dorsey makes sure Barcelona leaves with the win
An Oleson triple restored a Barcelona cushion at 72-65. Micov kept CSKA in the hunt with a basket plus foul. After Lampe and Pargo traded baskets, Dorsey entertained the crowd with another highlight reel slam. After a TV timeout, Lamp scored inside, Dorsey made an emphatic block of Pargo and Huertas drilled a three to make it 82-70 with less than five minutes to go. The lead grew as Lampe converted a three-point play and Oleson and Papanikolaou nailed threes. The lead peaked at 91-72 as Barcelona coasted to victory.

Sunday, May 18, 2014
Frankie Sachs, Euroleague.net in Milan