Unicaja Malaga at 1 step distance from Liga Endesa semifinals
In the first round of Liga Endesa playoffs, Valencia is fighting Unicaja Malaga for semifinals spot, a very balanced and tight duel.
Valencia had a tremendous season in Europe. They won the Eurocup title after defeating Alba Berlin in the final with 2-1. In the third game, a decisive one, Valencia came stronger and won 89-63 with their starting five scoring 70 points. It was a huge achievement for the Spanish side and now they have 4 Eurocup titles, also winning it in 2002-2003, 2009-2010 and 2013-2014 season.
On the other side, Unicaja was eliminated from Eurocup in Quarter-Finals by Alba Berlin with the general score 2-1. In the third game, Alba won 79-75, despite Unicaja`s Sasu Salin (17 points) and Mathias Lessort (18 points and 6 rebounds) big performances.
In the opening encounter, Valencia expected to have a hard game, but the most important thing was to get the win. At the halftime, Valencia was ahead by 3 points, but in the second half, Unicaja Malaga overcame the score, winning the half with 45-35. The reason why Unicaja won is simple: Dragan Milosavljevic. He finished the game with 28 points with 11 out of 12 shots made including 6 out of 7 shots made at the 3-point line. Adam Waczynski scored 16 points for the guest. For the hosts, Sam Van-Rossom (15 points and 7 assists) and Will Thomas (12 points and 5 rebounds) were the main contributors. Both managers gave minutes to all their players in order to give the starters a little rest.
We expect a very close game at Unicaja`s Palacio J. M. Martin Carpena in Game 2 of this round. Winning the first game away, gave Unicaja a big boost regarding their chances and morale and I expect them to finish this series with a win on their home court. We will see how Valencia will come back after this blow and if they have enough power to overcome the score. Good luck for both teams.
Bogdan Vasile Tirc, info@brainbasketball.net
