FCBARCELONA.CAT

15.06.2010 22:42

Regal Barca denied a perfect end to the season (79-78)

Llorenç Tarrés

A last gasp free throw from San Emeterio sent Regal Barca crashing out of the ACB final series 3-0. Despite a fantastic year which saw them win four trophies, including the Euroleague, Barca were unable to round off the season with the ACB title.

Terence Morris took the game to extra time with a last second sensational block but the truth is that Regal Barca were always trailing on the scoreboard. Despite this they took a 70-75 lead in extra time only to find themselves overtaken at the very last moment by Caja Laboral.

Regal Barca finish the season with four trophies and an almost universal acclaim for the quality of their basketball while Caja Laboral have lifted their third ACB title with a surprising 3-0 victory in the final series.

Caja Laboral set the pace

Caja Laboral took an early 6-0 lead but Regal Barca soon hit back to level the score at 8-8.

Caja Laboral immediately took another four-point lead and from that point on the home team held the initiative. Eliyahu (18 points) did a lot of damage under the basket and once again Splitter seemed impossible to stop. The Brazilian star and Caja Laboral captain was deservedly chosen MVP of the final.

Three-pointers

Regal Barca just couldn’t settle into their usual rhythm and by the break trailed 41-36, a small enough gap under normal conditions but the fact was that the players were struggling to find the form they had displayed earlier in the season. In particular, their poor three-pointer average was a serious handicap.

The third quarter was an intense affair as befits an ACB final and at the fifth attempt Regal Barca finally pushed ahead on the scoreboard thanks to three Navarro free throws.

The fourth quarter followed the same pattern, with the two teams evenly matched on the scoreboard. Just when Barca seemed to be slipping irretrievably behind (66-61) a fantastic three-pointer from Navarro and a slam dunk from Morris brought the score back to level pegging. In the dying seconds the USA star brought off an amazing block to send the game to extra time.

San Emeterio clinches it

In extra time the game seemed to be going the way of Regal Barca when Ricky sank a three-pointer to put Regal Barca 75-70 ahead before Teletovic catapulted Caja Laboral back into the game. The score stood at 76-77 with just seven seconds left to play. Basile missed a free throw (76-78) and the last attack by the home team finished with an incredible 2 +1 from San Emeterio, handing Caja Laboral the league title and depriving Regal Barca of a perfect season.