Exhausted. Exhausted. And somewhat disoriented. But with a certain degree of competitive pride intact as well. This is how Barça finished at the Carpena after the final horn, which confirmed Real Madrid as an insatiable team, champion of the Copa del Rey for the 29th time. He fought Grimau’s team until his strength gave way. With a solid and aggressive defense they reached the last quarter with their options intact, but then Madrid, whose hunger to win is infinite, pressed the accelerator to test their rival and, finding no response, took them ahead.
The end was ugly and sad for a Barça that had won its last four finals against the whites and that was left with honey on its lips in Malaga. Jabari Parker stood out again on the hardwood, although it was a great collective exercise for the Blaugrana against a rival who confirmed a team that was still too powerful. Campazzo took the MVP although the most decisive player in the final was Poirier, an absolute killer of Barça morale with blocks in his zone and pats on the other side of the court.
Carpena had a magnificent first half, honoring the Cup in style and even exceeding expectations with two teams that raised the flag of intensity. Barça opened it and closed it, with a basket by Jabari Parker first and a three-pointer by Kalinic at the buzzer later to signal the break with Barça’s minimal advantage (43-45). Between both baskets there were 20 brutal minutes of basketball in which everyone received and distributed hits.
The game began a little more complicated in the first quarter, in which the ball needed a compass at times, traveling from side to side without time to rest. Grimau had surprised with the first tactical wink of the final, placing Da Silva in the quintet to try to stop Campazzo, a task that can be solved that he half fulfilled because the Argentine is still a devil. Yabusele gave the Blaugrana the first scare of the afternoon with the score 9-2. Barça had not quite found its way in attack, which resolved possessions individually, with shots that were not always well chosen. But Satoransky’s success in a couple of consecutive actions put the duel back on track. A tap on the first horn by Willy Hernangómez, somewhat obtuse against Tavares, returned the score to equality (19-19).
In the second quarter it was Barça that began taking the reins with a tuned Jokubaitis (19-24). But the Lithuanian committed two fouls and had to return to the bench. The Blaugrana were very concentrated, defending like few times this season, spending free kicks when necessary. Grimau also seemed more active than usual, contributing his two cents with the referees, especially annoyed with a strange foul by Vesely on Poirier. The Frenchman, as in the entire Cup, was a hammer although it was Hezonja’s 12 points in that quarter that really sustained Madrid.
The exit from the locker room was a litmus test for Barça, which had enough precedents to worry any of its fans. But the Barça team came out equally motivated against a Madrid that was seen to be in a better gear. The details began to have a lot of weight in the final and that’s when Grimau’s team began to lose. Once the rebound was controlled in the first half, the white team began to take control in that department. Also the failures in the free throws were gradually undermining Barça (7/13). Despite everything, it was still enough for him to balance the game with a great Jabari Parker.
Everything fell apart at the dawn of the last set. In an electric period of 1m20s, Madrid achieved the maximum with three almost consecutive triples (77-68, minute 33). Furthermore, Mateo winked back at his colleague and with Deck on Satoransky he saturated Barcelona’s attack. Although the Czech signed the last attempt at a Barça comeback (81-77, minute 37) but Vesely’s fifth foul was a giant slab. Poirier enjoyed without the Czech, Madrid took the sixth (93-79) against a Barça with zero energy and l
96. Real Madrid (19 24 23 30): Campazzo (18), Musa (15), Deck (13), Yabusele (15) and Tavares (4) -starting team-, Llull (2), Hezonja (12). Rodríguez (-), Fernández (-) and Poirier (17).
85. Barça (19 26 18 22): Satoransky (15), Kalinic (3), Parker (19) Da Silva (-) and Vesely (14) -starting five-, Hernangómez (8), Jokubaitis (7), Laprovittola (6), Brizuela (8), Abrines (2) and Parra (3).
Referees: Antonio Conde, Rafael Serrano and Arnau Padrós. They eliminated Walter Tavares and Jan Vesely for fouls.
Incidents: Final of the Copa del Rey 2024 played in the José María Martín Carpena Pavilion in Málaga in front of 10,900 spectators.