Gran Canaria was proclaimed champion of the European Basketball Championship this Wednesday for the first time in its history in an epic and agonizing final against Turk Telekom from Ankara, which pressed until the end in the Arena, but which ended up capitulating to the solidity of his rival in the key moments of a magical night for the Claretian club (71-67).
The American John Shurna, with 18 points and 3 rebounds, was chosen as the MVP of a chameleonic final that the Spanish team ended up scoring with the decisive contribution of the outside success of the Illinois forward.
Gran Canaria started more than plugged in from the perimeter, with triples from Brussino and Slaughter that allowed them to make the first differences in the match (9-2), although the Turkish reaction was instantaneous, coming to respond with a partial 0-8 to through the Grant-Taylor duo (9-10).
However, the Claretians’ recital continued from the outside line, with Albicy taking over to give the locals oxygen again (19-12). Grant put the replica based on trays and penetrations in the paint, but it was not enough for the Turkish team, since Brussino and Shurna returned to the charge from the line of three, to close the first quarter with 29-23 for the islanders .
In the second period followed the recital of Shurna who, with a suspension shot and two triples in a row, raised the distances above ten (37-24), forcing the timeout of the Turkish coach Erdem Can.
The accumulation of personnel also took its toll on the Ankara team, with less depth on the bench and with greater dependence on their starting players, which Gran Canaria took advantage of to cause a new short circuit for the visitors.
An “alley-oop” from Slaughter executed by Olek Balcerowski was the icing on the cake that caused another tactical pause for the Ottomans, who were drifting with 44-24 in the electronic. Bouteille tried to reduce the bleeding, but the positive inertia of the yellows allowed him to manage a good lead (50-33) before heading down the tunnel to the changing rooms.
After the break, Turk Telekom adjusted the defense trying to stifle the circulation of the point guards and yellow guards, while Jones won integers in the area to narrow the gap with 8 almost consecutive points (55-45).
The yellows continued to keep the type in the exchange of blows, although a triple from Bouteille and another from Sestina allowed the Turks to reduce the distance to six (61-55), at the gates of the last quarter.
Given this new panorama, Gran Canaria got stuck on the perimeter, although they were able to keep the trench armored, which caused the concatenation of errors in both rings in the opening minutes of the last round (64-57 at 7:09 to go). .
Gran Canaria continued to be stuck on the floor while the Ankara team took advantage of the circumstances with Yagmur and Grant (64-62). Until Shurna’s triple came to give air to the yellows (67-62) in an agonizing outcome.
The tension multiplied after the change of Khalifa Diop, who was going to prepare to take two free throws, but the shock he suffered in the area led him to be substituted so that he could be seen by the physiotherapists, with Vitor Benite taking charge of the kicks from the personal line (69-64), a factor that caused the discomfort of the Turkish expedition.
After that sequence, the errors multiplied, a circumstance that Gran Canaria took advantage of to temporize and date the epic with the first continental title in its history (71-67).
