Dubai 95-98 Real Madrid: an epic opener | OneFootball

Los Blancos put the pieces together on the fly, came back from 16 points down, and relied on their know-how in overtime. Luwawu and Pradilla shone alongside a superb Feliz.

When the creation of the EuroLeague SuperCup was announced, many critics pointed out that a competition of this caliber would not deliver high-quality basketball because few teams are up to speed in preseason, and right at the start of the season it would be hard to see attractive play compared with what comes after a few months.

So far, the semifinals did their job. Both games went down to the closing stages, and the losing teams had a shot to win the game. In the second semifinal, that seemed unlikely, but Madrid are already starting the season by getting their people ready for what lies ahead. Pedro Martínez’s team held on after falling behind early (21-7 and 36-20). As the minutes passed, the pieces started to fit into place and the engine began to hum. With Andrés Feliz as the leader, the Dominican got Tavares going (20 points and 7 rebounds) and created space for Luwawu-Cabarrot, who produced 15 points and 6 assists after halftime. The lineup that worked featured a spot-on Pradilla from outside and on the boards, alongside the two Argentinians, Deck (15 points) and Campazzo, who silenced those who believed they were incompatible with Pedro Martínez’s style of play.

All of this came after a sluggish start by Los Blancos, wearing their new green kit. Dubai, one of the new rich clubs, wanted to show its power from the opening tip and began by overwhelming a Madrid side lacking fluency and accuracy, the exact opposite of the Emirati team, who knocked down everything and brought Shengelia off the bench to cap a huge run (21-7). Pedro had to reshuffle the rotation, and with the Argentinians and Feliz, the spark seemed to be back (21-15), but from that point on the game settled into the same pattern.

One team scored, the other answered. If Madrid got a basket, Xavi Pascual’s side did not take long to respond. The shooting of players like McKinley Wright, Diakite, and Kabengele answered every white comeback attempt, keeping the lead at 15 points. But before both teams headed to the locker room, there was a dramatic twist. A 0-14 run changed the game in the blink of an eye. Tavares, Pradilla, and Deck completed the comeback even though the Cape Verdean was being pulled away from the paint and forced to earn his points from the free-throw line.

The Emirati side went into halftime with real concern, and the comeback continued after the break. The game evened out and all the perimeter shooting disappeared. That made rebounding and free throws even more important, with the margin being chipped away there. Before the end of the third quarter, Feliz scored one-on-one to make it 63-64.

As the game entered the final quarter, the new signings stepped up. It was Jaime Pradilla and TLC’s moment. The Zaragoza-born forward hit 2 three-pointers that gave Pedro Martínez’s team some breathing room, and then they leaned on the French wing to build a 7-point lead that almost put the game away. Almost was the key word. Xavi Pascual looked for solutions and found them in Okobo and Bacon. The guards piled on points through pure talent, and Kabengele, with 2 blocks on Tavares, lifted the team at the defensive end. The 14-4 run turned things around and brought back memories of the opening stages. Dubai were close to reaching their first European final, and Madrid were looking for someone capable of pulling off the feat. That man was Luwawu, who hit the three-pointer that made it 88-88 and sent the game to overtime.

In overtime, it became clear who had saved some gas and who had gone hard too early. With a tireless Feliz and a weary Dubai, Madrid put together the run they needed to cross the finish line, sealing it with a Campazzo three, his first of the night, for 88-96. With survival mode activated, Okobo kept his team alive with a three at the shot-clock buzzer, and despite another huge three from Wright over Campazzo, Luwawu had already done the job from the free-throw line to send Madrid into a European final.

Although the trophy is new and its value has yet to be determined, it is always a pleasure to watch Olympiakos-Real Madrid. A rematch of last year’s Athens final played at the OAKA. Two teams that, with their ups and downs, have undergone major facelifts for the new season. It will be a day of reunions, especially for Jean Montero with his former teammate Jaime Pradilla and his former coach Pedro Martínez. Today, Saturday at 7 p.m., we will have the competition final.

Box score

95 - Dubai Basketball (27+16+20+25+7): Okobo (24), Wright IV (12), Bacon (19), Blossomgame (4) and Kabengele (10) - starting five -, Anderson (3), Mintz (3), Bertans (0), Diakité (5), Shengelia (11), Petrusev (0) and Walkup (4).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.