The new Madrid wins as always: Euroleague Supercup champion

Playing well, yes. Winning, above all. Madrid fulfilled the main commandment engraved on its crest with its victory over Olympiacos in the final of the first edition of the EuroLeague SuperCup, held in Abu Dhabi. And it adorned the success with fluid play that toppled the European champion and that begins to show signs of the identity that Pedro Martínez intends to imprint on the Madrid team. The coach debuted in official competition with the first title, the best starting point to gain the time needed to settle his ideas in a very renewed squad.

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The last EuroLeague final was repeated but in a very different setting. From the cauldron of Athens to the artifice of Abu Dhabi, and with Madrid loaded with all its weapons instead of depleted and without pivots as in the previous meeting. The classic of Europe was played in a disruptive scenario and the whites sang revenge with a very team-oriented performance that overcame the Greek stardom of Montero, Fournier, and Vezenkov. Pedro Martínez’s work has started off on the right foot with solid foundations.

One thing is to run a lot and another to run well. Maledon was an example of both sides of the coin in a very fast and imprecise start for both teams. It is the risk of betting on a full-speed game as Pedro Martínez seeks. Pure speed is useless if it results in turnovers as happened to Madrid and also to Olympiacos. The coach’s idea is beginning to be deciphered by his players. Leading the way, Campazzo, the team’s brain, the key piece for the theory to jump from the board to the court. Madrid outlined that new style of the Barcelona coach: speed in transition and ball movement, offensive rebound charging to earn second chances, and faith in the three-pointer. Pradilla, Llull, and Campazzo sharpened from the perimeter to give the whites the lead (15-24) in a duel with sparks as reflected in the face-off between Facu and Dorsey.

Montero and Fournier jumped to the rescue of the men in red. The former Valencia player is a headache for any opponent due to his speed and ball handling. The Frenchman is a lethal shooter. Together they led a reaction from Olympiacos that Madrid froze with the same script as the first quarter, a fast-paced and high-intensity basketball. The constant rotation of players allowed maintaining the pace to defend with tight lines and attack with various looks. The white team scored easy baskets thanks to the formula of stealing in the high zone and sprinting towards the basket with both small and big players. The problem for Pedro Martínez’s men was that Tavares picked up three fouls in a giants’ duel with Hall that did not allow saving even a bit of energy. Pradilla, an outstanding student of his coach’s lessons, showed his versatility to play inside and outside. The power forward does everything without showiness, with intelligence and effectively, and his example was followed by Jantunen, another newcomer, to reach halftime a step ahead (43-47).

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Olympiacos ignited the fire with a stampede comeback from the locker room, a 7-0 run that stifled Deck with two consecutive three-pointers. Luwawu-Cabarrot sat with four fouls and the scoring relief was taken on by Feliz also from the perimeter, Madrid’s source of income at moments when it struggled to find good shooting positions and accumulated turnovers that Olympiacos punished on the counterattack. Bartzokas’s team hit one of those accelerations that its luxurious roster allows and that let it return from the back of the pack to the front. Madrid tightened up defensively to contain the bleeding and Maledon and Feliz oiled the machinery with their foot and hand speed. The game moved in very close distances and with the tension typical of a European final between two historic teams (72-75).

The young Pradilla earned three free throws from a foul by veteran Vezenkov. Madrid needed all its interior strength because Tavares picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes of battle still ahead and warmed the bench. The white team displayed the breadth of its repertoire and a team game in which everyone contributed. Luwawu-Cabarrot, also on the brink of elimination, bolstered a Madrid stretch of 0-7. Olympiacos did not score in the last quarter until three and a half minutes into the game despite its arsenal of great soloists. The Greek team returned to the ring precisely thanks to those moments of inspiration from its stars, first Jean Montero and then Vezenkov. Madrid looked firmer and more confident, also hungrier to fight for every inch. The white team had built a small lead and did not want to let go of the grip. But Olympiacos always comes back in the minutes when the ball burns the most. Guys like Fournier know how to move like fish in water in the seconds of maximum tension. The Frenchman punished from outside and took the game to a heart-pounding finish. Madrid held on with cold blood so that Pedro Martínez could raise his arms on the sideline and celebrate his first title on the white bench. It’s about playing well. And winning, of course.

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