Copa del Rey basketball: Real Madrid, a team made to win | Basketball

Although a few did jump off the bench when the final horn sounded, happy because they had won the Copa del Rey, there was not much commotion at Real Madrid, perhaps the circle they formed in the center of the pitch amidst cheers and jumping. Nothing excessive and without stridency, as if winning – and against the laws of sport – were the natural state of the team. “Winning is a requirement no matter what,” Deck revealed before facing the tournament. “We like to put pressure on ourselves to do things well,” said coach Chus Mateo with a certain liberation and with the Cup in hand. “This team never gets tired of winning,” added president Florentino Pérez proudly.

And that’s because the squad, with firm steps in this course [lidera la ACB y la Euroliga], imposes its basketball wherever it plays, at least in the last decade, since they have won five Leagues, five Cups, seven Super Cups and three Euroleagues. Far above the other transatlantic of Spanish basketball, the rival who fell in the cup final, a Barça that has two Leagues, four Cups and one Super Cup. Or, what is the same, 20 titles against seven, with the addition that the Catalans have not said a word in Europe. And just like Pablo Laso did before, Chus Mateo now has the password: in a season and a half he has won four titles, now alone with the League in the has to. “Chus continues to earn the respect of those who still doubted him,” captain Sergi Llull congratulated him. His team is round.

Campazzo, the sour cream. During the summer, the resignations of Hanga (Red Star), Cornelie (Monaco) and William-Gosss (Olympiacos) were announced in the Madrid offices, while Randolph opted to leave basketball. Absences of players with little capital did not worry the sports area, which was busy renewing the rest of the players and undertaking only one signing: Facu Campazzo. The Argentine point guard, whose basketball is as electric as it is cerebral, was the MVP in the first match against Murcia and also in the final, ultimately chosen as the best of the tournament. It was also the same in the Super Cup as soon as he returned to the team, as if his departure to the NBA and then to the Red Star had been a few minutes’ gamble. “It’s a pleasure to have you,” the coach admitted; He “conveys his hunger to the team.” And he makes it play.

More than just a wardrobe. Campazzo, Deck, Musa, Yabusele and Tavares form Madrid’s starting team, each perhaps the best in their position in Europe, certainly the best team when they come together. But in Madrid there is much more, as was demonstrated in the final against Barcelona, since Poirier was the unrecognized MVP – he dried out Vesely and Hernángomez while reverberating in the rival ring – and Hezonja came out in the second quarter to sign 12 points, two rebounds and one assist in seven minutes. Curiously, he barely returned to play – to the annoyance of the player, who soon left the celebration with a crooked gesture – because Mateo refused to play what was working, since four players exceeded 29 minutes on the court: Campazzo (33), Musa (30), Deck (29) and Yabusele (31). Poirier played 23. “When we were talking before collecting the trophy, we didn’t know if the MVP was going to go to Poirier, Deck, Campazzo or Yabusele,” Mateo acknowledged. Players who do not shiver like Sergi Llull, Chacho and Rudy participated in the duel less; and Causeur and Abalde remained on the bench, who on an inspired day can make a fool of anyone.

Power inside and out. If Tavares fails under the rim, there is Poirier. If Musa doesn’t hit the three, there are Hezonja, Yabusele, Llull, Rudy, Chacho, Causeur… And if Deck doesn’t come out on top inside, Yabusele will. A number of resources that make Madrid a leading team. This is explained by the figures of the ACB, since it is the group with the highest rating (110 percent of Unicaja, second); with more points in favor (89.18 compared to Unicaja’s 87.45); with more defensive rebounds (27.68 compared to Unicaja’s 36.73); with more assists (20.50 compared to Unicaja’s 19.73); with a better percentage of shots from two (59.22% compared to 56.26% for Gran Canaria) and one (83.44% compared to 81.48% for Lenovo); and with more dunks (4.59 compared to 3.45 for Barça).

Much more than old rockers. Before starting the final, Llull gathered the team in the locker room. “We died in there!” Said a player who has won everything and that after the Cup he was the one who smiled and celebrated the most, perhaps because he knows that he has few titles left to taste. There were many times that Sergio Rodríguez got up from the bench during the duel to raise his fist and applaud his teammates, in the same way that Rudy Fernández asked for a head in the final moments. “We have three players like Sergi, Rudy and Chacho who are super winners. When it comes to achieving important things, they give everything to do it. They infect us a lot,” Campazzo reflected; “We park our egos and go for the titles. That is thanks to the three of them.” The fans, having won the Cup, chanted for the three, who returned the affection and applause by kissing the shield of a team that they have made the winner, almost unapproachable.