Barcelona collapsed at the Roig Arena (67-70), suffering a disastrous fourth quarter in the semifinal against Baskonia. The Blaugrana squandered a nine-point lead in the final ten minutes, managing to score only nine points. It was a throwback duel from the 1990s, with long possessions, controlled—or rather uncontrolled—basketball, and low scoring. To put it in perspective, the Barça-Baskonia matchup saw 77 fewer total points than the earlier Valencia Basket-Real Madrid game.
In that grind-it-out battle, the Basque side emerged victorious. They will play in a Copa del Rey final for the first time in 17 years, preventing yet another Clásico showdown in the title match. This Sunday, at least, Baskonia fans can enjoy their morning coffee and switch to rum in the evening.
Galbiati and his players have a chance to complete the Copa’s song as the final tips off at 19:00 CET. Trent Forrest was the leader in this tense affair, deserving the MVP award with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. But it was Diakité who seized control of the game with a massive block on Shengelia with seven seconds remaining, sealing the defeat for the Blaugrana.
Kurucs, Cabarrot, and Spagnolo served as excellent lieutenants for a Baskonia side that has reached the final step of this Copa.
And that despite Clyburn (15 points) arriving at the semifinal ahead of everyone else. The American was undetectable in Barcelona’s attacks during the opening minutes. The other Barça weapon, Kevin Punter, joined the party with a three-pointer that, combined with Clyburn’s, gave the Catalans their biggest lead (19-7, min. 7). Galbiati adjusted his defense as Barcelona pulled away, but more importantly, his players got into gear. A strong finish to the first quarter reduced the deficit (21-16).
The crucial factor was that his team was already in the game. At the start of the second quarter, they went on a 2-11 run, highlighted by a huge dunk from Spagnolo to give Baskonia their first lead of the entire contest (26-27, min. 14). Satoransky responded, but the game had already changed. It became a physical battle, with every point earned through grit.
Luwawu-Cabarrot stepped up with two consecutive baskets to complete the comeback. Barça struggled mightily to score, though Shengelia managed to cut the lead to the bare minimum on the buzzer (37-38).
After halftime, the dynamic barely shifted, but with the score tied at 47-47, Barcelona appeared to deliver a seemingly decisive blow: an 11-2 run to close the third quarter, capped by Laprovittola’s triple making it 58-47 heading into the final period.
A comfortable lead with just ten minutes left. Or so it seemed. Barcelona failed to manage the advantage—unthinkable for a team built to compete for every title. The Blaugrana completely stalled in the final act. First Kurucs, then Cabarrot, and finally Forrest erased the lead in just six minutes (63-63, min. 36). The game had become a grind, a different sport compared to what had been seen two hours earlier. But at least there was drama. A three-pointer from Diakité and a basket by Radzievicius gave Baskonia a four-point edge (65-69) with 2:43 remaining. An eternity for a game with such low scoring. And that lead proved decisive, as Barcelona managed only one more basket in that span. Baskonia added just a free throw. Special mention goes to Diakité’s massive block on Shengelia with seven seconds left, which was almost decisive. But given the earlier semifinal, anything could still happen. And it almost did.
Cabarrot made only one of two free throws, and with the score 67-70, Barcelona had a triple to tie. The play didn’t work out, and it was Parra who took the final shot. It missed. Baskonia celebrated reaching the final.
