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Real's tower of power stood tallest in semis

Real's tower of power stood tallest in semis

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Real's tower of power stood tallest in semis

In Real Madrid's 66-78 semifinal win over FC Barcelona on Friday, fans had a chance to witness one of the greatest performances by a player – and arguably the greatest performances by a center – in a Final Four history.

All-EuroLeague First Team center and Best Defender Trophy winner Walter Tavares lived up to the billing, and then some.

Tavares finished his 33 minutes on the floor with a monster line of 20 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks and a performance index rating of 39. He made 7 of 9 two-point shots and 6 of 9 free throws that came from drawing 9 fouls. Hidden in those numbers are a few all-time Final Four marks.

Tavares's 15 boards matched the single-game record in Final Fours since 2002. His 39 PIR is tied for the second-highest ever, behind only Shane Larkin's 43 in Anadolu Efes Istanbul's semifinal win in 2019 against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Tavares came up big with 4 blocks as well, all in the final 2 minutes and 17 seconds of the game, when he seemingly single-handedly stopped Barcelona's rally attempt.

"I thought about that: 'I did not get my block yet'," Tavares said with a smile after the win. "But if you think about it too much you will not get it. You have to stay in the game, tay consistent, stay active and then it is coming."

Tavares did get his blocks, all 4 of them that moved him up into a tie with Kyle Hines for the first place on the all-time Final Four list with 16 blocks.

More important than re-writing the Final Four record books, however, was Tavares's impact as the anchor of Real's defense, which just enhances the enormity of his performance.

Real held Barcelona to just 10-for-30 two-point shooting. Jan Vesely and Sertac Sanli shot a combined 2-for-8 inside, and Nikola Mirotic was held to 1-for-3 inside along with 0-for-7 from long range. Those three players, along with James Nnaji together pulled down 12 rebounds, 3 fewer than Tavares alone.

Barcelona did make a Final Four record-tying 14 three-pointers on Friday, but on 39 attempts, which were the second-most in a Final Four game. But after the first quarter, when all of their points came from the three-point arc, Barcelona's shooters were often forced into taking unfavorable, contested looks because while Tavares patrolled the inside, his teammates could pressure the perimeter more. When thos outside shots stopped falling, Barcelona was held to 13 points in the third quarter and just 11 in the fourth.

Real has been undermanned inside Tavares does not have his fellow big man Vincent Poirier next to him in Kaunas due to injury. Anthony Randolph subbed Tavares for just under 7 minutes in the game and Real was -5 in those minutes. With Tavares on the floor, Real outscored Barcelona by 17 points.

"I have more responsibilities. I don't have Vince," Tavares said. "He is one of the best centers in Europe... Now I've got to take care of it and try to get his back when he is not here [on the floor]."

No one and nothing could slow down Tavares on Friday night, not unlike in the playoffs when he carried Real from 0-2 down in the series. He and Real Madrid now have one game left, and make no mistake, Real's chances in the championship game will heavily depend on Tavares's performance.