Real Madrid’s stalwarts delivered for the defending champions big time when the chips were down
Unsung heroes Rodriguez and Campazzo pulled the strings in crunch time
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Guerschon Yabusele produced a majestic fourth-quarter performance that helped reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Real Madrid complete a 3-0 playoff sweep of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Wednesday, thus sealing a 2024 Final Four berth.
The big man racked up 23 points and 7 boards in a 98-102 road win as Real became the first team to reach this year’s showpiece event, but it was the Old Guard personified by veterans Chacho Rodriguez and Facu Campazzo that masterminded an impressive Game 3 comeback.
The 37-year-old Rodriguez came off the bench and dished out 9 assists, in addition to the 6 points he scored from a pair of shots from downtown. Even more crucially, the 33-year-old Campazzo racked up 13 points and 8 assists, shinning in the home stretch as he kept feeding the lethal Yabusele in the paint.
Rodriguez also served up a magical assist to the towering Frenchman in the process while Campazzo scored Real’s last 5 points in an enthralling contest, as the champs twice rallied from a 10-point deficit to force the final twist.
Although Rodriguez and Camapzzo are both in the lions-in-winter stage of their illustrious careers, it is hardly surprising they propelled Real when it mattered most, with a combined wealth of experience the duo has under their belts. Both have won two EuroLeague titles each with the club and are now gunning for a third in Berlin.
Rodriguez, who also won Europe’s premier club competition with CSKA Moscow, was calm and composed after a rip-roaring battle with Baskonia, though he was also clearly elated.
“We knew we were playing a talented team after having two good games in Madrid,” Rodriguez said in his post-game comments. “This one was always going to be more difficult but we showed that we can compete at the highest level, like we have done throughout the season. It’s a big accomplishment for us to be in the Final Four again.”
Having largely cruised to 90-74 and 101-90 wins in the opening two games on home court, Real trailed for the lion’s share of Game 3 but turned the tide with a 0-13 streak in the fourth quarter which gave the champs the lead for good, 80-88.
Croatian forward Mario Hezonja was also instrumental with 16 points, as was center Walter Tavares who racked up 12 points and 13 rebounds. Gabriel Deck added 13 points to underline a deep roster which made light of a poor night endued by the normally prolific Dzanan Musa, who finished on a mere 3 points.
With Vincent Poirier and another veteran, Sergio Llull, adding 8 points each, head coach Chus Mateo was purring with delight after the game knowing his team would head to the Final Four in top gear for a semifinal clash with either perennial Spanish rival Barcelona or Olympiacos Piraeus.
“We knew we were going to have bad moments in the game but we were able to recover,” said the 55-year-old tactician who guided Real to last year’s record-extending 11th EuroLeague title. “We came back from losing by 10 and I am very proud of the team because they keep fighting until the end. It was important to complete the sweep because you never know how a playoff series is going to pan out. We got the job done against a team which always has a lot of points in their hands.”
Yabusele was also beaming with delight after putting Baskonia to the sword with 11 fourth-quarter points.
“It was a really tough game,” he said. “We didn’t want to give it away and give them confidence for [another game here] on Friday, we wanted to finish the series.”