Whether he was scoring or assisting, the Argentine wizard was front and center in Game 2
Facu Campazzo has rediscovered his best form at just the right time
Coming off a game in which he played just 18:15 minutes, his third-lowest tally of the season, Facu Campazzo was ready to make things happen against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday night.
Real Madrid got its playoff campaign off to a great start in Game 1, winning 90-74 on a night that saw Campazzo amass 10 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers. A couple of days later, the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion became the only playoff team to move to 2-0 by defeating Baskonia 101-90 in Game 2.
Having had a so-so end to the regular season and a relatively quiet start to the playoffs, the Argentine point guard put on a show for the WiZink Center crowd in Game 2, finishing the game with a postseason career high of 24 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
Campazzo broke the 20-point barrier for just the third time this season, having had a career-high 33 points in Round 11 and 25 points in Round 19, and 14 of those points came in a helter-skelter first half that was played at an incredibly high pace. After the break, however, the 33-year-old began to dictate the play and Real Madrid soon took control, with Campazzo dishing 5 helpers in the second half.
“I think we played two different games,” Campazzo told EuroLeague TV afterward. “In the first half, we had some ups and downs but we stayed together. In the second half, we played with more hustle, way smarter than the first quarter. This team is [a lot more] dangerous when we pass the ball to one another, so we’ve got to keep doing that next week.”
Eyeing EuroLeague glory
There’s no question that Campazzo playing at this level elevates Real Madrid as a team. As the only senior member of the roster who was not a part of last year’s title-winning squad, there is an added hunger inside the playmaker. He has, admittedly, already won two EuroLeague titles – in 2015 and 2018 – but doing so in his first season back in the Spanish capital would be something special.
With Real Madrid leading 2-0 after Games 1 and 2, the series now heads to Vitoria-Gasteiz. In Game 3, Baskonia will host Chus Mateo’s men at Buesa Arena – and Campazzo isn’t expecting an easy contest.
“We want to play with hustle, take smart decisions,” he noted. “Like I said before, today one guy can score, the next game another guy can score. This team is capable of that. We’ve got to keep doing this, keep fighting, keep playing with hustle because it’s the only way. Every game is going to be different from now on, so we’ve got to be ready for a tough game in the third one.”
That hustle that Campazzo touches on there was certainly on display late on Thursday night. With Real Madrid leading 101-88 and 30 seconds to go, the Argentine dived to the floor three times to try to keep the ball inbounds. The game was well and truly over at that point, but his effort was a sign that Los Blancos are not taking anything for granted; they are completely locked in.
Campazzo ended up earning a round of applause from the WiZink Center crowd for his efforts, capping off an excellent night that saw him earn MVP of the Game honors.
Real Madrid now needs just one more win to return to the Final Four for the 10th time this century, and Campazzo and co. will be looking to complete the series sweep when Game 3 takes place next Wednesday night.
Campazzo seems to have rediscovered his best form at just the right time, which should be a warning to not only Baskonia but also Real Madrid's potential opponents at the Final Four.