ESP - Title glory belongs to Real Madrid again, Barca come second

BARCELONA (ACB) - Real Madrid clinched the ACB title on Sunday after defeating Winterthur FC Barcelona in Game Four of the play-off final at the Palau Blaugrana.

Following in the footsteps of the club's football team, who were crowned Spanish champions for the 30th time last weekend, Real also won their 30th league title after a 82-71 win earned them a 3-1 series triumph over arch-rivals Barca.

Felipe Reyes was back to his very best to lead Real's charge, contributing a game-high 21 points and grabbing two rebounds to clinch the MVP award for the final.

That was an impressive return to prominence from the Spain international who, having scored 40 points and collected 18 rebounds as Madrid won the opening two matches at home, was limited to just five points and six rebounds in Friday's Game Three.

Real lost that match 75-70 following a stunning start from Barca - who scored the first 15 points of the game - but Joan Plaza's side were not to be denied on Sunday.

The visitors trailed 17-16 during the opening 10 minutes but a 9-0 run then helped them end the first period 27-22 in front.

Real continued to boss the game after that and they looked to have put the result beyond doubt as they built a 17-point lead at 70-53 with just over six minutes remaining.

But with the title slipping away from them, Barca tried to launch one final assault and they scored 18 of the next 23 points to get back to within touching distance of Madrid at 75-71 with just over a minute left.

That was as close as the home side would get through, as quickfire three-pointers from Real duo Raul Lopez and Kerem Tunceri helped the capital club over the finishing line, sparking wild scenes of celebration in the process.

Tunceri's last-gasp treble was his fifth of the match - from eight attempts - and his sharp-shooting from distance was one of the main reasons Real boasted an impressive 42% on their three-point efforts, the team making 11 of 26 in total.

Tunceri finished as Real's second top-scorer behind Reyes with 15 points, while Louis Bullock (12 points), Charles Smith (10) and Lopez (10) also made it into double figures.

In contrast, Barca had just two players reach double digits in scoring, with Jaka Lakovic leading the way with 15 points, three rebounds and five assists, while Michalis Kakiouzis added 11 points for Dusko Ivanovic's side.

Real's success capped a memorable first season in charge for coach Plaza, who also led the team to the ULEB Cup title in April - the club's first European title in 10 years.

Mike Perez
FIBA