FIBA Basketball
FIBA Europe - DKV capture title
KIEV (EuroCup) - DKV Joventut destroyed BC Khimki 88-63 on Sunday to capture the EuroCup in Kiev.After beating Final Four hosts BC Kyiv 88-78 on Friday, the red-hot Spanish club humiliated one of the leading sides in Russia as Czech sharpshooter Lubos Barton poured in 18 points and Rudy Fernandez scored
KIEV (EuroCup) - DKV Joventut destroyed BC Khimki 88-63 on Sunday to capture the EuroCup in Kiev.
After beating Final Four hosts BC Kyiv 88-78 on Friday, the red-hot Spanish club humiliated one of the leading sides in Russia as Czech sharpshooter Lubos Barton poured in 18 points and Rudy Fernandez scored 17.
Fernandez, who scored seven of his points in a key spurt at the end of the first half, was voted MVP for the Final Four. He led DKV with 22 points in their semi-final win over Kyiv.
DKV and Khimki were not strangers. The two sides had split their two games in Round II of the EuroCup. Now Aito Garcia’s Badalona team has won the game that mattered most.
DKV Joventut were already one of Spain's most famous clubs with their crowning achievement the 1994 FIBA EuroLeague title won under then coach Zeljko Obradovic.
While Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tau Ceramica and Unicaja Malaga have grabbed most of the spotlight in recent seasons in the ACB, a league widely considered to be the best in Europe, DKV have been as good as any of those teams in 2005-06.
They have been unstoppable of late, winning seven straight in Spain while in the EuroCup they had brushed aside Lokomotiv Rostov in two games to reach the Final Four.Fernandez is DKV's best known player but Garcia's squad is deep.
It includes ACB veteran Elmer Bennett and Brazil international Marcelo Huertas at point guard, sweet-shooting Alex Mumbru at small forward along with perimeter specialist Barton, and British giants Andy Betts (2.17m) and Robert Archibald (2.09).
DKV have so much quality that even with centers Jesse Young and Aloysius Anagonye unavailable for the Final Four after picking up injuries, the team hardly missed a beat.
Garcia's team started slowly. Alexander Petrenko's basket gave Khimki a 9-2 advantage with 4:27 to play in the first quarter.After that, it was all DKV.
They reeled off nine straight points to lead 11-9 with Archibald scoring five of them, including a three-point play.
A Gianmarco Pozzecco lay-up gave Khimki their final lead at 12-11 with 25 seconds to play in the first quarter, but a pair of Mumbru free throws put DKV back in front and they led the rest of the way.
Huertas raised eyebrows with his effort, which is good news regarding his prospects with Brazil's national side this summer at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
His three-pointer gave DKV a 19-13 lead 40 seconds into the second quarter, and after a Melvin Booker lay-up had cut their advantage to 21-17, Huertas struck again from the arc to take the advantage back to seven.
Everyone began nailing threes.
Barton caught a pass from Huertas and made one to extend the lead to 27-17.
After a lay-up from Ruben Wolkowisky, and a three-ball from Booker, Fransisco Vazquez buried a trey and then Barton again hit from long range for a 33-22 DKV advantage.
The Spaniards were beginning to pull away.
With two minutes remaining in the first half, Fernandez, a Spanish international, started to land knockout punches, first making a layup for a 38-27 lead and then, after a Booker three-pointer, replying immediately from the arc himself to leave the Spanish ahead at 41-30.
The high-flying Fernandez then showed off his leaping ability, soaring high for a rim-rocking dunk with just 16 seconds to play for a 43-30 lead.
That basket took his points tally to nine and sent his team to the changing room on a high.
Khimki never recovered. The closest they would get was 12 points and that was early in the second half.
The lead ballooned to 30 as DKV rolled to victory.
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA
After beating Final Four hosts BC Kyiv 88-78 on Friday, the red-hot Spanish club humiliated one of the leading sides in Russia as Czech sharpshooter Lubos Barton poured in 18 points and Rudy Fernandez scored 17.
Fernandez, who scored seven of his points in a key spurt at the end of the first half, was voted MVP for the Final Four. He led DKV with 22 points in their semi-final win over Kyiv.
DKV and Khimki were not strangers. The two sides had split their two games in Round II of the EuroCup. Now Aito Garcia’s Badalona team has won the game that mattered most.
DKV Joventut were already one of Spain's most famous clubs with their crowning achievement the 1994 FIBA EuroLeague title won under then coach Zeljko Obradovic.
While Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tau Ceramica and Unicaja Malaga have grabbed most of the spotlight in recent seasons in the ACB, a league widely considered to be the best in Europe, DKV have been as good as any of those teams in 2005-06.
They have been unstoppable of late, winning seven straight in Spain while in the EuroCup they had brushed aside Lokomotiv Rostov in two games to reach the Final Four.Fernandez is DKV's best known player but Garcia's squad is deep.
It includes ACB veteran Elmer Bennett and Brazil international Marcelo Huertas at point guard, sweet-shooting Alex Mumbru at small forward along with perimeter specialist Barton, and British giants Andy Betts (2.17m) and Robert Archibald (2.09).
DKV have so much quality that even with centers Jesse Young and Aloysius Anagonye unavailable for the Final Four after picking up injuries, the team hardly missed a beat.
Garcia's team started slowly. Alexander Petrenko's basket gave Khimki a 9-2 advantage with 4:27 to play in the first quarter.After that, it was all DKV.
They reeled off nine straight points to lead 11-9 with Archibald scoring five of them, including a three-point play.
A Gianmarco Pozzecco lay-up gave Khimki their final lead at 12-11 with 25 seconds to play in the first quarter, but a pair of Mumbru free throws put DKV back in front and they led the rest of the way.
Huertas raised eyebrows with his effort, which is good news regarding his prospects with Brazil's national side this summer at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
His three-pointer gave DKV a 19-13 lead 40 seconds into the second quarter, and after a Melvin Booker lay-up had cut their advantage to 21-17, Huertas struck again from the arc to take the advantage back to seven.
Everyone began nailing threes.
Barton caught a pass from Huertas and made one to extend the lead to 27-17.
After a lay-up from Ruben Wolkowisky, and a three-ball from Booker, Fransisco Vazquez buried a trey and then Barton again hit from long range for a 33-22 DKV advantage.
The Spaniards were beginning to pull away.
With two minutes remaining in the first half, Fernandez, a Spanish international, started to land knockout punches, first making a layup for a 38-27 lead and then, after a Booker three-pointer, replying immediately from the arc himself to leave the Spanish ahead at 41-30.
The high-flying Fernandez then showed off his leaping ability, soaring high for a rim-rocking dunk with just 16 seconds to play for a 43-30 lead.
That basket took his points tally to nine and sent his team to the changing room on a high.
Khimki never recovered. The closest they would get was 12 points and that was early in the second half.
The lead ballooned to 30 as DKV rolled to victory.
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA