ITA - Siena closing in on historical feat

SIENA (Lega A) - Four-time defending champions Montepaschi Siena opened their Serie A play-off finals against Cantù with a one-two punch of convincing wins, cruising to a 100-75 victory in Game 1 built on efficient offense, before prevailing 81-69 in Game 2 thanks to some stifling defense.

Now Siena's bid for a fifth title in a row – a feat last achieved with Cesare Rubini's Borletti Milano from 1949 to 1954 – is within reach and could be achieved in Cantù on Wednesday night.

Game 1 win marked the ninth time in a row that Siena opened a series with a win by 20 or more points.

In fact, over the past three seasons, Montepaschi have won the first game of their playoff series by an impressive average of 29 points.

That though is to be expected when they shoot 60 percent from the field and get 63 points from their substitutes.

Lithuania's Ksystof Lavrinovic came off the bench and scored nine points in just his first three minutes of play. He finished with 15 and other key contributors included Italy's Marco Carraretto, Tomas Ress, Pietro Aradori and Andrea Michelori who combined for 41 points.

This was good news for Simone Pianigiani, who as well as being Siena's coach, is also in charge of the Italian national team. Carraretto, Ress and Aradori played for him on last year's Azzurri team that qualified for this summer's EuroBasket.

Bennet Cantù cleared the Game 1 thrashing out of their head to lead 41-35 at halftime of Game 2 thanks to good ball movement and accurate three-point shooting, hitting six of their nine attempts from beyond the arc.

In the second half, however, Siena's defense was back in business, holding Cantù to just 22 points.

Montepaschi's depth showed once again as Malik Hairston, Lithuania's Rimantas Kaukenas (pictured) and Nikolaos Zisis of Greece combined for 14 points to spearhead a pivotal third quarter run that got them back on track.

Lavrinovic once again played a leading role, finishing with 16 points.

The wins extended Siena's winning streak against Bennet to 23 games. Montepaschi's last defeat at the hands of Cantù dates back to February 2005.

The best-of-seven series moves to Cantù for Game 3 on Wednesday and, if necessary, Game 4 on Friday.

FIBA