BCL Glory Revives Unicaja Malaga’s Slam Hopes

Fear of defeat rather than the joy of winning had plagued Unicaja Malaga for months. With triumph in the Basketball Champions League final over Galatasaray, they refound their fun. Now, a season that has become historic is on the verge of becoming immortal. A grand slam campaign is on the cards.

There are no easy roads to a title. Even for Unicaja Malaga. Against the one side that proved them mortal in the Basketball Champions League, Galatasaray, the defending champions went through all of the emotions. Most importantly, they finished with joy and relief. Now, they are just one trophy away from completing a grand slam season.

Staying relevant

Just like the semi final against Tenerife, there were some long spells in the first half where Galatasaray were clearly second best. The main issue was their inside shooting, which was just dreadful.

The main upside was, unsurprisingly, their grit. Gala managed to get to the line for 16 free throw attempts in the first half, converting 11. They only matched Unicaja Malaga in makes and took just 1 more but it was crucial to them for keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

The dire three point shooting of Unicaja in the first half certainly helped Galatasaray. Still, that was heavily linked to the heavy pressure Gala were bringing on the defensive end. In any single game final, be it the Basketball Champions League or a domestic cup, staying out of deep holes is vital. Galatasaray managed this through a far from dynamic first 20 minutes.

Different flavours of pressure

For the bulk of the Basketball Champions League season, Unicaja Malaga were seen as a sure thing to retain their crown. Remember how the front half and more of their overall campaign went. They won the Spanish Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Copa del Rey.

All throughout they looked impressive. It has only really been since the start of March that they have looked a step off. A big influence on that was Galatasaray getting that win in the round of 16. As Malaga stumbled in terms of form, Gala found new life.

The visible difference in expectation was obvious in how these sides played the final. Galatasaray looked like a team eager to cap an amazing run. Unicaja, in both this and the semi-final, looked like they were trying to save their dream season just as the rough edges started to appear.

Just can’t take of business

With 5.27 left in the third quarter, it looked like we’d finally seen a decisive moment. Will Cummings of Galatasaray picked up his 4th foul. The most important offensive player for Gala was forced to sit. This was the obvious opportunity for Unicaja Malaga.

Well, about that. Unicaja’s dreadful three point shooting continued to plague them. It took until their final effort of the quarter to make their third 3 of the day. In the process, they’d missed 13 such attempts. Of all the issues with the defending champions, this was the one that hampered them the most.

Winning the Basketball Champions League back to back was never going to be easy for Unicaja. Still, they found a way to make life harder for themselves needlessly. With Cummings sitting, this was the chance to stretch yet they didn’t manage to get comfortable. More importantly, they didn’t give Gala a reason to doubt themselves.

Finally the push

Tyler Kalinoski’s three brought it out from Ibon Navarro. That finally restored a double digit lead for Unicaja Malaga. The goal of the grand slam has weighed on the heads of this team all season. A follow up jumper from Kalinoski and it was like all of that pressure was lifted.

If the defeat to Galatasaray a couple of months back signalled their slump, this moment might have been the sign it was ending. With oodles of time on the clock for Galatasaray to come back, it wasn’t time to get cosy. Still, this felt like the time when the back to back dreams of the Basketball Champions League title holders felt real.

Last season’s trophy was an enormous triumph for Unicaja Malaga. This one felt like a relief. More importantly, it has given them momentum. A fourth trophy, including super cups, this season. Now, only Liga Endesa stands between them and a grand slam season. They have the momentum back with them. This one could get very real.

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