It was a real grind. It was thrilling. It was just how Flamengo fans love it. With a basket just over a second from the end of the match, Flamengo defeated Franca 86-85, making it 3-1 in the series and sealing their place in another final. South American champion, five-time Rio de Janeiro champion, and two-time Brazilian champion, the Rubro-Negro defeated their great rival at the Pedrocão gymnasium and will play in the 2009-2010 NBB final.

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The result guarantees the Gávea team its third consecutive Brazilian Championship final. The current two-time national champion, Flamengo, awaits an opponent who emerges from the matchup between Minas Gerais and Brasília, the runner-up in the last two seasons and leading the series 2-1. The fourth game is this Wednesday in Belo Horizonte.

Fla opens, but Franca balances
Flamengo, as in every other match in the series, started better. In the first period, the team from Gávea had much better field goal shooting and built a good lead. Even with star Marcelinho out, Flamengo adjusted its defensive system and relied on quick counterattacks to surprise the home team. With Hélio and Alírio inspired, with 10 and seven points, respectively, Flamengo took a 29-20 lead.

However, with the support of their fans, Franca quickly closed the gap and got back into the game. This happened in the second quarter, when Helinho took control of the game and converted all seven of his attempted points, leading the team to a 27-19 victory. The comeback, however, wasn't enough for the home team to take the lead. With grit, and with Marcelinho shooting well from three, Flamengo went into the locker room leading by a single point: 48-47.

Emotion until the end
But Franca came back stronger and managed to turn the game around with a strong performance from center Márcio, who had been subdued until then. In the third quarter alone, he scored 10 of Franca's 16 points. In a quarter where both teams excelled in defense, the offenses were low on points, but the home team prevailed 16-11 and took the lead, 63-59.

The match then took a dramatic turn in the final quarter. The narrow four-point lead quickly became nil, and the two teams began taking turns controlling the score. The atmosphere heated up, the fans got into the game, and Marcelinho, who had scored again in the third quarter, returned to the game. The number 4 reached 18 points in the game and led Flamengo. On the other side, Helinho, with 21, was Franca's standout performer.

With 18 seconds left in the game, Franca was winning by two points: 85 to 83. But with one second and six tenths, Marcelinho hit a spectacular three-point shot, becoming the game's top scorer with 21 points and Rubro-Negro retook the lead at 86 to 85. The home team still had the last possession of the game, but Rogério missed the shot and the party was red-black in Pedrocão.

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France: Cauê (2), Tony (4), Cauê Borges (0), Ricardo (17), Pedro (0), Helinho (21), Turcão (0), André (0), Rogério (15), Marcio (14), Taddei (0) and Williams (12).
Flamengo: Marcelinho (21), Helio (18), Dedé (0), Wagner (10), Fred (4), Duda (3), Vitor (0), Jefferson (19), Ian (0), Teichmann (4), Coloneze (0) and Alírio (7).