In a repeat of the 2018/19 season final, FlaBasquete faces Franca for the eighth NBB championship
The best-of-five series begins at the Pedrocão gym, the opponent's home, this Saturday (28), at 14 pm, broadcast on FlaTV+
By Isabela Abirached - inThe time is coming for FlaBasquete to fight for its eighth title in the New Basketball Brazil (NBB). The title will be decided against Franca, in a best-of-five series that begins this Saturday (28), at 14 pm. The first match will be at the Pedrocão gymnasium, in the interior of São Paulo. Then, the Pride of the Nation returns for two games in Rio de Janeiro, at Maracanãzinho, on June 2 and 4. If necessary, matches 4 and 5 will be on June 9 and 11, again at Pedrocão.
"Our main focus will be on defense against Franca, which is a very offensive team. We had a very productive week of preparation, and I hope our team can arrive in one piece. We're ready for this final and will do a great job, taking it game by game. We'll go into this first challenge with full strength, trying to come away with a victory and, who knows, overturn this home-court advantage," said power forward Rafael Mineiro, a three-time NBB champion defending the Manto Sagrado, named Best Defender of the championship last season and nominated for the Best Pivot and Best Defender awards in this edition of the competition.
Red-black trajectory
Gustavo De Conti's team arrives at the finals with the confidence of two 3-0 series wins. In the quarterfinals, they face Paulistano; in the semifinals, Minas. In the points-based stage, FlaBasquete had the second-best attack, averaging 88,7 points per game, and led the teams in assists (20,1 assists per game), rebounds (42,3 rebounds per game), and three-point shooting (13,3 perimeter baskets per game). In the playoffs, the red-and-black defense conceded only 69,8 points on average, being the best defense in the knockout stage.
Worth seeing again
This final will be a repeat of the NBB final from the 2018/19 season, when the Mais Querido won its sixth title, winning a thrilling 3-2 series away from home. On that occasion, the teams had also finished the qualifying round in first place (Franca) and second place (Flamengo). Our God of Race, Olivinha, who remains with the Gávea team, was the finals MVP. In addition to the captain, Franco Balbi and Mineiro also remain on the team. Jhonatan Luz, who played for Flamengo at the time, now wears the opponent's jersey.
Last achievement
The seventh championship was won in 2021, over São Paulo, at Maracanãzinho, with a 3-0 victory in the best-of-five series: 96x93, 82x81 and 93x85. In the previous season, 2019/20, the competition was ended early due to the pandemic, but Rubro-Negro was leading the qualifying phase.
Watch on Mengão channels!
The first match of the final will be broadcast live on FlaTV+ with footage. Register and enjoy free-to-air coverage until May 31st at flatvmais.com.br.
The remaining matches will also be broadcast live and with footage on FlaTV+, Mengão's official streaming service, on FlaTV, Flamengo's YouTube channel, and on the Rubro-Negro's official Facebook page. The second game will be on the 2nd at 19:15 PM, and the third on the 4th at 16:10 PM.
Tickets
Mengão fans who want to cheer for FlaBasquete in Franca, this Saturday (28), can purchase their tickets through the website bit.ly/ingressosfraxfla, for the price of R$100 (full price).
Tickets for the games in Rio are also on sale, starting at R$20, at flamengo.superingresso.com.brThere is also a combo option for both matches, with tickets costing R$15 per match (half-price).
The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – BRB, MOSS, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and State Incentive Law/State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure and Youth (Seelje) of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to support from the Brazilian Committee of Clubs (CBC).