On one side, the current two-time Brazilian champion, captained by winger Marcelinho. On the other, the sport's most traditional team, with ten national titles under its belt, led by the country's most successful coach, Hélio Rubens. At stake is a spot in the grand final of the New Basketball Brazil. Flamengo and Franca begin their battle for one of the spots in the competition's final this Tuesday at 21 pm at the Pedrocão Gymnasium in the interior of São Paulo. With the second-best record in the qualifying phase, the red-and-black team has the advantage of playing the fifth and final game of the best-of-five series, if necessary, in Rio de Janeiro. In a match as tight as this one, everyone at Gávea knows that the Rio de Janeiro team will need much more than just home court advantage to continue dreaming of a third championship.

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Unlike his opponent, Paulo Chupeta is a calm coach, a man of few words, who rarely yells at his players during timeouts. With this calm and composed demeanor, the red-and-black coach knows his team will need all the patience in the world to beat a well-trained team accustomed to playing together like the team coached by Hélio Rubens.

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"Franca is a team that plays very much within a system defined by Hélio. It's a group with the same foundation, with a solid and very aggressive defense and a very well-positioned offensive system. We have to be smart and play patiently to try to find our best shot," he explained.

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Coached by Hélio Rubens for a long time on the Brazilian national team, Marcelinho is well acquainted with the Franca commander's secrets and weapons. Such as the attacking trio of Helinho, Rogério, and Marcio Dornelles. The red-and-black captain, cautiously, calls for extra attention in marking these players, but is banking on the past few seasons' record to reach his third consecutive final.

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"These are two top teams, very evenly matched, and they have the advantage of playing together for a long time. It will be a very tight series, so it's impossible to make any predictions. It could end 3-0 or 3-2 for either team. Anyone making any bets is guessing. But we have a group accustomed to decisiveness and that thrives in decisive moments," said Marcelinho.

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Accustomed to being the player relentlessly marked during matches, the Flamengo captain also points to patience as the key to advancing to the finals. However, Marcelinho emphasizes that Flamengo cannot compromise its strengths, even when playing away from home.

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"We know they're very defensive, so we have to be patient, rotating our attack and choosing the best ball. But at the same time, we need to impose our rhythm of play, which consists of a strong defense with a quick counterattack. We know the pressure we'll face, but an away win could be crucial for the rest of the series," said the player, who wants to take advantage of Franca's absences.

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"We spent more than half the season struggling with injuries, and we know how much that hindered us. They have two key players injured, Tony Stockman and Benite, who are returning from injuries, and we have to know how to use that to our advantage."