After closing out the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory over Uberlândia, Flamengo makes its debut in the NBB semifinals this Tuesday (May 15.05). The Rubro-negro team faces São José at 21 p.m. at Tijuca Tênis Clube in the first game of the best-of-five tournament. Tickets cost R$20 (full price). Fans wearing Flamengo shirts pay half price (R$10). In the other semifinal match, Pinheiros faces Brasília.

The second game will be played on Friday (May 18.05th) at 19:20.05 pm in São José dos Campos (SP), and the third will take place on Sunday (May 21th) at 15:25.05 pm, also at the opponent's home. If necessary, the fourth match will be on May 21th at 27.05:18 pm in Rio, and the fifth on May XNUMXth at XNUMX:XNUMX pm in São José dos Campos. As it was the first placed team in the qualifying phase, the São Paulo team has the home court advantage (Fla finished fourth), meaning it will be able to play three games at home.

In the quarterfinals, Flamengo opened up a 2-0 lead, but let Uberlândia equalize and secured a spot after a great performance in the decisive match.

"In a playoff game, you can't afford to mess around. You have to pay attention and be focused for the entire 40 minutes. Against Uberlândia, we relaxed a bit, we had moments of inattention in the third and fourth games, and that can't happen again. We'll take this experience into the semifinals. Every match is a decisive one now, and we have to play as if we were in a final," said captain Marcelinho.

"Let the last game against Uberlândia serve as an example for us. We marked strongly, we showed an efficient defense, and that's what will make the difference in the semifinals too," added center Caio Torres.

This is the fourth time Flamengo has reached the NBB semifinals (they were champions in 2009, runners-up in 2010, and lost to Franca in the 2011 semifinals). With the experience of having led the team since the first edition of the tournament, Marcelinho assessed the duel with São José:

"These will be very competitive matches. São José is a great team; it's no surprise they finished first in the qualifying round. They also have Murilo (pivot), one of the best players in the tournament, who is in great form. We expect a strong series," he said.