Flamengo fights until the end and lands on its feet in Brasilia
Rubro-Negro loses 85-84 and now needs to win in Rio to stay alive in the NBB final
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Flamengo fought hard until the final second, but once again lost to Brasília at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium and will return to Rio de Janeiro at a disadvantage in the Novo Basquete Brasil final series. The home team's victory was only decided on the final possession, when Guilherme Giovannoni converted two free throws and Marcelinho missed the red-and-black attacking play: Brasília won 85-84. Duda was the game's top scorer with 22 points.
The fourth game of the series is next Thursday, a holiday, at HSBC Arena, at 16 p.m. Playing at home, the red-and-blacks are hoping for the support of the fans to overturn the advantage of the team from the federal capital, which needs only a win to win the title. The sad note comes from a huge brawl that occurred in the gym after the match ended. Brasília fans invaded the court, taunted the red-and-blacks, spat on point guard Hélio, and started a brawl. Center Wagner suffered a cut on his eyebrow. Pepper spray was also thrown during the melee, and forward Dedé fainted.
"This is absurd. Fans can't invade the court like this and attack athletes," complained Wagner as he was taken off the court by his teammates.
Traditional balance
Unlike the first two matches of the series, Brasília started the match at full steam this Sunday. With Alex inspired, scoring the home team's first five points, Lula Ferreira's team took an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes. Concerned, Paulo Chupeta called a timeout. It worked. Flamengo organized itself, rebalanced the match, and even turned the score around, with strong performances from Teichmann (seven points) and Hélio (five points). But the Brasília team didn't give up, keeping the game even, and the final score of the first quarter could only be a draw: 21-21.
The second quarter also began with Brasília controlling the scoreboard and the match. Flamengo even managed to turn the game around with a three-pointer from Duda and had good opportunities to open up a bigger lead, but they couldn't convert the many offensive rebounds and fast breaks they did get into baskets, allowing the home team to regain the lead. After Jefferson committed a technical foul, Brasília opened up a six-point lead and held on to control the score until closing the first half with a 42-38 lead.
Emotion until the end
With three accurate three-point shots from Nezinho, Guilherme, and Alex, Brasília began the third quarter with its largest lead of the game: 13 points (52-41). With Marcelinho on the bench, Flamengo continued to struggle to achieve its best offensive rhythm. Meanwhile, on the other side, Alex continued his strong performance, blocking numerous shots on defense and converting almost all of his shots on offense. When the Flamengo number 4 returned to the court, the situation was already complicated, and the team from Gávea tried to react, closing the gap, but it couldn't prevent Brasília from going into the final quarter with a 65-58 lead.
The final ten minutes began with high expectations. Flamengo needed to rally, and Brasília struggled to stay ahead. Once again, the home team started better. Alex quickly scored three points, bringing the lead to ten. Soon after, Duda struck back in kind, putting the team from Gávea back in the game. Teichmann also hit a long-range shot, closing the deficit to four, and heating up the game: 68-64. And with a layup from Teichmann, Flamengo tied the game at 73-73. Duda converted another three-pointer to put Flamengo ahead with 58 seconds remaining. But Brasília turned the game around with Guilherme's free throws and led 85-84 with six seconds remaining. As in the second game, Flamengo had the winning ball, but Marcelinho missed the shot, and the team from the capital emerged victorious.
Who scored:
Flamengo: Marcelinho (13), Helio (7), Wagner (7), Fred (12), Duda (22), Jefferson (6) and Teichmann (17).
Brasília: Arhur (10), Estevam (9), Valtinho (8), Alex (17), Guilherme (15), Nezinho (19) and Cipriano (7).
The fourth game of the series is next Thursday, a holiday, at HSBC Arena, at 16 p.m. Playing at home, the red-and-blacks are hoping for the support of the fans to overturn the advantage of the team from the federal capital, which needs only a win to win the title. The sad note comes from a huge brawl that occurred in the gym after the match ended. Brasília fans invaded the court, taunted the red-and-blacks, spat on point guard Hélio, and started a brawl. Center Wagner suffered a cut on his eyebrow. Pepper spray was also thrown during the melee, and forward Dedé fainted.
"This is absurd. Fans can't invade the court like this and attack athletes," complained Wagner as he was taken off the court by his teammates.
Traditional balance
Unlike the first two matches of the series, Brasília started the match at full steam this Sunday. With Alex inspired, scoring the home team's first five points, Lula Ferreira's team took an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes. Concerned, Paulo Chupeta called a timeout. It worked. Flamengo organized itself, rebalanced the match, and even turned the score around, with strong performances from Teichmann (seven points) and Hélio (five points). But the Brasília team didn't give up, keeping the game even, and the final score of the first quarter could only be a draw: 21-21.
The second quarter also began with Brasília controlling the scoreboard and the match. Flamengo even managed to turn the game around with a three-pointer from Duda and had good opportunities to open up a bigger lead, but they couldn't convert the many offensive rebounds and fast breaks they did get into baskets, allowing the home team to regain the lead. After Jefferson committed a technical foul, Brasília opened up a six-point lead and held on to control the score until closing the first half with a 42-38 lead.
Emotion until the end
With three accurate three-point shots from Nezinho, Guilherme, and Alex, Brasília began the third quarter with its largest lead of the game: 13 points (52-41). With Marcelinho on the bench, Flamengo continued to struggle to achieve its best offensive rhythm. Meanwhile, on the other side, Alex continued his strong performance, blocking numerous shots on defense and converting almost all of his shots on offense. When the Flamengo number 4 returned to the court, the situation was already complicated, and the team from Gávea tried to react, closing the gap, but it couldn't prevent Brasília from going into the final quarter with a 65-58 lead.
The final ten minutes began with high expectations. Flamengo needed to rally, and Brasília struggled to stay ahead. Once again, the home team started better. Alex quickly scored three points, bringing the lead to ten. Soon after, Duda struck back in kind, putting the team from Gávea back in the game. Teichmann also hit a long-range shot, closing the deficit to four, and heating up the game: 68-64. And with a layup from Teichmann, Flamengo tied the game at 73-73. Duda converted another three-pointer to put Flamengo ahead with 58 seconds remaining. But Brasília turned the game around with Guilherme's free throws and led 85-84 with six seconds remaining. As in the second game, Flamengo had the winning ball, but Marcelinho missed the shot, and the team from the capital emerged victorious.
Who scored:
Flamengo: Marcelinho (13), Helio (7), Wagner (7), Fred (12), Duda (22), Jefferson (6) and Teichmann (17).
Brasília: Arhur (10), Estevam (9), Valtinho (8), Alex (17), Guilherme (15), Nezinho (19) and Cipriano (7).