Flamengo takes the lead in the fight for the third NBB championship
Rubro-negro plays a perfect first half and manages to defeat Brasília by 88 to 84
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Flamengo started the fight for the third NBB championship with a victory this Saturday (22.05), at the HSBC Arena. The Rubro-negro entered the court with great energy, opened a 20-point lead and, in the end, beat Brasília 88 to 84. Now, the current two-time champion will play twice in the Federal District and hopes to seek, at least, a victory against the team from Brasília.
Point guard Hélio was Flamengo's standout performer, leading the scorer with 27 points. Excited by the victory, the player praised the fighting spirit displayed in the first half of the match against Brasília.
"The most important thing was our spirit of overcoming challenges. We showed, once again, a strong desire to win and came away with a positive result. In the first half, we played very well and opened up a good lead. In the second, although not so well, we were calm enough to hold on to the victory," said Hélio.
And while the victory was important, Flamengo's players and coaching staff didn't lose focus. Everyone knows they need to show the same determination in the games in Brasília to try to decide the series and come away with their third championship.
"The first-half score today (Saturday) wasn't normal. The difference was huge, and when it's Flamengo and Brasília, you won't see that. We felt a bit of a lack of accuracy in their marking in the second half, but we managed to win. In fact, when Flamengo can dictate the pace of the game, they rarely lose. And that's what happened," analyzed coach Paulo Chupeta.
The team's star player, winger Marcelinho, corroborated the coach's statement and has already shown that he is focused on the two matches that Flamengo will play in Brasília, on May 28th and 30th.
"We haven't decided anything yet. Obviously it was good to win, but we need to bring home at least one victory from the Federal District. That's the team's focus. We didn't play well when they marked us harder in the second half, when they took us out of our comfort zone. That's what we need to improve," Marcelinho concluded.
The game
In the first half, Flamengo showed they were desperate for a result. They pressed Brasília hard and took a 20-point lead. The team from the Federal District improved their performance slightly and closed the gap to 14 points.
In the second half, the tide turned. Brasília showed the strongest defensive effort. As a result, the team from Brasília gradually closed the gap until they took the lead (69-68). However, Flamengo managed to maintain their composure and once again opened up a nine-point lead.
Brasília didn't give up, they got closer again, but in the end, Flamengo won: 88 to 84.
Point guard Hélio was Flamengo's standout performer, leading the scorer with 27 points. Excited by the victory, the player praised the fighting spirit displayed in the first half of the match against Brasília.
"The most important thing was our spirit of overcoming challenges. We showed, once again, a strong desire to win and came away with a positive result. In the first half, we played very well and opened up a good lead. In the second, although not so well, we were calm enough to hold on to the victory," said Hélio.
And while the victory was important, Flamengo's players and coaching staff didn't lose focus. Everyone knows they need to show the same determination in the games in Brasília to try to decide the series and come away with their third championship.
"The first-half score today (Saturday) wasn't normal. The difference was huge, and when it's Flamengo and Brasília, you won't see that. We felt a bit of a lack of accuracy in their marking in the second half, but we managed to win. In fact, when Flamengo can dictate the pace of the game, they rarely lose. And that's what happened," analyzed coach Paulo Chupeta.
The team's star player, winger Marcelinho, corroborated the coach's statement and has already shown that he is focused on the two matches that Flamengo will play in Brasília, on May 28th and 30th.
"We haven't decided anything yet. Obviously it was good to win, but we need to bring home at least one victory from the Federal District. That's the team's focus. We didn't play well when they marked us harder in the second half, when they took us out of our comfort zone. That's what we need to improve," Marcelinho concluded.
The game
In the first half, Flamengo showed they were desperate for a result. They pressed Brasília hard and took a 20-point lead. The team from the Federal District improved their performance slightly and closed the gap to 14 points.
In the second half, the tide turned. Brasília showed the strongest defensive effort. As a result, the team from Brasília gradually closed the gap until they took the lead (69-68). However, Flamengo managed to maintain their composure and once again opened up a nine-point lead.
Brasília didn't give up, they got closer again, but in the end, Flamengo won: 88 to 84.