Flamengo has homegrown reinforcements for the NBB final
Having recovered from injuries, Alírio is getting back into the swing of things and is ready to face Brasília.
By press office - in
Since 2007, Alírio has had more trouble recovering from injuries than from his opponents. In total, the player suffered three consecutive injuries: one to his right shoulder, another to the adductor muscle in his right leg, and one to his left knee. The latter, more serious, will require surgery at the end of the championship. Although he only had a good run of matches during the Liga das Américas at the beginning of the year, the player could be one of coach Paulo Chupeta's trump cards in the Novo Basquete Brasil finals against Universo/Brasília.
"Since Coloneze got injured, Alírio's importance in the playoffs has increased significantly. Unfortunately, he suffered several injuries throughout the season, was out of the team for many important games, and isn't performing at the same pace as the other players. Even so, he had an excellent series against Franca and helped us a lot in the paint. I think he'll be even more important in these finals because he played in Brasília and knows their teams well," said the red-and-black coach.
Although he is not yet physically at the same stage as his teammates, the red-black pivot showed great progress during the semifinal series against Franca and is motivated to face Brasília's tough game inside the paint in his fourth consecutive final.
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the happiest of seasons. I suffered from several injuries and couldn't help the team as much as I would have liked. But with Coloneze's injury, I ended up getting more court time in the last few matches, and that's been important for me to gradually regain my playing volume. I felt a bit out of rhythm against São José, but I faced strong, heavy centers in the series against Franca, and that gave me more conditioning to face Estevam, Cipriano, and Mineiro in the finals," explained Alírio.
The only player in the Flamengo squad alongside Duda who could become a four-time Brazilian champion, Alírio highlights the balance between the two teams but knows that Flamengo needs to use its head to win its third title.
"We have to play smart. These are two very evenly matched teams that will face each other for the third time in a row in a final. They have a heavier and physically stronger team than us, but we have a lighter team with more players available on the bench to rotate during the game. So, if we can take the series to the end, we'll have a certain advantage over them."
"Since Coloneze got injured, Alírio's importance in the playoffs has increased significantly. Unfortunately, he suffered several injuries throughout the season, was out of the team for many important games, and isn't performing at the same pace as the other players. Even so, he had an excellent series against Franca and helped us a lot in the paint. I think he'll be even more important in these finals because he played in Brasília and knows their teams well," said the red-and-black coach.
Although he is not yet physically at the same stage as his teammates, the red-black pivot showed great progress during the semifinal series against Franca and is motivated to face Brasília's tough game inside the paint in his fourth consecutive final.
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the happiest of seasons. I suffered from several injuries and couldn't help the team as much as I would have liked. But with Coloneze's injury, I ended up getting more court time in the last few matches, and that's been important for me to gradually regain my playing volume. I felt a bit out of rhythm against São José, but I faced strong, heavy centers in the series against Franca, and that gave me more conditioning to face Estevam, Cipriano, and Mineiro in the finals," explained Alírio.
The only player in the Flamengo squad alongside Duda who could become a four-time Brazilian champion, Alírio highlights the balance between the two teams but knows that Flamengo needs to use its head to win its third title.
"We have to play smart. These are two very evenly matched teams that will face each other for the third time in a row in a final. They have a heavier and physically stronger team than us, but we have a lighter team with more players available on the bench to rotate during the game. So, if we can take the series to the end, we'll have a certain advantage over them."