Flamengo wins its sixth straight NBB win
Led by Marcelinho, who scored 63 points, the team beat São José
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
With a true show from Marcelinho, Flamengo won another NBB title, their sixth in a row. The Flamengo forward scored an incredible 63 points and led the Rio de Janeiro team to a 101-89 victory over the São Paulo champions this Sunday (March 07.03) at the HSBC Arena. With this feat, Marcelinho becomes the player with the most points in a Brazilian championship match. The previous record was held by Oscar, another Flamengo idol, with 59 points.
After the match, very happy with his personal achievement and Flamengo's victory, Marcelinho revealed that he had talked to his wife about 'good days' on the court.
"This week I was watching TV and they showed a Kobe Bryant game where he scored 81 points. I even commented to my wife that if I had a good day like his, I could score fifty. I think those images served to inspire me," said Marcelinho, who until the final moments didn't know the magnitude of his good performance.
"I never know how many points I'm scoring. In the last quarter, after I scored sixty points, someone on the bench told me. Even then, I didn't believe it. It's a lot. I don't think any player is sure how many points they're scoring on the court. We know when we're having a good day, that's all. But honestly, I didn't imagine I had scored so many points," said the forward.
And Marcelinho's stellar performance was crucial to Flamengo's victory. Although inconsistent, especially defensively, Flamengo had no problem providing the ball to Marcelinho to solve. The winger hit 16 three-pointers in the match, consistently keeping Flamengo ahead.
Only in the second quarter, when São José managed to establish a good defense, did the deficit diminish. However, afterward, with the help of the entire team, Marcelinho had the confidence to lead another victory.
"It's very important to play for a team that understands you and helps you. My teammates understood that I was having a good day and were always there by my side to help us achieve victory," Marcelinho praised.
And even with the good victory, Flamengo's coach wasn't 100% satisfied. Paulo Chupeta believes the defense could have performed better, but Marcelinho made up for it.
"The difference in having a star player on the team is this. When our strong point, which is our collective play, isn't going well, he solves the problem. The defense didn't perform very well, but Marcelinho was very good and we won," Chupeta concluded.
Flamengo's next match in the NBB will be next Friday (12.03), against Pinheiros, in São Paulo.
After the match, very happy with his personal achievement and Flamengo's victory, Marcelinho revealed that he had talked to his wife about 'good days' on the court.
"This week I was watching TV and they showed a Kobe Bryant game where he scored 81 points. I even commented to my wife that if I had a good day like his, I could score fifty. I think those images served to inspire me," said Marcelinho, who until the final moments didn't know the magnitude of his good performance.
"I never know how many points I'm scoring. In the last quarter, after I scored sixty points, someone on the bench told me. Even then, I didn't believe it. It's a lot. I don't think any player is sure how many points they're scoring on the court. We know when we're having a good day, that's all. But honestly, I didn't imagine I had scored so many points," said the forward.
And Marcelinho's stellar performance was crucial to Flamengo's victory. Although inconsistent, especially defensively, Flamengo had no problem providing the ball to Marcelinho to solve. The winger hit 16 three-pointers in the match, consistently keeping Flamengo ahead.
Only in the second quarter, when São José managed to establish a good defense, did the deficit diminish. However, afterward, with the help of the entire team, Marcelinho had the confidence to lead another victory.
"It's very important to play for a team that understands you and helps you. My teammates understood that I was having a good day and were always there by my side to help us achieve victory," Marcelinho praised.
And even with the good victory, Flamengo's coach wasn't 100% satisfied. Paulo Chupeta believes the defense could have performed better, but Marcelinho made up for it.
"The difference in having a star player on the team is this. When our strong point, which is our collective play, isn't going well, he solves the problem. The defense didn't perform very well, but Marcelinho was very good and we won," Chupeta concluded.
Flamengo's next match in the NBB will be next Friday (12.03), against Pinheiros, in São Paulo.