Regardless of the opponent or the competition, being a champion is always a great feeling. That's why, this Wednesday night, Flamengo's basketball team will go all out against Club Municipal on their opponent's home court. The Flamengo team needs a win later today, at 20 p.m., to win the Rio de Janeiro Basketball Championship for the fifth consecutive time. After winning the first leg 96-80, coach Paulo Chupeta's team is hoping for another win to close out the two-game series and lift the trophy in Tijuca.

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The Flamengo coach, who has led the team to every title since 2005—and there have been many: four Rio de Janeiro titles, two Brazilian titles, and the South American League—assures that his players will take to the court with the utmost seriousness and respect for the Municipal Club. Even with the marathon of matches they've been going through and on the eve of the start of the Liga das Américas in Venezuela next Saturday, Flamengo values ​​the Campeonato Carioca and hopes to add another title to their immense trophy cabinet.

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"The team was very tired in the first game. They had played on Sunday and still had to play on Monday. Today (Tuesday), for example, we're just doing a light shooting practice so as not to wear the group out. But no one here is thinking about an easy game, about holding back, none of that. We want the title. I've already talked to them: the more titles you win, the more you become part of the club's history, and that's what the whole group wants," said Chupeta.

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Flamengo's only absence from the match is captain Marcelinho Machado. He won't be on the court this Wednesday, already focusing on preparing for the Liga das Américas. However, he, who was suspended in the club's final match of the previous season, will also miss the first game of the international tournament. Therefore, Flamengo is counting on his younger brother, Duda, to take on the role of the team's point man.

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"Duda is a player who takes responsibility very well. But we also have Hélio and Teichmann, who started the year playing well, Jefferson returning from injury, and Coloneze himself improving significantly. It's a very strong group and has already proven that," added the coach of the Gávea team.