Trilogy against Minas has another chapter this Saturday
FlaBasquete faces Minas Gerais in search of qualification in the Super 8
By Lucas Dantas - in
Flamengo and Minas Tênis Clube will face off again in a month. And in their third different competition. On November 21st, the teams met in the South American League in Rio de Janeiro, with Flamengo winning 91-76. Last Saturday, the duel was in the NBB (Brazilian Basketball League) in Belo Horizonte, and it was a very balanced match, but with... Another victory for Flamengo., by 91 to 80. Now, this Saturday (22), the competition will be the unprecedented Super 8, and the teams will face each other once again, seeking a place in the semi-final of the tournament that gives a place in the Liga das Américas 2019. The ball will go up at Arena Carioca 1 at 14 pm, with transmission on TV Bandeirantes.
Anyone who thinks it will be a predictable game is mistaken. Despite the teams knowing each other very well, FlaBasquete coach Gustavo De Conti doesn't believe it will be an even match. The moments are different, the mindset on the court is different, and the fact that it's an elimination game changes a lot of things at stake.
"CEach game is different from the other, even against the same opponent, because of the moment the teams are experiencing. The first game was very decisive for us and for them in the Copa Sudamericana, and we did very well here in Rio. The second game was in a qualifying phase, so it wasn't as decisive, but we also did very well."Now there are some important factors. It's an elimination game, so it's super decisive, the most decisive of all. There's the issue of Leandrinho's debut, which we don't know how they'll react to, but it will certainly be something positive. But we're training thinking about what we need to do and giving more importance to Flamengo than to any factor that could be decisive or change things in relation to Minas," declared the coach.
Flamengo has a full week to prepare for the match against their Minas Gerais rivals. Since their last game was against the same opponent, this could help them organize training and adjust the team, especially to correct the mistakes from the game where Flamengo finished the first half with a 22-point lead, but saw the Minas Gerais team react in the third quarter and make them work hard for the victory. Gustavo considers what happened in the game to be unusual, but he liked the attitude of his players in the last 10 minutes, who maintained control of the game to secure the win.
"We had a bad moment in the third quarter, but in the fourth, we managed to get back on track and win by a good margin. I would say that we weren't at risk of losing. In the last five minutes, we had the game well under control. What happened was atypical. In the first half, it's not normal for Flamengo, in a championship like the NBB and against a team like Minas, to open up such a large lead. It's also not normal for Minas to win the third quarter by so many points against us. So it was atypical. I've watched the video several times. Anyway, everything went right for Minas at that moment, just as everything went right for us in the first half," he explained.
Leandrinho makes his debut for Minas.
Minas Tênis Clube is expected to have an important reinforcement for the match. Shooting guard Leandrinho is joining the team and should face Flamengo in Rio. The player played for Flamengo this season, in a friendly against the Orlando Magic in October, and also played some games in the 2011 NBB during the NBA lockout. For Gustavo De Conti, Leandrinho is a major point of attention in the game and his possible inclusion in the starting lineup is indeed being carefully considered by Flamengo.
"For us, the preparation changes quite a bit. He's a player we have to keep an eye on. A super offensive player, with many resources. We have to limit his possession and we're preparing a lot for that. Leandrinho greatly enhances the Minas team," concluded the Flamengo coach.
The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo receive funding from their sponsors – thinkseg, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, and EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Sports, Recreation, and Youth (Seelje), in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources generated by the Pelé Law. The Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro Project, a personal tax transfer, benefits all Olympic sports of the Most Beloved.