Win, win, win. FlaBasquete faces the third game of the series with a single goal.
Only victory matters later, against Mogi, in the NBB semifinal.
By Lucas Dantas - in
Forty minutes. Starting at 20 PM this Monday, the clock at Arena Carioca 1 will begin ticking down the time for the Game of the Year. When the ball goes up, FlaBasquete will have only one mission: to win. Mogi is ahead in the series. Two games, two wins. Flamengo needs to win to force a fourth game in Mogi das Cruzes. Then, they will have to win again to return to Rio. And finally, win once more to keep alive the dream of a sixth NBB championship.
But before thinking about the fifth game, one must think about the third. As the team itself has said throughout the season: game by game. Flamengo needs to focus on today, on Monday's game. Impossible? No. That doesn't exist in basketball.
Throughout the season, Flamengo has faced Mogi twice and won. Both matches are played here. Today it's here, in Rio de Janeiro, at the Urubu's home ground. In this final phase, they have two victories. Now it will be the tiebreaker, and for Flamengo it means continuing in the competition.
The recipe for victory? Putting the ball in the basket. The success rate in the first two games wasn't what they wanted. Only 42%, compared to 81% for their rivals, on two-point shots. Today will have to be a classic Flamengo performance in the competition. It will have to be precise. It will have to be proud. It will, no. It will be.
MJ Rhett will be the Black Panther to bury and posterize his opponent.
Pilar will be the relentless marker who surrounds the opponent, leaving no room to advance.
João Vitor and Mogi will be the youthful energy, the fresh blood of Flamengo when it's needed.
Cubillan will be the maestro who finds impossible passages to thread the ball through.
Ramon will be the sniper Deadly shots from outside the paint, with baskets from a variety of shooting angles.
Arthur Pecos will be the igniter on the court to push the team forward in the tightest moments.
Olivinha will be Mr. Double-Double to show who owns the numbers.
JP Batista will be the dominant giant in the paint, grabbing all the rebounds and dictating the rules. inside the paint.
Marquinhos will be the star player, the precise hand, the man of record points and decisive moments.
Anderson Varejão will embody strength, grit, energy, and the spirit of a champion.
Marcelinho will be the leader, the great one, the idol.
What won't happen today is your last game. Not today.
Sportv will broadcast the match starting at 20 PM. Tickets are on sale. The Arena is ready. Everyone knows the way. The anthem says "win, win, win." That's what Flamengo needs to advance to the final. Three wins. The first one has to be today.