Basketball, Milan dominates in Sassari and flies to the championship final

Twelve months later, still in Sardinia and again 3 – 0, theOlympia Milan detaches the ticket for the LBA Scudetto final, beating 93 to 61 la Dynamo Sassari. The hosts tried to do everything possible to bring home at least one match, but they had to give up after 25 minutes fought under the blows of Napier & co. For Milan it is the largest away victory of the championship 22/23, an excellent visiting card, waiting to meet the opponent of the finals (Virtus on 2 to 0 with Tortona), which will begin on June 10 at the Mediolanum Forum. For EA7 it is the 21st win out of 21 games when he shoots better than his opponents from three points; as well as forcing the Sardinians to disunite with personal initiatives by playing in the last fifteen minutes without rhythm and aggression, qualities thanks to which they were returning from 10 wins in a row at home. At the start a very concrete Voigtmann (15 points), but then also with shields (18), Napier (21), Melli (13) and the 7 surgical of Give me in the final third quarter, they dug the first furrow in favor of Milan, which in the fourth period spread up to +32 in the 40th, for the third consecutive Scudetto finals.

First Quarter (22-16): Voigtmann and Napier start immediately with high gears (8-0 after just over two minutes), Milan conditions Sassari’s attack not to find open shots (1/8 from 3), but after the +9 (13-4) of the big German, it is near the iron that the Sardinians find the way to the basket to shorten up to 19 to 16. A foul by Robinson on a three-point shot by Hall, who capitalizes to the maximum with a clear path from lunette, ends the quarter in favor of Olimpia on 22-16.

Second Quarter (19-20): Hines and Voigtmann again, for the maximum advantage of EA7 on +10 (26-16), but Dinamo puts five in a row (26-21) and coach Messina immediately stops the match. It continues in substantial balance, and while Milan stops the ball a little too much in attack, for the hosts, Robinson takes the chair and gets into the game for minus two (38-36) 30 seconds from the break. In the last possession Shields invents from 6.75 the 41 to 36 with which the first 20 minutes close.

Third fourth (25-17): For 5 minutes he only scores from 3 points, and after overtaking the Sardinians (41-42), EA7 shakes off, puts aside the haste in attack, and defense after defense, extends up to 64 to 51 with 7 points in a row by Gigi Datome. Shields again to close the quarter, with Milan trying to escape (66-53) before the last ten minutes.

Fourth Fourth (27-8): Diop tries again, until then inconsistent, but Napier is never wrong, and with 6 minutes to play, Milan is in total control, after the umpteenth triple from Shields, for +21 (80 -59). The Sardinians never score from outside (6/27), and in the very long garbage time, coach Bucchi gives the standing ovation for Devecchi and Chessa, moved and applauded by the whole PalaSerradimigni, while EA7 celebrates the 93 to 61 with which qualification for the LBA final.

BANCO DI SARDINIA SASSARI-EA7 MILAN 61-93
(16-22; 36-41; 53-66)

Hector Messina (EA7 Milano coach): “First of all, I would like to congratulate Bucchi and Dinamo for a wonderful season and wish every luck to Jack Devecchi, an exemplary boy who has always stood out on and off the pitch. Then I want to congratulate my team, the boys played a game of high level and maturity. In the first half we held up, after an excellent start and in the second half we played a match of enormous depth both in attack and in defense. It is the third consecutive final, a sign of continuity, even in a complicated season like this”.

Shabazz Napier (EA7 Milano playmaker): “I’m very happy for all of us, today we were good in both halves, against a team that had created us a lot of problems in game 2. Now we won’t rest because we still have a lot to improve to be ready for the Scudetto final”.