The Endesa League closed its regular phase this Wednesday, which began on September 28. There have been 238 days of competition with 306 games spread over 34 days of excitement, fun, and a lot of tension… although nothing compared to those experienced in four pavilions in this last assault before the playoff.
In two, at the Palacio de Deportes in Granada and at the WiZink Center in Madrid, Covirán and Betis fought to exhaustion for their survival in the ACB, which finally fell to Covirán Granada after defeating Joventut 73-62 in a confrontation that was resolved thanks to a serious local last quarter (26-10 partial)… and the cruel fall of the Verdiblancos in the capital. With 90 seconds to go, they were winning by 5 (72-77), but 7 unanswered goals from Williams-Goss (the last two with six seconds to go) turned the score around and condemned Casimiro’s men to Second after four years in a row at the First and an outstanding end of the course with five wins in the eight days prior to this last one.
The people of Granada continue a fairy tale that seems to have no end, in which they went from playing in the National Division in 2012, after the re-founding of the club, to remaining in the Endesa League 11 years later. And always under the baton of Pablo Pin.
While this was happening at the bottom of the table, at the top, at La Fonteta and at the Palau Blaugrana, it was decided who would buy the last ticket for the playoff for the title. Valencia, despite losing to Breogán (77-80), became that eighth passenger. The taronjas already link 17 classifications. Of course, it is his worst classification since 2006 when he finished 9th with only 16 wins in 34 games. UCAM Murcia, who fell (had to win and wait for the Valencian setback that occurred) in the Barcelona fiefdom (86-57), was left at the gates after an excellent final stretch of the season: Seven wins out of the last ten. The university students have not reached the playoffs since 2016.
Title
Once the curtain has come down on this first section of the course, the second, the decisive one arrives, a playoff for the title, which will begin this Saturday the 27th with the best of three matches. The Cazoo Baskonia and Joventut will open fire that day. On Sunday 28 it is the turn of the Madrid-Gran Canaria and Lenovo Tenerife-Unicaja series. The crossing between Barça and Valencia starts on Monday 29.
The four winners will go to the semifinals, already five games, which will be played between Tuesday June 6 and Thursday June 15, if there is a fifth duel. The grand final for the title will begin on Wednesday the 14th if the two semifinals are resolved in three games (it would end on Thursday the 22nd at the latest). If it is in four, Friday 16 (Sunday 25) and if it is in five, Sunday 18 (Tuesday June 27).