Javier Gancedo explains what Gran Canaria needs to do well in order to return to the EuroCup Finals
Why Gran Canaria can win Game 3
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3 Минутное чтение
Experience matters in do-or-die games. When it comes to Dreamland Gran Canaria, it has more EuroCup experience than the other three other semifinalists combined.
Gran Canaria features seven EuroCup champions on its roster, not counting head coach Jaka Lakovic. Miquel Salvo, Andrew Albicy, John Shurna, Nico Brussino and Jovan Kljajic lifted the trophy with Gran Canaria barely two years ago. Mike Tobey helped Valencia Basket win the EuroCup in 2019 and Mendy Ngouama did so with Paris Basketball last season.
After watching both games, you get the feeling that Gran Canaria is only getting better and better. In Game 2, Gran Canaria had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5 and made 20 of 32 two-pointers (62.5% 2FG). Bahcesehir College Istanbul struggled to score inside the arc, making just 13 of 30 two-pointers (43.3% 2FG) and committing just as many assists as turnovers, 12 each.
It could be argued that Bahcesehir had a dominant Game 1 in which it held a double-digit lead for a long time. Gran Canaria had a major blackout after getting an early 10-15 lead. Bahcesehir outscored Gran Canaria 24-6 over the next 9 minutes. In that span, Coach Lakovic's team made just 3 of 13 field goals (23.1%) and committed 5 turnovers. It is very unlikely that an experienced team like Gran Canaria will underperform that way again.
On the other hand, Bahcesehir has no EuroCup champions and some of its best players have not had great experiences in the higher stages of the competition. Axel Bouteille was with Turk Telekom Ankara when it lost the EuroCup Finals in Gran Canaria. Marko Simonovic lost Game 3 of the semifinals with Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul against Cosea JL Bourg en Bresse last season. Mateusz Ponitka lost Game 3 of the 2019 quarterfinals with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar against UNICS Kazan.
Caleb Homesley kept Gran Canaria in the series with a wild, game-winning three-point play in the final seconds of Game 2. Being so close to losing it all should be positive for Gran Canaria, which returned home and gained even more momentum with another close win in Spanish League action. Albicy's buzzer-beating layup lifted his team to a 91-89 home victory over Unicaja Malaga.
Gran Canaria should see this game as a golden chance to reach the EuroCup Finals for the third time in club history. This group of players knows what it takes to win together and has been victorious in a lot of close games: it won all of its last five EuroCup games decided by 5 points or loss. Expect Gran Canaria to be highly competitive in this exciting, decisive showdown.