McDonald's Championships
on Britball
Roosters scare the boots off Spurs
Mark Woods in Milan
Stunning. Unexpected. But in the end not quite enough. Varese Roosters gave the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs one hell of a fright, leading for three quarters of their McDonald's Championship semi-final match before succumbing to the absolute power of Tim Duncan and a 96-86 scoreline. No wonder there was a standing ovation at the finish and praise from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
"We are very very happy to get that win. They played better than we did in every way, shape and form. Down the stretch our defense played pretty well and we just made some shots. "
The Spurs shot badly until the final stages and the Italian backcourt of Gianmarco Pozzecco - hs hair dyed read for the occasion -and Andrea Meneghin were simply magnificent in the face of NBA opposition.
And they sparked an audacious 13-2 start which even forced Popovich into a quick time out. But his men showed no sign of their Knicks-conquering form, as they trailed 41-27 late in the second period.
Only a 7-0 Spurs run helped to bring the game back into reach for a 48-42 scoreline at the turn around.
With the score standing at 54-46 to Varese midway through the third quarter, a telling sign was spotted on court. Robinson and Duncan exchanged the briefest of nods, fists clenched with competitive spirit.
The move precipitated Spurs best roll of the game as they notched eight consecutive points to level matters at 54-54.
But they could not yet grab a lea d as five quick points from recent Varese arrival Glenn Sekunda put his side into a 71-66 lead. But Spurs veterans stepped up their shooting and their defense.
A lay in from Avery Johnson put the NBAers ahead 81-79, their first lead, with 4:36 left and that 16-3 blitz finally eradicated brave Varese's hopes of a famous win.
Spurs centre David Robinson admitted his team were disappointed with their performance.
"Defense is our trademark and it was awful in the first half. They were back-dooring and laying it up. When we give up lay ups, it's awful. They did a great job."
Francesco Vescovi topped all scorers on 20 while Johnson's 18 led the Spurs who are likely to be a lot more agressive in Saturday's showdown with Vasco da Gama.
1 2 3 4 Final SAS 22 20 18 36 96 Var 29 20 14 23 86
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