The game that potentially closes a playoff series is historically the hardest to win. It is even more so in a series like this played by two very competitive teams. In the space of three games and 125 minutes played, Olimpia scored six points more than Bologna; if we exclude Game 1’s overtime, Virtus scored five more. This gives a measure of the balance on the court, in a championship series in which the protagonists are always different. Since Ettore Messina has been the head coach, Olimpia is 9-3 in “close-out games”, but twice they have not closed the serise when facing Virtus (Game 5 of 2022 and Game 6 of 2023) in Bologna. This time it will try to do it in an obviously sold-out Unipol Forum. Game 3 was a different game compared to the two previous ones: neither team took control of the game and neither team ever really had to come back. Bologna’s largest lead was one point, Olimpia’s was seven points. It is true that Milan attempted to get away several times in both the first and second half, but Bologna always responded up to the last possession.
GAME 4 REFEREES– Saverio Lanzarini, Manuel Attard, Guido Giovannetti.
GAME 1 – Virtus led the entire first half, reaching an 11-point lead twice. Olimpia, resorting to its defense, limited the deficit by closing down by eight. In the third quarter, Olimpia played its best basketball, starting with 5-0 run and later tying the score up with a Devon Hall drive and taking the lead off a Shavon Shields three-pointer. At that point, Olimpia twice built a six-point lead including late in the third quarter with another Shields three-pointer. In the fourth period, Bologna went all-out. When Virtus took a three-point lead with Cordinier, Olimpia responded with a three by Shabazz Napier. The overtime had no history. First Nicolò Melli (eight points and seven rebounds) then Shields tore the game aprt. Shields finished with 25 points including 22 in the second half and overtime, with 6-for-7 from three. Napier scored 21 and Devon Hall 18. 86-75 was the final score.
GAME 2 – Olimpia dominated but did not capitalize enough in the first 15 minutes of the game when it led twice by 13 points. The game changed outlook over the last five minutes of the second period in which Bologna turned it around and with a three-point play by Achille Polonara closed the first half ahead by one point. The second half was a back and forth between the two teams. Virtus accumulated a five-point lead at the end of the third period. With a 6-0 run, Olimpia erased it. Then the game remained close for five minutes when Virtus again took control to win it 72-64.
GAME 3 – Olimpia leads in scoring for the entire game except for one possession at the beginning of the game and another in the third period. The margin, however, never exceeded seven points and was constantly reduced by Bologna who managed to be effective especially with Iffe Lundberg and in the second half with Jordan Mickey (17 points). Olimpia found unexpected points (12) from Diego Flaccadori, but at the half was only two points ahead. In the second half the lead was extended with Shabazz Napier’s prowess in the fourth period and then the effectiveness of Nikola Mirotic’s inside game, but the 6-for-24 from three-point distance did not allow to create a decisive gap. Leading by one, at the end, Mirotic hit two free throws then on the last defensive possession Nicolò Melli blocked Lundberg in his attempt to hit a three-pointer and effectively closed the game at 81-78.
GAME NOTES – Shavon Shields has reached 997 points scored in the Italian league playoffs. He surpassed Gianluca Basile’s 990 and can become the 15th player to reach 1,000… Nicolò Melli became the first rebounder in the playoffs Olimpia history, surpassing Dino Meneghin (411-406) … Melli now has 164 rebounds grabbed in the finals, and isone away from the 165 of Riccardo Pittis, who is sitting in second place. He became third for defensive rebounds, tying up Pittis with 113. Shaun Stonerook is second with 114.
