Fifty-two total points in game 1, 63 in game 2: these are the numbers scored by Bakery Piacenza at PalaTriccoli. A decidedly deficient overall haul, even more so because it was replenished each time (so to speak) in the final minutes during the so-called garbage time. In short, when there are kids from the bench on the pitch looking for scraps of glory. On Friday evening in Emilia on the border with Lombardy a Bakery looking for redemption and, why not, some personal revenge put the Jesi basket on fire from the first to the last minute, coming close to the sensational ‘centello’ (99 points on the scoresheet) . In 40 minutes. To somehow disprove those who say that the field factor in a play-off series has only a minimal impact on the outcome of the match. Then the fact that the disarmed and disarming Academy of the other evening – the entire match played at a perpetual twenty point disadvantage – accredited among the best defenses ever in the entire junior series, was literally pelted by the opponents is part of the ‘twisted’ logic of a play-off style Russian roulette. Given that merits and demerits cannot and cannot be divided with a clear cut, it remains to be understood – the beauty of the playoffs – with which head (and legs?) the Academy will go on the field and what will happen tonight in a game 4 (ball two to 6pm) which promises tears and sweat. The General on Friday evening brings with it some (more than one?) legitimate doubts about mental (and physical, orange, old story, always losing on rebounds) stability: if a tie verdict emerges from the field, everything will be decided by half of the next week, game 5 at Palatriccoli. The wise man says, in a single match anything can happen: right then it will be time to meditate on a detail: if in a three match you allow the single (Bertocco) to shoot 8/9 from three points (well done to him, let’s be clear) , maybe there was something that didn’t work in defense…
Gianni Angelucci
