It’s not basketball, it’s not an idea, it’s making do with the talent available. 19 points from the Mirotic-Shields duo in the first quarter, Trento ending the first quarter on a par with center Cooke’s season high, and even setting the tone at the start of the second half with a triple from the former Alviti.
Ettore Messina, who found Billy Baron again in the first quarter and also obtained the first triple of the season in exchange, mixes quintets, tries hypotheses without play and extreme “small ball”, far from the era of the “quintettone” which, fundamentally, had shown already water in the friendly match in Vigevano with Derthona.
The product, ultimately, is disturbing. Especially when Cooke flies to the rim for 62-69 after 29′. The Forum, which left smiling for the return of the shooter from Altoona, remains speechless, only a 3 foul by Ellis on Hall in the second twenty-four awakens him.
9-0 to come back with 9 free throws, in response Hubb and Baldwin show the green mice in isolation and Hommes finds the triple to make it 73-78 at 5.01. There is no defensive organization, there is no circulation of the ball in attack, and here lies the 1/15 from 3 broken only by Melli for 80-80 at 2.30.
The captain who after much chasing in defense scores a triple, takes a breakthrough and steals a ball, before Tonut ruins everything from underneath, putting Trento back ahead by 3 with a minute to play.
At 10″ however, after an excellent defense, Shields finds the free throws to overtake, but on the other side in isolation Baldwin scores the winning basket in Tonut’s face. With foul. 84-85 the final.
