Trieste to Game 5 with Brescia, Francesco Taccetti reveals his people’s secret
Trieste beats Germani Brescia again, with whom the series in the playoffs will be resolved in Game 5. Inevitable and justified the great pride of coach Francesco Taccetti, who at the end of the excellent 83-77 at PalaRubini told the secret of his team’s success: “Holding such a team only to 77 points means playing a great game on defense. I think that’s the key.”
“In a playoff series it’s crucial to defend well even on the next play where you got a basket. Trieste has shown it knows how to do that,” Taccetti added.
“Then you also have to be lucid on offense, because depending on what the opponents do, they can change the themes game after game. We must always be lucid, knowing, however, also that what is really essential is solidity in defense. Both we and Brescia are playing a lot on details, at the risk of repeating myself I will always say that. In the end, whoever has more energy in the decisive moments will prevail. I also want to thank our audience, who helped us put our hearts on the court. And that’s exactly what we need to win games like this.”
The result of Game 4 thus overturns what happened in Game 3, when it was Brescia that dominated 84-80 at PalaTrieste dragged by Miro Bilan’s 20 points and 12 rebounds and the all-around performance of Jason Burnell, author of 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. On that occasion, Trieste had not been satisfied with the 18 points scored by both Markel Brown and Colbey Ross nor the 17 of Joshua Bannan.
On the other hand, coach Matteo Cotelli had already warned his team on the eve of Game 4, showing that he did not trust the lead in the series at all: “Trieste is with its back to the wall: I am sure it will do everything possible to try to win in front of its audience, always warm and passionate, to take the series to Game 5.” Prophetic words, those of the Germani’s coach, who had also stressed the need to “take a further step forward as far as the care to be given to individual details is concerned, showing progress in terms of reading and consequent management of the various junctures within the game.”
The series will be decided with a Game 5 to be played at Brescia’s home, where the Lombardi will have the advantage of the court factor. The winner of this confrontation will face in the semifinals Olimpia Milano, which has already closed its round by eliminating Reggio Emilia with a clear 3-0 win. It is not a coincidence that the PalaTrieste stage is confirmed to be one of the hottest and most insidious in the entire Serie A: Cotelli himself, during the regular season, had called the Julian arena “one of the most difficult courts to go and win,” praising an atmosphere in which “everything speaks and breathes basketball.”
Taccetti’s path on the Julian bench tells of constant growth and an increasingly defined tactical identity. The coach, who this season took the reins of the first team after serving as assistant coach, has built a team capable of holding its own against the best lineups in the league, as he had already demonstrated during the regular season. Now, with a game 5 to live, Trieste comes to the most important appointment of its season with the knowledge that it can compete on equal terms with anyone, strengthened by a public that, as Taccetti himself pointed out, represents an extra weapon in the decisive moments.
