Trento expels Bologna, Massimo Cancellieri stings and calls for pride
Trento celebrating after the 84-87 success obtained on the court of Virtus Bologna. A victory celebrated by coach Massimo Cancellieri, who at the end of the game extolled the mentality of his team. “We went into the series understanding what it meant,” he told ‘LBA TV.’ “To play it we needed something different, both from a physical and attitude standpoint, along with everything else. And I believe that the pride we have, others should have towards us.”
“We reacted with pride, because we know how to do it,” Cancellieri added. “We showed that we know how to do it after all the great difficulties Trento has faced during the season at the group, team, and staff level. Now we will prepare Race 3 by resting, because tonight the effort was great. Against Virtus Bologna it will again be a chess match, as well as once again a matter of attitude and aggressiveness. We will have to figure out what approach they will take.”
The victory in Game 2 overturns a series that seemed already headed after the net 102-71 cashed in Game 1. A result that takes on an even more special flavor if one considers the context from which this Trento came: the bianconeri had snatched eighth place on the last day of the regular season, beating Olimpia Milano 84-74, while Openjobmetis Varese succumbed at home against the same Virtus Bologna. By virtue of favorable head-to-head matchups, Dolomiti Energia had thus celebrated access to the postseason, crowning an extraordinary comeback in the season finale.
On the Virtus Bologna side, the series tie comes at an already complicated time for the V Nere, grappling with a very heavy absence. Derrick Alston Jr, author of 21 points in 19 minutes in the Game 1 win, suffered a compound fracture of the third metacarpal of his left hand and his return in this postseason appears virtually impossible. This was confirmed by the Bologna club itself in an official statement, while in the last few hours coach Nenad Jakovljevic seems to be leaning toward Matt Morgan to fill the void left by the American, who had traveled the season averaging 12.6 points with 57.4% from two and 42.4% from distance.
The series now moves to Trentino: Game 3 is scheduled for May 22, followed by Game 4 on May 24. The eventual bella would be set for May 26 in Bologna. Matches that could also be Cancellieri’s last on the Aquila Basket bench: CEO Andrea Nardelli revealed that back in February the coach had already communicated his decision not to renew at the end of the season, with his name being mentioned by clubs from Turkey, Greece and Spain. An announced farewell, then, that makes every game in this series even more meaningful for everyone.
