Unicaja was crowned champion of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore on Sunday after beating NBA G-League United (79-68) in another demonstration of their winning gene, in a final where the standout scorers were the tournament’s best player, Dylan Osetkowski (15 points), as well as Yankuba Sima (13 points and six rebounds) and Tyler Kalinoski (13 points).
The Malaga team was much more of a team, in defensive efforts and in dynamism in attack, with a much more fluid, orderly and intelligent basketball than the G-League game plan, which depended a lot on the individual, barely on the collective.
The Spanish team’s coach, Ibon Navarro, opted to leave out the last two arrivals, the signings Killian Tillie and Olek Balcerowski, and set a high pace from the start of the match: a favourable partial score of 11-3 was a clear message that they were going for the final without leaving any effort undone.
But Unicaja’s self-sufficiency and superiority in its two previous games, where it practically tasted victory in the first quarter, was not going to happen against a team with as much physicality and scoring talent as NBA G-League United.
The American team evened the score a little more, hitting little by little with points from Rob Baker and Brodric Thomas, but Unicaja took advantage of the foul bonus, with a triple from Tyler Kalinoski putting some distance between them (22-17).
Both teams entered a dry period in a second quarter where errors continued until, with 3:50 left in the half, Unicaja broke that trend by reaching a ten-point difference (30-20), although the G-League responded with two three-pointers and another surge (38-32, minute 20).
With a magnificent run from the start, Unicaja went into overdrive in one of those situations where it is very difficult to stop: baskets by Dylan Osetkowski, and the classic triple by Kalinoski, another player with a very high level in the tournament (50-34, minute 25).
With a thirteen-point lead, Unicaja faced the final quarter with the challenge of not complicating the situation and resolving the final as soon as possible. With the encouragement of Ibon Navarro, the players responded by putting the sixth gear with defense and points until they had a 21-point lead.
The G-League, a prisoner of its impotence, could only launch chaotic shots to cover up the result, without an established plan, while Unicaja continued hammering until the end with baskets from Sima, David Kravish or Kameron Taylor.
Unicaja thus achieves its third title in the last year and a half: first it was the 2023 Badalona Copa del Rey, the Basketball Champions League (BCL) in 2024 and now the Intercontinental Cup.
Technical sheet
Unicaja-NBA G-League United, 79-68
79 – Unicaja (22+16+19+18): Perry (8), Taylor (10), Barreiro (2), Osetkowski (15), Sima (13) -starting five-, Díaz (1), Tyson Pérez (4), Carter (0), Kalinoski (13), Djedovic (1), Ejim (0) and Kravish (8).
68 – NBA G-League United (17+15+12+16): Brown (5), Burton (5), Thomas (6), Toscano (7), Baker II (7) -starting five-, Tominaga (3), Bowden (20), Foster Jr (4) and Wlaker (3).
Referees: Julio Anaya, Wojciech Liszka and James Alexander Boyer. Tyson Pérez (Unicaja) was eliminated due to five fouls.
incidences: FIBA Intercontinental Cup Final played at the Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
