Real Madrid have finally got their hands back on the King’s Cup after 19 years. In claiming victory by 91-74 at Palau Sant Jordi, they also ended Barcelona Regal’s recent domination of the event and denied them a third consecutive victory.
The win was made even sweeter for Los Blancos as they had lost the two previous Copa del Rey finals to Barcelona. Madrid took an early advantage, going on 0-5 and 12-18 runs thanks largely to the excellent play of Llull. In the second quarter, Madrid maintained a high conversion rate that took their lead to 11 points (36-25) and Barca suffered a crucial blow with an injury to Eidson in the last minute before the half. The sides went into the break with Madrid 9 points to the good (42-33).
A brief rally in the third quarter failed to bring the sides closer and a 0-8 run from Madrid sealed the win in the last quarter. It was a disappointing end to the competition for the hosts, lead by coach Xavi Pascual. There were warning signs in their hard-fought 66-57 semi-final victory over Caja Laboral. They had gone into the first and last quarters four points down and it was Lorbek who steered the side into the semi-finals with a spectacular performance. Laboral were quick off the mark in the semi-final, taking an early 12-4 lead before a 7-0 from Barcelona pulled them back. The game remained too close to call, as one side after the other took the initiative. It was not until the final quarter that the Catalans home fans could finally begin celebrating their place in the final.
Real Madrid had secured their place in the final with a 92-84 semi-final victory over Banca Civica. It required a record-breaking performance from Madrid, breaking the record of triples made in any King’s Cup match (14 out of 25) and scoring more points than ever previously recorded in a third quarter (30). It signalled their intent as they set about winning the Cup for the first time since 1993. They had lost to Barcelona in five out of six finals previously contested and eleven out of seventeen in all competitions. They did enjoy some recent success over the Catalans with victory on matchday 14.
With their sensational victory, Real Madrid have now edged ahead in the all-time list of King’s Cup triumphs by 23 to Barca’s 22. There was clearly a great deal at stake in the Copa del Rey 2012 and the rivalry will be renewed in 2013. If you were lucky enough to enjoy the tournament live with Ticket2Final, remember that this is the place to reserve your tickets for the major basketball events!