Real Madrid had reached seven of the last eight Copa del Rey finals, missing only the 2023 edition, yet managed to win just two of them. That meant five losses in the decisive match since 2018—an uncharacteristic slump for a club accustomed to success. That trend continued in Valencia, where they fell to Kosner Baskonia 89-100.
Compounding the issue, this is not the first final Madrid have lost this season. Back in September, they were defeated by Valencia Basket in the Supercopa, a relatively minor preseason tournament that rewards winners but doesn’t penalize losers. The team featured six new players and a new coach, Sergio Scariolo, raising early red flags. Since then, the Italian has worked hard to explain his plan, emphasizing that “calendar losses” were inevitable given the packed schedule and limited rest. He also defended his constant in-game rotations, which at times may have cost them victories.
A Rollercoaster Campaign
Fans struggled to grasp Scariolo’s methods, as the team appeared more hesitant than usual. Yet recent weeks seemed to validate the coach’s approach. Madrid entered the Copa in strong form, with many players clicking. In the quarterfinals, they swept Unicaja, the reigning champion, suggesting all pieces were falling into place. But the semifinals marked a turning point.
They advanced to the final only through a miracle: erasing a five-point deficit in 18 seconds—or thanks to a gift from Valencia, depending on perspective. Madrid’s performance was shaky, but their rivals nearly eliminated them. The team escaped by the buzzer and dominated the final until everything unraveled with 57 seconds left in the third quarter.
At that point, Madrid led 72-64 and was surging with its second unit. Five minutes later, they trailed 79-81 after a 7-17 run, including a decisive 0-8 stretch from 2:36 to 4:12 of the final quarter. It was then that Scariolo inserted four key players at once: Tavares, Deck, Hezonja, and Campazzo 23 seconds later. But the game had already slipped out of their control. Even with a title at stake, Scariolo refused to abandon his rotation plan until it was too late—by then, Baskonia dominated both physically and emotionally.
“That extra point to prevent those shots from Howard and Forrest, two rebounds we lost… a bit more patience on our shots. We lacked a bit of everything,” Scariolo said afterward.
The Italian also failed to exploit an obvious advantage: interior superiority. Baskonia played the Copa without Khalifa Diop and saw Diakité and Rodions Kurucs hampered by foul trouble. Yet Tavares was not decisive (9 points, 7 rebounds, and the team’s worst plus-minus); Garuba started strong but made key mistakes (two missed shots, one block, and three fouls, including a disqualifying one) during Baskonia’s decisive fourth-quarter run; Len barely saw the court (fewer than 7 minutes); and Lyles appears to have lost his touch (4 points in 17 minutes) and the full trust of his coach.
Two cards remain, but no more come.
