Sesi Franca defeats São Paulo and wins the second NBB championship

The Capital of Basketball is celebrating. This Saturday (10), Sesi Franca won, for the second time in a row, the title of Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), the main men’s national championship in the sport. Pushed by the crowd at Ginásio Pedrocão, in Franca (SP), the team from the interior of São Paulo defeated São Paulo by 92 to 68, in the fifth and final match of the decision. Winger/guard Georginho was the protagonist of the match, with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Five other Franca players also scored at least ten points in the game. On the São Paulo side, winger Túlio stood out, with 20 points. Only he and winger Betinho (ten points), however, reached double digits on the scoreboard at Tricolor. It was the 13th national achievement of Franca, who had already been Brazilian champion 11 times before the NBB era. Flamengo, with seven titles, is the biggest winner of the competition, which started in 2008. Brasília (three times champion), Paulistano and Bauru (one trophy each) also won the tournament. The title crowns a memorable campaign for Franca, with 41 wins and six defeats. In the first phase, there were 32 triumphs in 32 games. In addition, the Paulistas reached, during the season, the longest undefeated sequence in national basketball: 46 games. The mark was reached on the day of the conquest of the Champions League of the Americas, equivalent to the Libertadores in the modality. Franca also lifted, this season, the Campeonato Paulista and Copa Super 8 cups – which brought together the eight best teams in the first phase of the NBB. In September, the São Paulo team will compete in Singapore for the Intercontinental Tournament, organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which has the weight of a Club World Cup. The NBB final is played in a best of five games, in which the team to win three games first takes the cup. São Paulo won the first duel, in Franca, but suffered the turnaround in the series, with two triumphs by Franca in the Morumbi gymnasium, in the capital of São Paulo. Last Thursday (8), Tricolor won, again inside, forcing the fifth duel. The game The first quarter of this Saturday’s final was dominated by Franca. Despite the teams showing little efficiency in the three-point shots, the home team made up for it with a lot of quality in the paint, hitting almost 70% of the two-point attempts. After abusing mistakes in the first ten minutes, Tricolor improved in the next partial, but the Francans kept the game under control, going into the break with 45 to 34 on the scoreboard. The scene changed little after the break. Despite having managed to kick more two-point balls, São Paulo did not take advantage of the opportunities (35% accuracy), while Franca did not let the performance level drop, reaching the final ten minutes with 14 points ahead. The final period of the match was a rush by Franca, living up to the chants of the fans, who call the team a “steel roller”. In five minutes, the hosts increased the advantage to 24 points, with a sequence of eight baskets – four of them worth three points – in nine attempts. With the gym already screaming “it’s a champion”, Franca managed the result and celebrated the NBB’s second championship.

Agência Brasil