To beat the Italian champions you need a match of extraordinary intensity. Dinamo succeeds for a while, then the quality and length of the fake Milan bench digs out the difference. It ends 79-67 and Sassari is fifth because Venice strolls against a Treviso in beach slippers and catches up with the biancoblù, stealing the field factor from them in the quarter-finals for the championship for the pittance of a single point. It will therefore be the Reyer of the Sassarese Spissu who will have the first two games and the possible fifth home game.
THE CHRONICLE – Sassari's defense was excellent at the start of the match , which also uses the match up area: it attacks, holds one-on-one and covers the area. Milan loses 5 balls in 5 minutes and scores only 3 points: Messina calls the timeout with Banco leading by 9 points, 3-12, thanks to Stepehnes and threes from Kruslin and Robinson in transition. Sassari also reaches +11 and finishes fourth with the second quintet having conceded only two field goals to Olimpia.
In the second quarter Milan defends better and is devastating with the pivot Voigtmann who promotes the break which reverses the inertia of the game: 23-22 in the 14th minute. Kruslin and Stephens take care of putting Dinamo back in the game and Bendzius's bomb gives back the +6. The biancoblù manage the last two actions badly and at the break the gap is minimal: 32-34.
In the third quarter, foul Dowe, the third player, who has to go out. Napier with his triples brings Milan forward: 45-40 in the 25th minute. The hosts insert Ricci who widens the gap: 55-47.
Dowe's return to playmaking and Kruslin's precision from outside keep Dinamo alive, but Olimpia continues to shoot better from three and stays ahead.
Sassari beats with his heart but the Italian champions are no longer able to come back and actually stretch in the final three minutes when they take advantage of the freshness due to the higher quality of the bench.
Dinamo table: Jones 6 Robinson 11 Dowe 7 Kruslin 13 Gandini ne, Devecchi, Treier, Chessa ne, Stephens 13 Bendzius 10 Gentile, Raspino ne, Diop 4 All. Bucchi
