FIBA Basketball Cibona Zagreb nije uspio osvojiti naslov u Hrvatskoj, izgubivši od Cedevite u finalu. ZAGREB (Hrvatska A-1 liga) - Historijska Cibona nije uspjela prekinuti Cedevitino dominiranje na domaćem planu u Hrvatskoj, izgubivši od rivala u borbi za naslov A-1 lige. ZAGREB (Hrvatska A-1 liga) - Historijska Cibona Zagreb nije uspjela prekinuti Cedevitino dominiranje na domaćem planu u Hrvatskoj, izgubivši od rivala u borbi za naslov A-1 lige. U seriji od pet utakmica koja je trajala do kraja, Damir Mulaomerovićeva ekipa nije uspjela doći do potrebnog rezultata u odlučujućoj utakmici, izgubivši naslov 78-75 u punom Draženu Petroviću Basketball Hallu u četvrtak večer. "Mi smo se vratili i pokazali karakter i, za to, želim uzeti šešir za igrače i navijače." rekao je Damir Mulaomerović. Nakon što su izgubili u trećem četvrtinu, Luka Zorićevodi Cibona su bili blizu da izbace 17-pojasni deficit u četvrtom četvrtinu, ali su se jednostavno izgubili u zadnjem dijelu. 32-godišnji veteran Zorić je vodio tim sa 17 poena i 6 skokova, njegov par za centra Zeljko Sakic i playmaker Scottie Reynolds su dodali po 13 poena, dok je Petar Maric dao 12 poena. "Izgubili smo utakmicu. Ryan Boatright je bio fantastičan i njegova ekipa je bila bolja od nas." rekao je Mulaomerović. Za Cedevitu, koji je obratio seriju nakon što je vodio 2-1 nakon tri utakmice, Ryan Boatright je imao MVP-ovog nastupa sa 22 poena i 5 krađa, vodivši svoju ekipu u trećem četvrtinu sa tri velika trojke. "Danasna utakmica je odlučena kvalitetom pojedinaca, prvenstveno Ryan Boatrighta, koji nas je razbio jedan na jedan, unatoč našim najboljim napora." rekao je Mulaomerović nakon utakmice. "Mi smo se vratili i pokazali karakter i, za to, želim uzeti šešir za igrače i navijače. Navijači su bili s nama cijelu sezonu i žalim što nismo osvojili trofej na kraju, ali to je košarka." Cibona Zagreb je zadržala 18 naslova u Hrvatskoj, ali Cedevita je osvojila četvrti uzastopni naslov. Cedevita je također osvojila kup u ovoj sezoni. Cibona Zagreb je sudjelovala u prvom izdanju Basketball Champions League, završavajući regularnu sezonu sa 5-9 rekordom u skupini D, prije nego što je prešla u FIBA Europe Cup za play-offove, gdje je dostigla četvrtfinale.
Cibona Zagreb izgubi naslov u Hrvatskoj - FIBA
FIBA Basketball Cibona Zagreb failed to win the title in Croatia, losing to Cedevita in the final. ZAGREB (Croatian A-1 League) - The historic Cibona side could not end Cedevita's recent dominance on the domestic front in Croatia, falling short against their rivals in the race for the A-1 League crown. ZAGREB (Croatian A-1 League) - The historic Cibona Zagreb side could not end Cedevita's recent dominance on the domestic front in Croatia, falling short against their same-city rivals in the race for the A-1 League championship title. In a best-of-five series that went the full distance, Damir Mulaomerovic's side could not come up to scratch in the decisive Game 5 bout, losing the title-decider 78-75 at the packed Drazen Petrovic Basketball Hall on Thursday evening. "We came back and showed character and, for that, I want to take my hat off to the players and the fans." said Damir Mulaomerovic. After falling behind in the third quarter, the Luka Zoric-led Cibona came close to erasing a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but simply ran out of steam down the final stretch. The 32-year-old veteran Zoric led the team with 17 points and 6 rebounds, his big man pairing Zeljko Sakic and playmaker Scottie Reynolds chipped in with 13 points apiece, while Petar Maric put 12 points on the board. "We lost the game. Ryan Boatright was fantastic and his team was better than us." said Mulaomerovic. For Cedevita, who turned the series around after trailing 2-1 after three games, Ryan Boatright had an MVP-worthy performance of 22 points and 5 steals, leading his team's third-quarter charge with three big three-pointers. "Tonight's game was decided by individual quality, first and foremost of Ryan Boatright, who picked us apart one on one despite our best efforts," said Mulaomerovic after the game. "We came back and showed character and, for that, I want to take my hat off to the players and the fans. The supporters were with us throughout the season and I'm sorry we didn't win the trophy in the end, but that's basketball." Cibona Zagreb remains the most celebrated team in the top flight with 18 championships to their name, but Cedevita has won four consecutive national titles. Cedevita has also won the domestic cup this season. Cibona Zagreb participated in the inaugural season of the Basketball Champions League, finishing the regular season with a 5-9 record in Group D, before transferring to the FIBA Europe Cup for the Play-Offs, where they reached the Quarter-Finals.