Chandigarh, March 10: The Mumbai Indians capitalized on a superlative performance by Spanish 3×3 specialist Carlos Martinez to win the 3×3 Pro Basketball League (3BL) Conference ‘A’ Round 2 men’s title.
Mumbai Heroes defeated Gurugram Masters 20-17 in the final.
Despite losing to Gurugram Masters in the group stage, Mumbai Heroes upped their game in the final to clinch the first round title. In a thrilling heads-up encounter, the scores were level at 10-10 and 14-14 before Mumbai took the lead with two minutes to go.
Mumbai Heroes captain Carlos Martinez of Spain was an inspiration down the stretch. Whether knocking down outside shots, getting crucial steals or making contested layups, Martinez was unstoppable when it mattered most.
He was well supported by Indian national team point guard Siddhant Shinde, who hit a hard jump shot to push the Heroes lead to 18-14 with 1:15 remaining.
Thereafter, the defending champions, Masters, returned to contend for a point. Missed shots for Masters, however, proved costly as Heroes held on to earn a memorable victory.
“We’re not the best at anything, but we’re the best team. This is only round 2, watch out!” Martinez said after the final.
The third season of 3BL, the only 3X3 Professional Basketball League in India backed by the Basketball Federation of India and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), is currently being played at the Wyndham Hotel, Mohali from March 8-21, 2019. 2022 and is seeing the participation of the best national and international male and female 3X3 basketball players.
Chandigarh team reaches semi-finals Previously, under the leadership of Indian national team player Prashant Rawat, Chandigarh Beasts topped the group stage to reach the knockout rounds.
“I’m really excited about this League. It’s a new format for us. We’ve been playing 5v5, now we’re 3v3. So it’s like a quick attack-to-defense and defense-to-attack game. I’m very confident in him. team now because we have a great rotation,” Rawat, the 21-year-old, 6-foot-8 forward, said after advancing to the final four.
However, in the semi-finals, Chandigarh was heavily outclassed by Mumbai, losing 8-21.