ACB – semi-final – working day 3
Twisted in a bad way by Madrid, his historical archenemy and kryptonite of the course, Barça was left in disarray after losing in the three duels of the semi-finals of the ACB playoffs, empty after squeaking without remission in the season and defined by a project that has failed, even though it was conditioned by a decline economic – the wage bill was reduced by 20% – and sporting, without Mirotic on the hardwood or Jasikevicius on the bench. Madrid, a finalist waiting for a rival – Murcia hosts Unicaja today with the series in their favor 2-1 – simply put Barça in their place. The one who says that he no longer earns anything and that he should impose a deep reflection on his future.
The Palau, who thought it was out of breath, booed the rival line-up recited by the speaker in such a way that hardly a name was heard. “He who doesn’t bounce is a Madridista, he is!”, thundered the stands. But basketball is not played with the throat but with the hands, and there are no better ones than the white ones. This was confirmed from the beginning, a bet validated by Chus Mateo when he came out with Hezonja as four, a sign that he wanted shots from the perimeter rather than centimeters in the bottle, which was already good for him with Tavares, dictator of the painting. And it worked, because Causeur, Campazzo and Yabusele twice scored from the periphery to unleash a Barça in search of the spark, the one that Parker claimed after a dunk and high-fives with several fans. But Musa always has points in his hands and stayed in a quarter with more encouragement than basketball for Barça (20-28); and with as many or more carats than boos for the whites.
BARCELONA, 92 – REAL MADRID, 95
Barcelona: Satoransky (12), Laprovittola (7), Parra (2), Parker (27) and Vesely (4) –starting quintet–; Da Silva (6), Brizuela (7), Rubio (7), Hernangómez (17) and Abrines (3).
Real Madrid: Campazzo (21), Causeur (6), Musa (14), Hezonja (5) and Tavares (13) –starting quintet–; Rudy (3), Abalde (3), Yabusele (11), Sergio Rodríguez (0), Poirier (12) and Llull (7).
Partials: 20-28; 25-21; 31.23; and 16-23.
Referees: A. Conde, J. Torres and A. Olivares. Vesely eliminated for technique and unsportsmanlike behavior.
Palau Blaugrana. 7,066 spectators.
Barça’s frustration led to protests from the Palau, which rescued the refrain of “So so so wins Madrid!”, and from the team, since Vesely, angry with his reproaches, committed a technique that was added to an unsportsmanlike act made previously and was expelled. The slap, for once, did not ruin Barça but rather angered it, finally with Willy Hernángomez in the role of flagship. He even encouraged himself with a triple to decorate the others chofs of Parker, who enjoyed the electricity of the Palau like never before. But not even with those he could beat Madrid (45-49).
It happened that Parker, his playground version, had already combusted, a shooter and acrobat who crushed Tavares. Wings for Barça, who equaled the stake, although also hot for Madrid, who tried to lower the pulsations with Musa in a state of grace and Campazzo as conductor. But Show from Parker infected Satoransky and Abrines, also snipers, as well as a Willy who demanded the encouragement of his people. Enough to reach the epilogue with an advantage (76-72), to explain that Barça does not give up.
Neither did Poirier, a Stakhanovite in Madrid who would be the star with any other shirt, who appropriated the bottle and created the suspense. Ricky wanted to unbalance him with two layups; Llull tried to break it from the outskirts; Laprovittola almost did it with a triple from his house; and Campazzo denied it with his penetrations (90-92 with one minute left). Then, Abrines missed a triple and Campazzo did not, who for some reason has been the best in all the national competitions of the course. And that was enough to clarify that Madrid is too much for the Blaugrana.
It has been four years since Barça has not been left without eating a penny – knocked out of the Super Cup, finalist in the Cup, knocked out of Europe before the Final Four and third in the regular league – a blow for a team that always aspires to everything. It remains to be seen how he recomposes himself, if Grimau remains on the bench and if a squad that has not been up to par is refreshed, if the fiasco is understood as a starting point to avoid repeating mistakes in the future. Although that matters little to Madrid, still in the present; the one who says he is a finalist in the ACB League.
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