WITHOUT TENSION YOU DO NOT WIN
Barça did not have a good start to the game. Little tension, and the feeling that the blaugranas took it for granted that, against an inferior rival, victory was guaranteed. I liked the Asvel. His defensive alternatives, different zones and individual, sought to decenter Barça and force Saras’ men to play in an unforeseen scenario that took its toll on them. In addition, the omnipresence of Fall, in offense and defense, was a persistent headache. Luckily in the second quarter Kuric went crazy and chained 4 almost consecutive three-pointers that turned around a score that had hitherto been favorable to the French. Asvel has a big man, Fall, and a series of complements with a good 1-1 team, brilliant Cartwright, who play wide open and pose a lot of problems for a big team like Barça. In addition, for a French team, their players are disciplined, they don’t do crazy things or lose balls, and in 5×5 they have the patience to find the best placed player to solve. De Colo, his huge match, is largely to blame for this seriousness. Barça did not improve after the break. We all took it for granted that the blaugranas would finish off Asvel, including the public, and the game became bland. When the blaugranas were able to resolve they did not, and their rival, breaking stone, ended up taking the victory.
MIROTIC, THE FORGOTTEN
At the break, the score reflected a 46-40. And in a few minutes, Barça put it at 57-47, with Mirotic scoring 9 of his team’s 11 points, also being the top scorer from Blaugrana so far with 17. Saras gave him a break halfway through the third quarter, and He did not return to the court until there were 6 minutes left to finish the duel, and with a tie at 64. Furthermore, in these 6 minutes he did not shoot a basket once. Amazing. Who was present in the final stretch of the match was De Colo. He waited for the hot moments to testify to his quality and experience. Asvel had more desire for victory. He was more aggressive on defense, left Barça at 28 points in the last 20′, controlled the offensive rebound, and was more balanced in his shots. For its part, Barça, faced with the closed defense and aid from the Frenchmen, sought the triple on too many occasions. And except Kuric, the rest of the players did not have the day. Too many lost balls, gaps in attack and few clear ideas to be able to overcome a rival who had his goal between his eyebrows. Barça is not going through a good run. And in a week he has to visit the courts of Breogán and Monaco, and receive Panathinaikos and Unicaja at the Palau. Little joke.