Barça was very aware of the risk it was running. A defeat in Badalona placed him on the edge of the precipice. Therefore, he did not run any risk and, from the first minute, he marked the coordinates of the meeting. They were once again a tough and physical team, especially against rivals like Tomic, Ribas or Feliz.
They were the center and objective of the Blaugrana defense. If Saras’s had to spend fouls to reduce them, they did. Nor did Barça allow easy baskets for Penya. Any attempt by Joventut to run was cut short by some Blaugrana contact. The local percentages, at the beginning of the duel, were very low. And the Blaugranas complemented their defense, with or without changes, with a controlled attack, which was looking for Davies as their first option.
This Blaugrana initiative was maintained throughout the duel. La Penya, with the support of his audience, sought to vary the rhythm, but he only succeeded in bursts. The rebound also had an owner. In general, Barça loaded the offensive to prevent their rival’s counterattacks and this gave them very valuable second options. There was greater collective play on the part of Barça and, in La Penya, individuals such as Tomic, and Vives and Willis stood out from the triple.
Tense for 40 minutes
One of the virtues of Barça. Despite the fact that the Blaugranas were always ahead on the scoreboard, La Penya had the virtue of not giving up. But when Durán’s men approached, there was always a favorable bias for the Blaugrana that demoralized the locals again. Those of Jasikevicius did not have any drop in concentration.
They made mistakes, but they didn’t leave the match. In addition, all the Blaugrana players added. From a renewed Kuric, through the defense of Sergi Martínez, the control of Calathes or the defensive involvement of Sanli and Smits.
Special mention for a Hayes who I think played his best game as a Blaugrana: he ended up defending both Parra, -he wiped him out-, as well as Ribas or some point guard. And, of course, the Higgins-Mirotic couple. A deadly duo. The Montenegrin’s triples in key minutes were decisive. Faced with this arsenal, basic pieces of Penya such as Parra or Feliz did not have the day.
And to beat the Blaugrana, everyone has to play to the limit. In the last minutes of the match, and when there was more tension, La Penya lost three possessions -two Willis and one Tomic- and a triple, the only one, by Calathes that were the last straw for him. The series still has a long way to go. Joventut will surely not give up, and it remains to be seen which Barça we will see on Friday.