A win to dream of. Barca needed this victory to get rid of the sad image they gave in the first game. And it hasn’t been easy. In the first minutes of the duel I had the impression that I was reliving a familiar scene from a few hours before. A lot of nerves in the hosts, too many, and a horrendous outside shot.
A 2-12, without any basket at stake for the Blaugrana, and many lost balls, presaged the worst. But, this time yes, there was a full-fledged reaction. I’m not talking about a series of wonderful plays, or brutal shooting percentages. The team closed their fists, put the direct defense and looked for their rival in the melee. no concessions. The game was even, although Madrid, very physical and with defensive changes, had the initiative.
The 13-17 in the first quarter was great news for the Blaugrana. The hardness, by both teams, did not decline in the second period. And Saras, who put up to three bases at once, tried to get his men to play faster. In the positional 5×5, Barça suffered, and a lot. But the one that ran, caught the white folks off guard. A few good minutes from Jokubaitis, Laprovittola, a great game for him, Calathes and Smits, printed character on the court and achieved a hopeful tie at 32 at half-time.
And the collective madness arrived. Madrid did not slow down after the restart. What’s more, I think that in the third quarter it was even harder. Tavares and Yabusele wreaked havoc near the rim, but it was not the team that 48 hours ago scored almost everything. In the slipstream of the meringues, Barça, hand in hand with an excellent Mirotic, endured the type. And rowing, rowing, the first advantage of the Blaugrana arrived, and the Palau exploded.
Not even in the worst minutes of the game, the public was discouraged. The final fourth was firecracker. Barca threw the rest. His defense was at the limit of everything, and Madrid collapsed, and the arbitration began to protest. The scoreboard shot up to 64-57 that seemed definitive. But a foul by Mirotic on Yabusele, in a three-point shot, ended up being converted into 4 points, after the Frenchman captured the offensive rebound.
This move gave Madrid air, which endorsed a partial 0-8 to the Blaugrana. The Palau got on my nerves. Errors in free throws by both teams, uncontrolled tension and aggressiveness, hits everywhere, but Barça always took the initiative. heads and tails Higgins made two free throws, and Rudy committed downfield. It’s over. Few rotations by the two coaches. Due to injury, or technical decisions. Many players did not appear, but the duel was indescribable. Without a doubt, we have to congratulate Barça.