Barça wins the first battle against Madrid

2023-06-17 00:15:56

Everything that happened the day before the game, which was not little, was forgotten when the great duel began. Nikola Mirotic’s bombshell, about his departure from the team, he was deactivated as soon as the final against Real Madrid began and the Montenegrin was received with a standing ovation. If it was said that his statement could destabilize Barça, it did not happen at all because Barça dominated Madrid (97-88) thanks to an excellent collective performance. From the first to the last they left their skin in a fight that was a great battle, and in the best sense of the word.

Madrid came out very plugged in with a Tavares that imposed his immense figure. Up to 4-12, he went ahead with two free throws from the Cape Verdean giant. Jasikevicius timeout and the Lithuanian found the remedy to stop the rival on his bench. The substitutes burst in with the same intensity, or more, and the Barça team little by little managed to iron out the difference.

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— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) June 16, 2023

Sanli’s triples

The purpose of Jasikevicius was clear. I wanted to play at the top of revolutions to wear down the rival, especially to its main column: Tavares. In a round-trip game, the white center was going to show more fatigue than with a much more controlled game. The intensity of the locals gave them their first advantage at 22-21 and the conviction that this was the way to go. Barça, in addition, was very fine from the line of three, especially with Sertac Sanli. The Turkish center closed the fourth with three of three from 6.75 and the Catalans dominated those first 10 minutes with a 28-23 score and the best feelings against an opponent who seemed stuck after their good start.

It only seemed so because the second quarter was the other side of the coin. The entry of the hard core of his bench, that is, Sergio Rodríguez, Rudy Fernández and Sergio Llull, gave the white team a boost. The Canarian point guard is insulting because of how easy it is for him to score triples in the most difficult moments, as if he were playing in a park next to his house. The same can be said of Llull.

Guerrilla warfare

Barça did not defend in the same way as in the final minutes of the first quarter and conceded a 19-27 run in that second quarter. Madrid had returned the blow and the game was still very open with the 47-50 break.

But yesterday’s Barça was not the one that unfortunately fell in the Final Four in Kaunas against its great rival, let alone playing at the Palau. The game turned into a guerrilla war in the third quarter, the attacks lost their clairvoyance and each basket, especially if it was a three-pointer, was a decisive advance into the enemy camp.

Mateo’s team collapsed, because Tavares could no longer impose his 2.21 as at the beginning, and he struggled with 11 points in those 10 minutes. Barça did not do many more (16), but he did reach the final stretch with the conviction that if he continued to act with the same desire and intensity he could end up winning the first game of the series, transcendental in his case with the aim of asserting his field advantage in the final.

until the last minute

At the start of the final quarter, a triple by Hezonja gave Madrid its last advantage (63-64). Mirotic responded with another basket from three that was the trigger for him to play his best minutes when the game entered its hottest phase. The Montenegrin did not hesitate and, together with Satoransky and Laprovittola (infallible) from the free kick he supported a seasoned, feisty team that did not give up to its rival.

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— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) June 16, 2023

Related news

Madrid only gave in at the last minute because the two Sergios, Rodríguez and Lull, were not going to give up Just like that. But they ended up surpassed by the consistency of Barça. Sarunas Jasikevicius had seven players yesterday who went to the locker room with at least 10 points. And if it’s true Mirotic and Laprovittola secured victory from the free kick, they were just as valuable before the 10 points of the Brazilian Da Silva, a side of the team.

This Sunday (6:30 p.m.), the second installment of a final that had an exciting start at the Palau.

Barcelona, 97 – Real Madrid, 88

BARCELONA: Satoransky (11), Laprovittola (19), Abrines (10), Mirotic (14) and Vesely (10) -starting five- Da Silva (10), Paulí (-), Kalinic (4), Jokubaitis (2), Nnaji (-), Sanli (14) and Kuric (3). 12 of 29 triples (Sanli, 4). 31 rebounds, 9 offensive (Mirotic, 7). 22 assists (Jakubaitis, 7)

REAL MADRID: Williams-Goss (9), Hanga, Musa (5), Yabusele (11) and Tavares (15) -starting five- Hezonja (9), Sergio Rodríguez (16), Llull (14), Causeur (2), Fernández ( 7) and Poirier. 12 of 19 triples (Sergio Rodriguez, 4). 26 rebounds, 5 offensive (Tavares, 7). 11 assists (Sergio Rodriguez, 3).

Partial: 28-23, 19-27, 16-11 y 34-27.