2023-10-17 22:58:14
Tenth official match and tenth victory. A title, the Super Cup, two wins in two Classics and Zalgiris as the tenth victim. It is a hasty summary of the beginning of the season for Madrid. The team has recovered one of the best customs of “lasism”: turning European nights at the WiZink Center into a great plan. There was no fourth game in a row scoring more than one hundred points, but Madrid had explosive moments. Enough to knock down a more than respectable Zalgiris. Campazzo (18 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists), Deck (19 points) and Poirier (18 points and 7 rebounds) were the names in the game that opened the first week of double session in the Euroleague. Mirotic’s Milan will arrive on Thursday.
Zalgiris appeared in Madrid undefeated. Seven games and seven victories. He had beaten Virtus in Bologna and defeated Red Star in Kaunas. An impeccable start. Team as tough as usual, with very defined roles, with a remarkable defense allowing 76 points per game… until they ran into the fittest team in Europe. Actually, with the team and with the player. In the Lithuanians’ plans, one of the keys to having options was to dirty the game. Let the defense rule, let it be an ugly game. But Campazzo insisted on the opposite. The moment of form that the Argentine offers at the beginning of the season is a scandal. There is no player in Europe who dominates games like him. He often gives the impression that he even slows down or, at the very least, regulates himself. And if he doesn’t do it, Chus Mateo will.
When the coach sat him down, the “Facu” had already been unleashed. This time there was no need to put in the turbo and get the team running. Zalgiris stopped that. What he couldn’t handle was the exterior success led by the Argentine. Madrid scored four triples in a row, three from Campazzo, to escape (25-16). His drive multiplied the confidence of his teammates. Halfway through the second quarter they had already scored eight three-pointers and the team threatened to break the game. Zalgiris is very much about going at their own pace, they are not a team of ups and downs and that means that it is very difficult to take them down. He withstood the storm and, little by little, was able to reduce the euphoria of the locals. The “Campazzo effect” encourages all of his colleagues and one of those who is most fond of Poirier. The center is the other big name from the beginning of the course. Without Tavares, the team does not feel weak. The Frenchman’s teammates look for him and he appears more than usual in attack. Since he is physically healthy, he makes himself noticeable on defense. And so the team gave another push to the break. In the middle of the game, Madrid had 53 points and Campazzo contributed 16 points and 4 assists. “Facu” had been involved in half of the team’s points.
Zalgiris’ plan worked at the beginning of the third quarter. Getting the game dirty, jamming it, making it bumpy… was what the Lithuanians did with admirable dedication. Madrid began to add losses, fouls in attack and felt uncomfortable. In the first five minutes he was only able to add two free throws from Tavares and Zalgiris, without making much noise, was back in the fight (55-52). But he stayed halfway. Containing the current Real Madrid for an entire quarter is very complicated. An 8-0 run came without the brilliance of the first two quarters, but it was enough to lead again. When the team was in difficulty it was Deck’s turn. Unlike his compatriot Campazzo, the “Tortuga” has had a more logical start to the season. His appearance, with nine points in the third quarter, brought all the Baltics’ efforts to nothing.
In case anything else was needed, the captain called for the lights. He scored five points in a row and Madrid escaped hopelessly. The tenth victory in ten games was sealed.
93. Real Madrid (25+28+19+21): Campazzo (18), Musa (4), Deck (19), Yabusele (5) and Tavares (4) – starting quintet – Rudy (9), Llull (5 ), Rodríguez (3), Poirier (18), Hezonja (5) and Causeur (3).
79. Zalgiris Kaunas (19+24+19+17): Evans (8), Giedraitis (10), Ulanovas (5), Smits (12) and Hayes (4) – quintet titular – Manek (11), Dimsa (2 ), Mitrou-Long (11), Lekavicius (10), Birutis (6) and Lavrinovicius (0).
Referees: Javor (Esl), Jovcic (Ser) and Keljensic (Mon). No eliminated. Technique on the Zalgiris bench.
Incidents: 7,000 spectators at the WiZink Center. Match corresponding to the third day of the Euroleague.
3rd day: Partizan, 83-Barcelona, 92; Fenerbahçe, 83-Panathinaikos, 69; Anadolu Efes, 89-ASVEL Villeurbanne, 84; Baskonia, 68-Bayern, 76; Real Madrid, 93-Zalgiris Kaunas, 79; Milan, 65-Olympiacos, 53; Red Star-Monaco (20:00); Valencia-Maccabi (20:30) and Virtus Bologna-ALBA Berlin (20:30). (All in Movistar +).
Classification: 1. Real Madrid (3/0); 2. Barcelona (3/0); 3. Valencia Basket (2/0); 4. Bayern Munich (2/1); 5. Fenerbahce (2/1); 6. Zalgiris (2/1); 7. Maccabi (1/0); 8. Virtus Bologna (1/1); 9. Red Star (1/1); 10. Milan (1/1); 11. Olympiacos (1/2); 12. Partizan (1/2); 13. Baskonia (1/2); 14. Panathinaikos (1/2); 15. Anadolu Efes (1/2); 16. ALBA Berlin (0/2); 17. Monaco (0/2); 18. ASVEL Villeurbanne (0/3).
#Madrid #unstoppable #Zalgiris