Euroleague working day 27
Half an hour before the meeting began, the great mystery was revealed, the news of the year in the Palau; Ricky Rubio came out on the court wearing number 9, long leg warmers, blue sneakers and a smile from ear to ear, one more member of the team. Almost 13 years after defending the Barça shirt, the point guard returned to his other home – he trained and debuted at Joventut -, again with the orange ball in his hands, a round trip that almost He does not finish early due to chronic stress, because he lost the desire to play due to a mental health problem. He returned (where he left off) with the Spanish team a week earlier – against Latvia and Belgium – and this Friday he did so in the Euroleague, with the fans giving over to a differential player, a “wizard” as they define him in the locker room, a ball genius who made the Americas to earn more than a name. There were fans scattered with Ricky's shirt, both the old one and the current one, although they all stood together when he was named over the public address system, a deafening roar, a vitamin breath that the player returned with a brief applause and then turned away. reach out to the sky and touch your heart in memory of your mother. Ricky was at the Palau; Ricky was ready for the game… To his chagrin, Barça played with a sprained wrist, a failure in the shot, a painful defeat.
It was also a match that could be very special for Mike James – he was 29 points away from becoming the top scorer in the Euroleague and surpassing Vassilis Spanoulis' record of 4,455 -, Monaco's exceptional point guard. As volcanic, who already protested the first foul, he fussed and grinded. But Vesely opened the duel from the free throw line as a greeting, as he took the low post, comfortable with his timing and as always with mid-range shots. Effervescence that he shared with Laprovittola, who punished the rival with two triples in a row to open the gap and try to explain that this Barça is no longer what it was, since the team has gained strength and confidence, cruising speed. Or so it seemed… The Blaugrana played at full speed, atomic circulation and energetic defense, a cocktail that initially made Monaco and James indigestible, who missed his first four shots and could do little against the scorching basketball of Barça, who closed the first quarter very satisfied (21-12), only penalized by the permanent defect of the course, free throws. The joy, however, did not last long.
BARCELONA, 67 â MÃNACO, 77
Barcelona: Satoransky (8), Laprovittola (13), Kalinic (2), Parker (7) and Vesely (19) -starting quintet-; Da Silva (2), Rubio (5), Brizuela (2), Hernángomez (3), Abrines (4) and Jokubaitis (2).
Monaco: James (17), Strazel (13, Blossomgame (10), Brown (3) and Motiejunas (12) -starting quintet-; Okobo (7), Diallo (4), Cornelie (0), Jaiteh (1), Walker ( 0) and Hall (10).
Partials: 21-12; 14-21; 16-27; 16-17.
Referees: S. Radovic (Croatia), S. Shemmesh (Israel) and S. Petek (Slovenia). No eliminations.
Palau Blaugrana 7,045 spectators.
Although Monaco closed the gap thanks to Okobo, the fans looked more at the bench than at the hardwood, eager to see their famous signing. “Ricky,†Grimau called him as the stands cheered up and the point guard responded with a shy greeting. There were 8m 43s left in the second act and the 9th entered the court. “Ricky Rubio, clap-clap, clap-clap, clap!†the Palau sang with enthusiasm. But Barça had lost its rhythm and finesse, as well as its defensive intensity and presence on the rebound, arguments for Monaco to go up (23-21). Ricky responded with a reverse and a jump back, his first basket to the delight of the pavilion, already melting before his new star, who distributed sweets that the pitchers did not taste. Bittersweet minutes for the Catalans, who were desperate for the team, knowing that a victory would bring them closer to the Euroleague qualifying rounds, screwed as they are in second position. But it wouldn't be easy, 35-33 at halftime.
Especially because during the restart the best version of Motiejunas appeared, scoring two goals from the outskirts and one more in the bottle, a giant with hand and waist. Barcelona barely complained, sleepy and stuck, not very successful in the shot: Kalinic and Parker did not score one; Lapro was not meant; and only Vesely was capable of shouting to the sky, of becoming strong and big under the hoops. It was time for Ricky to come out again. But it was difficult for his high-quality basketball – as it left his teammates with clear shooting options and time to arm themselves – to gain momentum. So he took the ball and command, a two plus one to call his teammates into a huddle. Not enough, however, to upset Monaco, who also found James, a player who scores points with astonishing ease and who gave the Monegasques a boost (51-60).
Barça tried to say his from the periphery, trigger comes and trigger comes – 4 of 27 in triples during the challenge, horrifying Kalinic's 0 of 7 -, in the same way that he did not speak near the rim, with no response to the electric rival defense. The hoop was tiny for the Blaugrana and not for Monaco, who in the absence of the devastating version of James (17 points) relied on Strazel, Hall, Motiejunas and Blossomgame, all with double digits. And that was enough for Monaco, a team as successful as it was complete, to know how to decipher the Palau and take the victory, also to sour Ricky Rubio's debut as a Barça player.
On the other hand, Fenerbahçe was able to beat Baskonia thanks to the sprint final, to a sensational last quarter in which they scored 33 points. Too much for Obradovic's team (111-96).
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