Euroleague working day 16
Real Madrid is the perfect storm. A team that doesn't seem to care who is in front. The whites always have the same speed and destroy wherever they pass. In Europe they already have 15 victories and the only defeat against Fenerbahce. Chus Mateo, very close to a hundred wins with Real Madrid, screws his rivals mercilessly. Whether with Facundo Campazzo in command, as he did at the beginning of the match against Partizan, or with Sergio Rodríguez, who increased the pace even more to consolidate his team at the top of the standings.
El Chacho had fun on the court and mixed effectiveness with his usual showiness. All his fantasy at the service of the group. Seven assists in the first half meant that the 'grobari', Belgrade's gravediggers, did not know how to stop him. The point guards directed and Hezonja and, above all, Musa, executed. The Bosnian forward scored 16 points – he only missed one free throw – in the first two quarters. A hammer for the defense that Zeljko Obradovic had prepared, a legend in Madrid, where he once again made Real Madrid European champions back in 1995, after years of drought. Partizan stayed on its feet thanks to the success of Caboclo, the Brazilian center who left Reyer Venezia in an unorthodox way to join Obradovic's squad, his fourth team in four months.
The difference in the score, always above ten points, made the match much more peaceful than the one seven months ago when the two teams got into an infamous fight in the playoffs to enter the Final Four. But this time it was different. Real Madrid led from the first minute and also managed to stop Kevin Punter, one of the best scorers in Europe, thanks to the excellent blocking work of Causeur.
Partizan's hopes faded in the third quarter. Obradovic has an outstanding quintet, but on the bench he does not have the guarantee replacements that Chus Mateo finds on his. His options were considerably reduced when Caboclo, who had 18 of his team's 44 points, committed his fourth personal foul and Obradovic had to send him to the bench while his rival exceeded a 20-point advantage (65-44). The rest was a walk in the park for Real Madrid, the current champion, an unstoppable team that didn't care if Partizan visited them after having chained five consecutive wins in Europe.
The day was round for the Spanish teams. Valencia Basket, which had just lost to Partizan on Tuesday, righted the week with a great comeback against Virtus Bologna (79-71) that allowed it to add its ninth victory in the competition.
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