It is difficult to decipher the erratic season that Barça de Peñarroya has been having watching them compete against Panathinaikos, the current continental champion, who had no choice but to kneel at the Palau against an intense, successful rival, very involved in the game. Where has this Barça been until now? By playing like this, the Blaugranas allow themselves to dream of everything, even the Cup, if they manage to enter, even if it is through the back door. The victory allows the locals to climb positions in an increasingly exciting and evenly matched Euroleague.
Barça went from less to more, and they came out somewhat confused. A couple of free throws from Osman culminated a 0-6 score to kick off the night of basketball and light up the stands, with fans infiltrated everywhere. Even before the duel, the surroundings of the Palau gave off a certain aroma of the English countryside, dyed green before the massive presence of Panathinaikos fans. The visual sensation was later confirmed inside the magical pavilion, still without an expiration date, where the 1,500 Hellenic fans – unofficial numbers – made themselves heard loudly and in a big way. The club had reported that ticket sales were on the right track despite the coincidence of schedules with the football team’s cup duel; the fact that the schedule was not changed is left in the backlog of unanswered questions. The reason, it became clear, was that it was the Greeks who bought them.
Parker, with 15 points in the third quarter alone, and Brizuela outlined the path to a great victory
It was Barça’s turn to wake up in every way and it was the giant Fall who returned the wink to his coach after starting him by scoring three consecutive baskets that began to even things up. At his side, Jabari Parker, always dancing to his own tune, chained together several successful steps to maintain equality.
Panathinaikos had control of the match but Barça was not losing face and did not let its rival get away too much. Peñarroya got angry with Anderson openly after allowing a penetration to Nunn and immediately brought on Abrines, who contributed a lot without needing to shine in the statistics. Anderson would not return to the hardwood.
It is not easy to understand the erratic trajectory of this Barça, capable of competing like the one that most
With Vesely on the court, Barça accelerated in the second quarter. The presence of the Czech somewhat freed Metu, who looked very comfortable and agile, capable of combining baskets with his classic half turn with others of pure showtime. The result of those good minutes for the Blaugrana was to gain their first leads until the 28-23 scoreline, which was signed by Vesely. A time-out by Ataman, as acclaimed by his team as it was whistled by the local fans, perpetuating his war with the Palau – technique included – stopped the bleeding and turned the duel around. Barça entered an offensive block, one more, and would be left without scoring in the last minutes of the first half, a circumstance that Panathinaikos did not waste, as they said goodbye with 0-9 to draw the maximum locker room lead (30-38) . The last basket was scored by Juancho Hernangómez, saving family honor, since his older brother did not play for the third consecutive game.
From the first play of the second half we saw a different Barça, plugged in and eager to please and, above all, give themselves some joy. With Parker in number 2 mode in the draft, scoring 15 points in the third act alone, the duel began to turn blue. The green complex, which was gradually becoming smaller, did not know how to escape the hurricane. Brizuela joined Parker, forming a lethal couple, capable of stretching the score to 62-52 already in the last quarter. Then, Barça looked in the mirror and decided not to ruin a fantastic evening again. He calmed down, found the points at the right moments and tied the victory. Pure self-esteem to look to the future with optimism.
Technical sheet
82 – Barça (18+12+29+23): Satoransky (2), Punter (7), Anderson (0), Parker (25), Fall (6) -starting five-, Abrines (12), Metu (8 ), Brizuela (15), Núñez (3), Parra (0) and Vesely (4).
73 – Panathinaikos (21+17+12+23): Grant (18), Nunn (7), Osman (14), Juancho Hernangómez (12), Yurtseven (11) -starting five- Mitoglou (2), Gabriel (4 ), Sloukas (5), Brown (0), Papapetrou (0) and Kalaitzakis (0).
Referees: Mogulkoc (TUR), Zamnojski (POL) and Racys (LIT). Eliminated: Nunn (min. 40).
Incidents: Match of the 21st day of the Euroleague played at the Palau Blaugrana before 6,523 spectators.
#Barça #finishes #Panathinaikos
