Real Madrid and Barcelona closed the year in style in the ACB league, with a classic that was vital for both and that the Madrid team ended up scoring after a close battle that was not decided until the last play and that left the Catalans very touched. Whites and Barça players came to the clash at the WiZink Center, the last one at the Palacio de los Deportes under this name before it moves to Movistar Arena, in very different dynamics. In an atypical season for both, with too much irregularity for what is expected of their name and their squads, at the time of jumping onto the Madrid pitch they were very far from the head of the league table: fifth for the whites and eighth for the azulgranas . However, Chus Mateo’s men faced the duel with the boost of morale of having accumulated three victories in their last three games and showed a noticeable improvement in their game, while Joan Peñarroya’s men did so with recent discouraging results: two defeats followed in the Euroleague and three more in the last four games of the domestic championship. Thus, with the addition that the two previous duels between the two, in the semifinals of the Super Cup and in the Euroleague, were dyed white, the locals started as favorites. But in the classics the statistics usually mean very little, as the Madrid coach himself warned in the preview, “this is a different duel in which there are no favorites.” Translation: ears stiff in the face of the eternal rival. The first quarter put the opposing styles of each on the floor. Faced with Madrid’s runs every time they got the ball, Barça’s slower style. But none of them managed to escape on the scoreboard. Not even the good work of Rathan-Mayes in defense, initially stopping the always dangerous Punter, allowed the locals to prevail, since the better performance in rebounding by the Peñarroya team made them keep the pulse. Only in the final stretch of the quarter did Madrid take off with an 8-0 run, with triples from Musa and Feliz. Hezonja, again from the three-point line, left the first set at 21-15. Six ahead for the whites. Once again the Croatian’s wrist increased the lead as soon as the ball was put into play, but seeing themselves nine points down spurred Barcelona on. Taking advantage of Tavares’ break, the Blaugranas not only reduced the gap, but with a run of 0-10 they took the lead in the game, forcing Chus Mateo to stop it with a timeout. The Madrid coach brought Llull onto the court, making him the Real Madrid player with the most appearances in the history of the league (620), but it was Gabriel Deck who took the team on his back. His good work in defensive rebounding and his ability to unravel the rival defense helped the locals get back into rhythm. A three-pointer from Hezonja and a dunk from Tavares after a great triangulation sent the match to half-time again with the Whites ahead. Deck Injury The time in the locker room suited Real Madrid better and went into hammer mode to escape to a nine-point lead. . However, the action that sealed that victory also did so with Deck’s fate in the match. After smashing the rim, the Argentine stepped wrong and hurt his supporting leg, having to leave the game. A sensitive loss that Madrid suffered no matter how much Campazzo and Hezonja showed their face and managed to take the match to the maximum difference (+10). Metu, already recovered after his absence, supported the visitors, who entered the last quarter six down. In the last act at the WiZink the tension and emotion multiplied. Satoransky, Parker and Punter managed to turn the score around, taking advantage of the whites’ haste, stubborn with three-pointers, but a great finish from Campazzo, the bravest in the final fray, ended the duel.
#Real #Madrid #great #classic
