It could only be like that, on an infamous afternoon, in a game to forget and not just for defeat. The streak of Real Madrid stayed in Moscow, a cursed square, in a raucous and erratic duel, where the CSKA pulled the burning ardor into the finish line, where he waited for the emotion, which was the only highlight in Megasport. [60-55: Narration and statistics]

A more denied Madrid is not remembered, 55 points when it is not so rare that it exceeds 100 (its lowest score was 60 in Istanbul against Efes), 34 of them in the last three quarters . This is impossible, except in Moscow, a strange place where Pablo Laso never won. The seventh fall of the white coach (Madrid has not won there since 2008), in addition, was the one that cut a historic streak. There was no 14th career victory because the whites ran aground in the turbulent Russian waters, a duel that saved the dawn, was a nightmare.

There it seemed that they gave the same names, the protagonists, who come and go for injuries, rivals, circumstances ... But no. He missed the intoned Rudy Fernandez (at home for some back ailments) and also Anthony Randolph. And neither Deck nor, above all, Llull lived up to his return; especially twisted the Balearic.

That train in motion that was Madrid mid-January, which engulfed rivals in Europe with an amazing inertia, collided with an opponent also absent (Strelnieks and Hackett) who scared first (14-26, min. 13) and at which later gave life with its continuous mistakes. It didn't even have to be Mike James's most lucid night.

Because that was the first slogan, to annul Portland's great base , the beginning and end of everything that happens in the Itoudis collective. The renewal of the champion of Europe goes through the talent of James, more with the fall in disgrace of Will Clyburn to the first change. If at the Palace Jeff Taylor and company left him stiff, in the first part the guy who had been averaging more than 26 points in the last seven starts, the second leading scorer of the competition, was entangled in the white web (two of 10 in releases).

And with him, the rest. Because the one who suffered first was the local. Barely 26 points fit Madrid, very strong in defense, happy at that moment in the mud that were the first 20 minutes. With Thompkins as an offensive stiletto and Campazzo in charge of the orchestra. He only lacked at this dawn better performance in the offensive fluidity to have broken more a duel that later had a trap.

The problem is that everything was a mess. Imprecisions here and there, to such an extent that seeing a clean offensive action was a strangeness, improper of the last two champions. The CSKA put the batteries in defense and Madrid had a hard time scoring their first basket in play in the second half almost six minutes. It looked like a fry marker. And James threatened to wake up completely. With six consecutive points from the base, the CSKA was plugged in.

Assumed the horror, in that despair both stood in the end with everything to decide. And there the worst feelings were white, mad Madrid mad for so much failure. A Tavares stopper that led to a Deck counter seemed hopeful, but Hilliard's triple and Llull's subsequent mistake left the game seen for sentencing. On Thursday, new appointment in Moscow, before the Khimki.

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