The Haughty Cup does not forgive, nor evenings at medium gas, nor trusts. The champion of the last two editions, that Barcelona of shimmering, of signings at the stroke of a checkbook and squad as it was not remembered in Europe, packed the bags at the first exchange, ruined by a capital Valencia Basket. A lesson. [78-82: Narration and statistics]

Because it will be good for the Catalans to take note in their preached quest for the reconquest. Triggers that waste titles, with how expensive they cost. Intolerable blackouts in a collective like the one that manages Svetislav Pesic. The draw had given him a maze and was lost in the first street of Martín Carpena .

You could well take a look at the deployment of the rival, from humility and pundonor, from pure basketball, tactical lessons from inferiority and rowing all together. Nor did he let himself be influenced by the precedents - three defeats against Barça in the course of the course - nor by the whiplash of Mirotic's class . Jaume Ponsarnau, who should live up to what he has been for a long time - a top coach - had an answer to every challenge, always starting from behind. The prize was great and deserved: on Saturday he will seek to return to the Cup final, as three years ago in Vitoria.

The merit was not trembling. After a cold start, as if wanting to position himself, absorbing Barça's triples - three of them from Claver, who finished with five - as Valencia, he came up. He did it from his hallmarks, from that patience that Ponsarnau has granted him based on facing the greats of Europe until he became a Chinese shoe in the Euroleague. Undeterred despite the 8-0 start, he took the reins of the afternoon in the Carpena effectively. When he wanted to realize, Pesic had his team 14 down (18-32), after fitting a partial 0-20 to rub his eyes, almost eight minutes without scoring a basket in play. Bad augury.

It was a warning to keep in mind. The Cup allows few naps. Barça was rolled up in defense, Claver and Mirotic reappeared (more than half of the points at the break were his) and the balance was matched.

That he was going to remain balanced on the way back, when the taronjas received another Barca avalanche without flinching. Mirotic took out the gun, 10 points in the blink of an eye ; dancing with Ndour he was much more comfortable on the dance floor, another thing was when Labeyrie asked to be his partner.

How many times intelligence, knowing how to control anxiety, wins battles. And how do the disconnections, that permanent challenge of the trainers, keep the flame burning. Suddenly, Barça went out again, another seven minutes without scoring in play - in fact, only five of its players knew what it was to contribute in attack, unusual - while Valencia climbed on his beards, he began to believe really with that choral and solidarity game led by Dubljevic. His hope when the horn of the third quarter rang (52-64) was enormous, although he was still around last week's precedent, with that Barca victory in extremis at La Fonteta - Mirotic's final basket.

But I wasn't going to shiver this time. The baskets of heart of Tobey under hoops were key, his defense of warriors, perfect all afternoon and, when desperately tried Barça, the cold blood of not overflowing with a crazy end. The Cup will have a new champion and Valencia aims strong.

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