Nobody trusts the Baskonia.
Despite their hesitations, their season of lights and shadows,
Dusko Ivanovic's is a wild bunch
, full of competitive guys, capable of going into battle with total determination.
Joventut suffered a gale and it is a warning to all: the ACB champion already awaits a rival in the semifinals.
[96-87: Narration and statistics]
Baskonia's weapons are numerous.
Because in that squad, whose only drawback is that it is not too long, it has types of genius and character, with giants like Fall, with
lethal shooters like Alec Peters
, with eager youngsters and veterans of Dragic's experience ... that together was too much for a somewhat tender Joventut, who missed the exit step and was already looking for ghosts all afternoon at the WiZink.
Penya survived as best the first half of Baskonia.
A determined rival, successful.
A staging full of confidence and rhythm from the ACB champion, as if he was looking forward to this tournament in which he dropped last year.
He stood with
a quintet of centimeters and kilos
and that imbalance marked the duel.
Soon it opened a gap, before the weakness of those of Carles Durán, who saw them coming.
Polonara was a titan and Henry closed the first act with one of the plays of the tournament, a powerful mate that was a reflection of what was happening on the court.
It was a wanting and not being able to be green-black, because all his offensive virtues, the damage he caused in the offensive rebound, was diluted with his errors in defense, those that allowed Ivanovic's to stretch the rope each time.
For example, when the newly signed
Demetrius Jackson
entered vein, 11 almost consecutive points until his coach sent him to the bench.
There was always a Vitorian response.
To the point of going to rest with 55 points, his cup record.
The trend continued, the commitment of Joventut, although this time the powerful Giedratis emerged.
It was repeated up to three times.
Every time the Joventut, supported by Bassas and Tomic, got closer, the three times back from Baskonia, Peters, Polonara, Giedraitis himself ... With a calm and a success that were a treasure.
Until the duel was definitively broken (87-68, min. 34), after a 16-3 run.
By the very weight of the baskonista offensive, which mercilessly punished rival complacency.
Joventut fought with pride until the very end -
"Are we going to die on the track?"
Durán proudly asked his boys after the final 2-14, but he never had any real options to beat the Baskonia character.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
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See links of interest
2021 business calendar
Athletic Club - Levante
Real Madrid-Valencia Basket
Baskonia-Joventut, live
RB Leipzig - FC Augsburg
Bologna - Benevento