Walk and victory of Real Madrid against Panathinaikos

If any Real Madrid fan was still dragging the acceleration of the comeback against Barça, they surely appreciated the very placid night that Panathinaikos gave them.

The Greek team has been in the doldrums in the Euroleague for a long time, but even in that depression it is hard to remember an image as disastrous as the one he left in the first half against the Whites.

Without doing more than just,

's team bagged a comfortable victory (83-68) and closed the day sharing the lead with Olympiacos.

Mateo said in the preview that the pieces were fitting together well, but that his team should not become complacent.

And if anything it was that, the relaxation, which prevented Madrid from ruling much earlier.

If he could open the game with a 15-2 run just by defending and picking up the fruit that fell from the tree, it was going to be difficult to maintain the tension for the 40 minutes.

More than half of those starting points came from

, who best understood the hole Panathinaikos had in the baseline (16 points, 7 rebounds).

The Frenchman hit the hoop and passed the bill to a generous defense to ruin.

Inoperative in static and lazy in transitions.

How many times was a jog enough for Madrid to get an easy basket on the counterattack?

And there were many, because Panathinaikos were simple-minded in attack, delivered to what

(the Euroleague's top scorer) or

could generate one-on-one, and barely clung to the game thanks to the success in three-pointers.

If Bacon also did not have his night (4/14 in shots), the accounts did not come out.

All the clarity that the American lacked with the ball was with the microphone when they asked him to give his diagnosis of the first part.

What had to be improved behind?

"Well, we have to defend."

And what would change in attack?

"Uff. The entire game."

His eyes almost rolled back.

It was not for less.

Without demanding too much, Real Madrid lived all night over a 10-point lead.

No shine, but without any rush.

A walk to recover from the heat against Barça.

And to catch air for what is coming.

On Friday he visits Monaco with a pending task: to face the best in the Euroleague.

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