ACB Super Cup – Semi-finals – 1st matchday
Barca
real Madrid
Madrid has a new seal with Facundo Campazzo in charge of operations again. Barça is completely different, with many new players serving another debutant on the bench, Roger Grimau. The classic remains the same, whether in the fight for the championship title, in a Final Four or, as this Saturday in Murcia, in a Supercup semi-final at the start of the season. The Whites won with Musa’s points (24), Tavares’ rebounds (11) and Facu’s wisdom and will play the final this Sunday (7:00 p.m., Movistar) against Unicaja, which defeated the hosts 74:79. The Madridistas are aiming for their sixth title in a row in the Supercup. The new Barça, heavily dependent on Laprovittola (27 points) and with little contribution from the new players, is in the incubator.
Neither Willy nor Tavares in the first quintets. The two teams retained some of their best cards. Madrid relied on Campazzo’s fresh atmosphere, reminiscent of a glorious past. Barça hasn’t started with any of its recent signings. But he began to leave traces of the Grimau style, a less rigid playing with more freedom of thought, freed from the shackles held by Jasikevicius. In short, less chess. The Barça team sprinted while the Madrid player tried his luck on the outside edge. Three minutes after a tenuous 3-2 lead, the two giants Willy and Tavares walked away in their first meeting of the season. A rebound from the Cape Verdean tower brought Campazzo into the counterattack. And in the next move the Argentinean connection appeared with deck (8-10). The presence of Tavares intimidated Barça, recovered with the raids and the wrist of Laprovittola, the best striker, a whirlwind inside and out (16 of his team’s first 19 points). Madrid responded by combining the imagination of Sergio Rodríguez with the stature of Tavares, who injured Brizuela’s elbow (the shooting guard no longer played). A three-pointer from Chacho in the last tenth ended a very fast-paced first quarter (25-22).
Jabari Parker, Jokubaitis, Parra… And Rudy, Llull, Hezonja… The two greats showed off their extensive wardrobes. Willy was paired with Poirier, another tough guy on whom he could test his defensive mettle. And look for the tickles on the board opposite. Barça continued at full speed, even with shots in transition without the possibility of an offensive rebound, an audacity that would have ignited Saras. But this Barça has another side, it doesn’t worry so much about the coconut. An outside bingo from Parra increased the score (32-25). The clever Rudy caused unsportsmanlike behavior on the part of Laprovittola, who calmed down in the second quarter after his concert in the first episode (two points), and Campazzo also remembered old times from a distance. Madrid made the most of the ball losses that the new Barça style sometimes takes a toll on, and with these counterattacks the Whites compensated for some jams in the static attack. The duel went back to square one (35-36), intense in close combat. Now it was Campazzo, who suffered a hard blow to the head from his colleague Laprovittola, and Da Silva, who attacked Rudy with a shared ball. Neither Supercup nor preseason, it was a classic in every respect. There is no truce between Barcelona and Real Madrid and there is hope for a title. Tavares went strong in the cave (with no antidote, even if they changed dance partners) and Madrid reached the break with a 40-42 lead.
Laprovittola returned to where he left off at the start of the duel. Campazzo marked the ruler from his observatory. Because of these mysteries of basketball, Argentina, with these two geniuses in its ranks, was excluded from the World Cup and the next Games. With Facu at the helm and Musa’s performance, Madrid raised the temperature against a Barça still in the process of solving the puzzle. The Madridistas were in charge (48:52), although there were problems with their success from three-point distance. With this tile, Jabari Parker scored his first points in the event. The No. 2 pick in the 2014 draft left more doubt than certainty about what his performance will be throughout the season. In the zone, Tavares appeared with his endless 2.21 m and his arms like poles to destroy Willy Hernangómez with a block, who finished with just two points. The big man from Madrid rules there. Between the inner strength of the center and the mobility and penetration of Campazzo, Chus Mateo’s team delivered a good bite. Before the last attempt, 59-67.
Madrid had the game clock in their pocket and dominated the scene against a Barça that started the season with greater urgency. Musa, who fired a shot in front of the opponent’s ring, increased the score (64-76). The Bosnian won’t be the best defensive player, but he has all the keys in attack. The Blaugrana once again resorted to Laprovittola’s cylinder, an over-exploited opportunity. The white people missed the date because the time was good for them. And if necessary: ball for Tavares. With the account secure, Madrid accepted an exchange that did not alter their vitality. To ensure a place in the final, Campazzo acts as master of ceremonies. Reinforced by Facu, strong inside (54 points in the team), the Whites are today a much more developed team than a very renewed Barça, still in the discovery phase.
BARCELONA, 80; REAL MADRID, 90
Barcelona: Satoransky (14), Laprovittola 827), Kalinic (7), Da Silva (5) and Vesely (7) – first quintet –; Parker (4), Abrines (8), Jokubaitis (2), Brizuela (0), Willy Hernangómez (2) and Joel Parra (3)
Real Madrid: Campazzo (17), Abalde (2), Musa (24), Deck (14) and Poirier (7) – starting quintet –; Causeur (0), Yabusele (1), Tavares (13), Rudy Fernández (7), Sergio Rodríguez (3), Hezonja (0) and Llull (2).
Partials: 25-22, 15-20, 19-25 and 21-23.
Referee: Jiménez, Serrano and Cutillas.
Murcia Sports Palace: 7,400 spectators.
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