Barça managed to avoid disaster, and they will be able to enjoy a happy Christmas after beating Zalgiris in a final in which they imposed their experience. It is the first away victory in the Euroleague in a month, a result that should help Grimau’s team find enough peace of mind to take a step forward in the face of the terrifying calendar that awaits them after the holidays.
The coach does not seem willing to change his roadmap much despite the recent poor results and his team’s games become a scoring battle for many stretches. There is no sense of regularity in the defense, with almost all the assets placed in the scoring aspect, with the danger that this entails. Five defeats in the last seven games were a very heavy backpack for Barça, who knew how to perform well under pressure despite that burden.
The triples began by supporting Barça in the Zalgirio Arena, the venue where the Barça team was reunited after losing in a bad way against Real Madrid in the last final four. After the initial 0-5, Grimau’s team received a worrying first quarter of 11-0 that forced the coach to call a timeout. Kalinic’s triples stopped the bleeding and returned control to the visitors before the end of the first act (22-28). Already at that time, Barça’s 6/8 in triples attracted a lot of attention that would increase.
The duel took a new turn as soon as the second quarter began with Birutis disguised as Shaquille O’Neal against a too soft Willy Hernangómez. A triple by Hollins equaled Zalgiris’ maximum (37-30, minute 13) and gave Barça a small slap in the face. The return of Vesely to the hardwood and the outside success of Laprovittola not only stopped the blow for the Blaugrana, but also unleashed a storm of points until half-time, which was reached with an unusual 51-56. Between both teams they had 16/22 in triples although, on the other hand, Barça went to the locker room having once again conceded more than 50 points, a trend that was as common as it was worrying.
The scoring bleeding gradually stopped after the break. Zalgiris came out better, and it didn’t take long for them to take the lead, although the second half was dominated by equality until the end. While the Lithuanian team showed a more choral version, Barça seemed to depend more on the inspiration of Laprovittola, who alternated great baskets with some striking errors. It took the Blaugrana almost 13 minutes to score their first triple in the second half, the work of Brizuela (73-75, minute 33) but it was a mirage because adding each point seemed like an ordeal. They finished that period with 2/16 from the goal, night and day. Laprovittola and Satoransky, with free throws, and Parker, with rebounds, certified the long-awaited Barça victory in the last minute.
It will be a happy Christmas at the Palau.
80. Zalgiris Kaunas (22 29 22 7): Evans (13), Giedraitis (6), Smits (11), Ulanovas (15), Hayes (0) -equipo inicial-, Sumner (7), Birutis (18), Lavrinovicius (2), Dimsa (5), Hollins (3) and Lekavicius (0).
85. Barça (28 28 14 15): Satoransky (10), Laprovittola (18), Kalinic (12), Da Silva (0), Vesely (15) -starting team-, Parker (8), Hernangómez (6), Brizuela (8), Jokubaitis (6), Parra (0) and Nnaji (0).
Referees: Carmelo Paternico (ITA), Saso Petek (ESL) and Hugues Thepenier (FRA). They pointed out unsportsmanlike fouls to local Samner (min.8) and visiting Brizuela (min.36), and technical fouls to visitor Kalinic (min.27).
Incidents: matchday 16 of the Euroleague played at the Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas (Lithuania) in front of about 15,000 spectators.
