The Palau Blaugrana demonstrated for the umpteenth time why the pitch factor in the Euroleague is important for Barça. The ancient and magical Barcelona pavilion created the necessary atmosphere at the ideal moment, when the Blaugrana seemed lost in the final minutes, to propel Roger Grimau’s men towards a key triumph against Maccabi Tel-Aviv (92-89) . A Laprovittola three-pointer five seconds before the end saved a Barcelona team that maintains, with one match remaining, fourth place, the last one that gives a field advantage in the quarter-finals.
As if it were a complicit gesture towards their staunchest fans, the Blaugrana did not score their first basket until after the first minute, during which the cheering stands were silent in protest of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Mossos d’Esquadra banned the entry of a banner with the slogan “No to genocide”, a message that was shouted at the top of its lungs by the noisiest sector of the fans after the initial 60 seconds. The protest coincided with the first points of the Barcelona players, which gave way to an exchange of baskets. An inspired Willy Hernangómez seemed to open a gap (17-10), but between Dibartolomeo, Tamir and Baldwin, all adding three, they equalized the score at the end of the first quarter (19-19).
The dynamic did not change in the second quarter, with the Israelis showing their offensive resources, especially from the perimeter. Maccabi, which is seventh in the standings and arrived in the Catalan capital after six consecutive victories, began to score without opposition. Rivero and Cleveland threatened to break the game against an unanswered Barça (27-37). Abrines appeared to command the local reaction by scoring three three-pointers, the third to return command to his team before the break (44-43).
Barça continued without good collective feelings after the restart. Thick in attack and weak in defence, the Blaugrana only took off when Parker went on a streak. The American, missing until that moment, without points, scored three triples in a row that shot the lead up to eight points (60-52). Barça lived on rampels. Another Laprovittola flash from the 6.75 line pushed the lead to ten points, but a third-period buzzer beater by March MVP Baldwin preempted another Israeli gamble in the final stretch (70 -63).
Two easy Maccabi baskets forced Grimau to call an unsuccessful timeout. Two turnovers by Ricky Rubio were intertwined with two triples by Dibartolomeo and another by Blatt (80-85). With more heart than game, driven by a Palau that increased the decibels, the Blaugrana rose from the canvas with a triple from Abrines that gave them back the initiative in the electronic. But a suspended shot by Baldwin, top scorer with 22 points, left everything in the hands of Laprovittola on the penultimate possession. The Argentinian, happy in the hot moments, pulled off a long-range triple from his hat that sealed a vital triumph and blew up a Palace that aims to be a key factor in the playoffs. All that remains is to finish the job in the last match at home against Villeurbanne.
