Laporta applauded euphorically, standing in the box with the game still in play and his neighbors sitting, all surrendered to Laprovittola, who had just definitively dyed the Barça classic half a minute from the end. The Palau roared to celebrate the second victory against Real Madrid of the season after six attempts, Grimau’s team was magnificent against their bete noire, thus reaffirming the coach’s project as the season enters the final stretch.
The Argentine took the glory on an afternoon that would not have been understood without Ricky Rubio, with whom Barça worked much better than with Satoransky, a sensation that was corroborated by the statistics. With the one from El Masnou on the hardwood, he won the 21-year-old Barça – the best Barça player. With the Czech, he gave -16 – the worst balance. But it was not a classic to point out but to highlight the intangibles that all the Blaugranas added, including Satoransky, in the face of the monumental challenge that the current European champion always represents.
It took two minutes for Barça to start the engine but, when they did, they seemed to get on Vertsappen’s Red Bull. He moved the score from 3-7 to 16-7 with astonishing speed, at the pace set by a premium version of Ricky in his first classic. Their five points in a row made a Palau dressed to the nines explode, with 7,726 spectators sealing the best entry of the season, including the president and half of the soccer team, all eager for a high-flying classic.
At full speed and downhill, there was no one better than Laprovittola to take the wheel of the Barça team, which continued to increase its differences. A triple here and another there from the Argentine magician left Madrid groggy (22-9). Although the worst had not yet come for the whites, who were going through an almost indecipherable section of the course, with their homework apparently done and letting themselves go in many sections of the games. Abrines also joined the festival from the goal, with Barça making seven hits in their first nine triples attempted, and the whites found no answer. An Instagram dunk from Vesely stretched to (38-17, minute 15), the highest of the entire afternoon.
It was difficult for Madrid to realize that either they got into the game or they could take a historic beating, more emotionally tragic than at the qualifying level, that is, no matter how much Unicaja snatched the lead after the defeat. A triple from Rudy Fernández and another, trademark, from Llull, always them, activated Chus Mateo’s team, which rotated tirelessly trying to find solutions. Although it was Deck, always calm, always dangerous, who was even able to break the ten-point barrier before the break with six consecutive points (42-33).
Curves loomed for Barça because it was impossible to maintain that infernal pace at the start and Madrid had woken up, smelling blood. The whites roared, approaching little by little. The triples no longer entered, only two hits from their last 16 attempts, and Barça was barely living off a few baskets from Hernangómez. The Blaugranas breathed a sigh of relief with Ricky’s return to the court. Tavares left after the game with five fouls, the refereeing was extremely complicated in the face of so much protest from everyone, and with 71-67 in the light. Poirier’s fifth shortly after left Madrid naked in the painting, a scene before which Laprovittola took out his wand and rabbits began to appear. The classic was Barça.
85. Barça (27 18 19 21): Satoransky (3), Laprovittola (25), Kalinic (0), Parker (9), Vesely (11) -starting team-, Hernangómez (10), Rubio (11), Da Silva (5), Abrines (9), Brizuela (0) and Jokubaitis (2).
79. Real Madrid (11 22 25 21): Campazzo (8), Musa (14), Deck (14), Yabusele (10), Tavares (6) -starting team-, Rodríguez (0), Fernández (3), Hezonja (9), Poirier (4) and Llull (11).
Referees: Carlos Peruga, Martín Caballero and Francisco Araña. They eliminated the visitors Tavares (min.36) and Poirier (min.38) due to five fouls. They signaled a technical foul against the visitor Poirier (min.37).
Incidents: matchday 28 of the Endesa League played at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona in front of 7,726 spectators.
