It is not necessary to read the coffee grounds to know that a team that does not play almost anything, against another that pursues a collective utopia surrounded by 20,068 followers, will hit a wall very difficult to jump. He started Madrid well, he tried, but he fell off the wall, as he had happened to Olympiacos two days ago on the same stage, in the bubbling stark arena (Not to Barça last Tuesday, yes). Great merit of Partizán, which has risen like foam since mid-December: 14 victories in the last 19 days (almost 74% successes). Only the leader, Olympiacos, can keep up with the same mark. The whites, with the average lost with the Greek team and Barça, they fall to third place with two games to go and today they would meet Fenerbahçe, although it could also be Partizán itself. The team of the French center Mathias Lessort (16+8 for a PIR of 29), whose strength, athleticism and speed to split up and continue helped offset the Tavares effect. A great interior that has been difficult to find and that fits like a glove in what is perhaps Obradovic’s most special proposal, that of his return home 30 years after starting to win European Cups away from Belgrade, in Spain, Greece and Turkey.
The interior pillar was accompanied by a whole block on a mission, a group full of activity and energy that increasingly defends more and knows how to choose better with the ball. Only nine losses after scoring 104 points at full speed and shooting only 13 triples, turning his back on the prevailing fashion a bit. Dante Exum (15 points), Kevin Punter (16) and James Nunnally (14) were the outside references, more than going in first and shooting later. Papapetrou, more accurate than other days, did a good job, like Smailagic as an interior joker. He was just more subdued than usual Zach LeDay. In Madrid, with Tavares eliminated due to fouls and well watched, Musa (22 and 12 of 13 from the free kick), Deck and Hezonja (17 each) were the ones who pulled the car, although in a somewhat isolated and disjointed way. The biggest merengue defeat of the course, by 14 points and after conceding more than 100 for the first time: 104-90.
In absence of YabuseleMadrid came out with Hezonja de four together with Tavares and escorted in the wings by Musa and Abalde with Hanga as a base. Partizan did not start with everything and left Exum, Punter, Nunnally and Lessort on the bench. Tavares imposed his presence, although the former NBA player smailagic (still only 22 years old) tried to find the turns. Musa punished with her penetrations and the fouls that she forced. His team was in control, but the margin was slim: 21-25 at the start of the second quarter, with the rotations already boiling. The Italian referee Paternico, this time as the main one, was going to twitch the visitors (as against Efes in Istanbul). Technique to Chus Mateo and Partizán already with all its strength on the court, which allowed it to unbalance the balance on the rebound, where theoretically the whites are stronger.
The defensive turn of the screw spurred on by the 20,068 faithful partisans had an effect. Lessort with his vigor and speed punished Poirier and then Ndiaye and Cornelie, Real missed the difficult and the easy, baskets that seemed made: Abalde, Cornelie, Ndiaye, Hezonja… While Nunnally was held by the weakest pair (Musa, Chacho…) and Obradovic exploited that path: up to 10 points in the second quarter. A leak that created instability behind, which caused imbalances that the Partizan took advantage of with his hyperactivity. In attack, the whites isolated themselves individually and the failures in baskets made did not allow them to regroup. The speed was grobari (gravediggers). From 35-34 to 49-36.
And around the locker room, 55-41 after a 2 + 1 from Punter that took the third personal away from Tavares. Madrid had it very lost. If he wanted to have any choice, he had to start again almost at the beginning. He got down to it, rearranged himself. Deck punished the post and Musa took the direct to the basket to score or go to the free throw (12 of 13). Hezonja appeared… And when he had cut to five (61-56), he replied a powerful Exum with a three-pointer and a penetration. Plus a tap from Lessort, free kicks from Andjusic. The whites were still very unemployed, without the offensive cohesion (despite the 22 assists) of 48 hours before against Fenerbahçe and they trusted almost everything to the individualwhich gave wings to the Partizan style to be able to steal and run. Smailagic scored with a triple (89-76) and in the last five minutes the local party broke out in communion with the stands, which is seen with a foot and a half in the quarterfinal playoff. Returning to a Final Four 13 years later is no longer an impossible wish, even if only three months ago it seemed like science fiction. Obradovic’s revolution continues to advance.
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2
Zach LeDay
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|
10
Ioannis Papapetrou
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4
Alexa Avramovic
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|
9
Alen Smailagic
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|
32
urostrifunovic
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|
26
Mathias Lessort
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7
kevin pointer
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eleven
Dante Liman Exum
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twenty-one
James Nunnally
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33
Danilo Andjusic
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41
Yam Madar
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1
Tristan Vukcevic
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| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2
Zach LeDay
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26 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
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10
Ioannis Papapetrou
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22 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 4/5 | 0/0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |
|
4
Alexa Avramovic
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fifteen | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/5 | 1/4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
|
9
Alen Smailagic
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8 | eleven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/4 | 3/5 | 1/1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
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32
urostrifunovic
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8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
|
26
Mathias Lessort
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30 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 7/9 | 0/0 | 6 | 4 | 29 | |
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7
kevin pointer
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29 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3/3 | 5/12 | 1/2 | 3 | 3 | 18 | |
|
eleven
Dante Liman Exum
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23 | fifteen | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/4 | 2 | 2 | 18 | |
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twenty-one
James Nunnally
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22 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 5/6 | 0/0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | |
|
33
Danilo Andjusic
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7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5/6 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
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41
Yam Madar
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5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | -4 | |
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1
Tristan Vukcevic
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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eleven
Mario Hezonja
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31
dzanan muse
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22
Edy Tavares
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|
8
Adam Hanga
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6
Alberto Abalde
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|
14
Gabriel Deck
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|
5
Rudy Fernandez
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|
17
vincent poirier
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twenty-one
Petr Cornelie
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|
13
Sergio Rodriguez
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|
1
fabien causeur
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|
30
Eli Ndiaye
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| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
eleven
Mario Hezonja
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30 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/4 | 2/6 | 4/7 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |
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31
dzanan muse
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28 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12/13 | 5/7 | 0/2 | 7 | 3 | 23 | |
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22
Edy Tavares
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twenty-one | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5/5 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 6 | 5 | 14 | |
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8
Adam Hanga
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twenty-one | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4/4 | 0/0 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 12 | |
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6
Alberto Abalde
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13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
|
14
Gabriel Deck
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22 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6/6 | 4/7 | 1/3 | 4 | 2 | 22 | |
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5
Rudy Fernandez
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16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/4 | 0 | 2 | -1 | |
|
17
vincent poirier
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14 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 2/4 | 1/2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
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twenty-one
Petr Cornelie
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12 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
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13
Sergio Rodriguez
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12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
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1
fabien causeur
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4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | |
|
30
Eli Ndiaye
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | |
