BarcelonaBarça sweated blood and liver to beat Olympiacos (79-78) and remain unbeaten in the Euroleague. The Barça team, who won in extra time, made a titanic effort not to lose against a rival that made things very difficult for them. Two free throws from Pierre Oriola 7.6 seconds from the end served to certify the win, as Kostas Sloukas missed a final shot.
The first half of Barça was a calamity. The Olympiacos defense disfigured the virtues of a Barça team that missed the 12 triples it tried and could only score 27 points. The Catalan team, which came to have an 8-point disadvantage, did not feel at all comfortable for the first 20 minutes in which the initiative was always visiting (27-32). The only productive plays of the premises arrived in situations of counterattack or transition, when the rival still had not organized his defensive strategy.
The Barça metamorphosis took place during a third quarter in which Barça scored 28 points. The Barça team knew how to change the pace of play to build a nine-point difference (58-49). Encouraged by Nikola Mirotic, the Catalan team regained its vital constants. However, Olympiacos did not give up and took advantage of a mistake by Cory Higgins on the horn to force overtime (67-67).
In extra time, Barça exhibited craft, character and good defense against an Olympiacos that left a great image at the Palau Blaugrana, where each basket was celebrated as if it were a goal at the Camp Nou.
Prestigious victory for Baxi Manresa
Baxi Manresa won a prestigious victory in the Champions League after beating the difficult track of the Israeli Hapoel in Jerusalem (68-73). Thus, the team coached by Pedro Martinez the second victory in two games and share the leadership of Group B with the Turkish Pinar Karsiyaka, the next rival in Europe.
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