BarcelonaThe shortest path between a nightmare and a dream is defense. Barça received 51 points in the first 20 minutes against Baskonia and only 23 after the break. To find such a bad number from the Basque team, you have to travel to 2014. Àlex Abrines led the way by scoring nine points in two minutes that covered more than three mouths. The metamorphosis came with a change of attitude behind it. The work of Kalinic and Vesely was exceptional.
La Penya is good to lose
Joventut de Badalona is good to lose. Despite being one step away from victory on the Valencia Basket court and not agreeing with some refereeing decisions in extra time, the players and the coaching staff of La Penya stayed on the parquet of La Fonteta once finished the match to participate in the tribute to Rafa Martínez. The orange club withdrew the shirt of the Santpedor player, an example of a good person.
Oil in the Czech Republic
When you have to sign for less money than your rivals, you sharpen your wits. Xevi Pujol has only been the sporting director of Baxi Manresa for a short time, but he could already write a book. His last meeting went to find her in Nymburk, a small town of 15,000 inhabitants in the Czech Republic. Jerrick Harding just landed, but he’s already a sensation. The American scores 22.5 points on average. Timid is not: he has played two games and has already attempted 14 three-pointers.
The mother of all eggs
Aíto García Reneses does not yet play against the rivals. Basketball Girona’s biggest adversary at this stage of the season is its own evolution. The Madrid coach wants the players to forget about the score and focus on developing the collective game. Despite having the talent of Marc Gasol, the pace is the mother of eggs. The recipe for mastering him is clear: defensive daring and a willingness to use few seconds to attack. The risk was very clear in Tenerife, the lost balls.
