En a five-game playoff there is time for the dynamics to change. Who before was sunk, Real Madrid, now rides the wave and who saw it on track, Partizán, now has it raw. From 0-2 to 2-2 and the fifth game at the WiZink Center… already with Kevin Punter. The whites’ attempted feat, to overcome what has hitherto been irreplaceable, is still alive after winning the two events in Belgrade. What seemed impossible shortly after the end of the second meeting.
If these qualifying rounds are moods, Sergio Rodríguez has to be important, because his is always on the rise. After a discreet season, the point guard is showing his best level at the most opportune moment. If in the third game he was already important after the break, in the fourth he dominated the rhythm, detected the advantages, put the ball where he should and, in addition, scored. In short, he did what he knows: be a base. He finished with eight points, seven rebounds and a PIR of 14. And with his magic, he took Belgrade.
In this roller coaster that is the tie, it will be necessary to see if Gabriel Deck’s possible serious injury to his left knee changes the trend again. It could be a new turning point in a series that oscillates depending on important events: Tavares’ injury, brawl, sanctions…
Tavares, far from mortals
Basketball, sometimes, is much simpler than it seems. A good point guard, Chacho, and a good center, Walter Tavares, to dominate. After his exhibition in the third game, the Cape Verdean showed a somewhat more human version, but still far from other mortals: 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a PIR of 30. Without Vincent Poirier and with the brief and unproductive replacements of Anthony Randolph and Petr Cornelie, each of the colossus’ absences due to rest or fouls were noted. His presence sows panic. With him, Madrid is a team. Without him, a totally different one… and much worse.
Wasn’t the court factor so important?
All season struggling to settle in the top eight to access the playoffs and once there, to fight for one of the first four places. The objective, to have the field factor in the qualifiers. And now it turns out that the teams are determined to blow up history. Of 80 series disputed, in 67 the team that had the field advantage passed. In the present playoffs, 15 games have been played and in 10 of them the visitor won. In the series between Madrid and Partizán, the team playing at home has not won a game. It would be curling the loop for the Serbs to win the fifth in the WiZink.
hell, silent
It was impressive to see a pavilion usually in a state of effervescence in complete silence. The 20,000 fans present at the Stark Arena respected the heartfelt tribute to the victims of a Belgrade school. Danilo Andjusic and Nigel Williams-Goss read statements in Serbian and English. Some players couldn’t help but tear up and fans threw flowers onto the pitch. Local players even wore jerseys to remember the victims.
The players of Partizán and Real Madrid, during the moment of silence.
On the ‘autocanasta’ by Williams-Goss
If Nigel Williams-Goss was decisive in the third game with a three-pointer at the last minute, the Madrid point guard was about to be so in the fourth, but due to his mistakes. he made a couple of turnovers down the stretch and, in the height of bad luck, received after a baseline and, pressured by Yan Madar, tried to pass the ball to Dzanan Musa with the bad luck that it bounced into the hands of the Israeli player and entered the Real Madrid hoop. Chus Mateo’s men had the game on track before that action put the score at 78-80 with 1:19 remaining. Then they managed to secure the win.
2023-05-04 21:08:35
#magic #Chacho #takes #Belgrade
