The advance at 7.30pm on Saturday 2 December features Pistoia, fresh from the first incredible victory in its history at home to Olimpia Milano and Napoli, also winning in the last home round against Cremona and among the best surprises of this maximum championship.
The seasonal match is an opportunity for both fans to face each other: the two clubs had already competed in the 2020/21 Serie A2 playoff round, but without cheering due to Covid and the closed doors in the arenas. Not even during the 2012/13 Legadue season was there a chance for the two sides to compete, due to the almost immediate exclusion of the then New Napoli Basketball. Going back even further, he certainly remained in the hearts of Pistoia during the play-off of the 1991/92 season between Olimpia Pistoia e Naples Basket, with the first victorious in Campania and promoted to the top flight. But we are not only talking about different eras, but also about clubs (and fans) different from the current ones.
The glance of PalaCarrara it is valuable, and certifies the great affection shown by the city in this exciting basketball season; the curve also reaches the sold out already on the morning of Friday 1. La Chaos it is certainly experiencing a great period in terms of numbers and quality of support and today probably seals one of its best performances. I am not referring, as already said, to numbers and decibels which are today’s strong points: what catches the eye most is the consistency in waving flags for practically the entire duration of the match, adding color to a sector to which, if a flaw really had to be found, it was that of a dull chromatic element, almost always buffered by the numerous scarves implemented.
The cheering is really loud and continuous, the match on the pitch is really balanced and this keeps the hot Pistoia sector on track: clapping, prolonged or dry chants are the protagonists. The fans take advantage of the “dancing” timeouts to catch their breath and rest their throats. It is easy to see who is the hard core that drives the curve, but for large stretches of the race the participation is truly notable and this can only create a truly enthralling atmosphere, focusing solely on the support of one’s own team but sometimes also sending greetings to the cousins eternal rivals of Montecatini. Apart from a few very isolated gestures between the two factions, both fans avoid any type of connection while maintaining indifference between the groups.
Moving on to the host counterpart, the blue and white ultras arrive in Pistoia in about fifty units: they are joined by approximately 50 other fans in the away section, stands and steps. Represented by the patch Only for a few and aided by some flags, they certainly make a beautiful presence in their segment. They stand out at the moment of the anthem when they decide to turn their backs, in the wake of a certain Neapolitan tradition, aimed at tracing a distance from a national sense in which, for various reasons, they struggle to recognize themselves. In terms of cheering, they offer a limited performance in my opinion: in fact they sing very infrequently (making themselves really heard on those occasions, despite the bedlam at home), giving the idea of having a much greater potential than that expressed. I’m honest: I know very little about organized basketball support in Naples (even for me it’s the first opportunity to see it in action) and mine isn’t meant to be a categorical judgement, but is based only on this one experience which I still appreciated. What is certain is that after numerous failures, corporate changes obviously combined with the leading role played by football in the Neapolitan city, one can only pay honor to those who “the deck”and one can only wish them continuity and, as for the Tuscans, growth.
In all of this, the game remains in the balance until the endalthough in all likelihood the inertia changes when, at the sound of the final siren of the third quarter, captain Della Rosa scores a complicated and fundamental triple, which allows the Tuscans to get closer 53 to 58. The partial of the last quarter will be devastating ( 28-18) and with the Pistoia favorite on the shields (voted in the following days as the best Italian of the day) the red and whites managed to win 81-76, moving further away from the dangerous areas of the rankings.
While the visiting team still receives applause from their sector, under the home team Della Rosa carried to triumph by his teammates launches the now famous joint hug and jump between fans and team, the final recognition that signs Pistoia’s victories. The evening of cheering ends with a scarf to the tune of “Destinazione Paradiso”, the anthem that accompanied last season’s ride.
In the next round Pistoia will play again on Saturday 9th December in Casale Monferrato against Tortona (first match ever between the two teams), while Napoli will host Reggiana on Sunday 10th at midday.
Text by Edoardo Pacini
Photo by Andrea Del Serra
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2023-12-07 10:12:49
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