Barça wins in the chaos of Nou Congosta

On Friday at 18:30, Bashi Manresa and Barça will fight for a place in the semi-finals of the Cup, that is, for the first major title of the season. But first they met in the Endesa League in a hot, intense and more attractive match for the spectators than for the coaches (77-87). A match that most purists won’t like, but it was fun. 21 defeats for Barça, eight of 31 in Manresa’s trebles, and these two statistics well reflect the chaos that was the match. A prelude that Barça took on because they were better: they led the match for most of the match and withstood Manresa’s attacks.

Sometimes things happen by chance, like the trade of Satoransky for Brizuela. Cech had to be replaced because he was bleeding and Brizuela was a spur-of-the-moment decision. But the Basque made no mistakes, scored ten points in four minutes, gave Barca their first significant lead and revolutionized the match.

In fact, a match that Baxi Manresa started on a very good basis, with energy and intensity, the necessary ingredients to win against Barça. However, thanks to good performances from Goeben, they were unable to stop Barça’s attack. With a very active Willie, the guests scored 27 points (19-27). Abrines, who returned to the lineup, already added minutes in the first quarter.

In the second quarter the game continued according to the same scenario: Barça had too many opportunities to attack. It’s not that Manresa was overly passive or condescending, but rather that the Blaugranas found good shots and succeeded. The difference on the scoreboard fluctuated, but almost always exceeded ten points (27-43) after Manresa’s unsuccessful series of shots from the outside. But if Pedro Martinez’s team have one thing, especially at Nou Congosta, it is an infectious energy. From the stands to the team and from the team to the stands. They added an 11-1 mark with excellent outside defense, stealing and running.

with Dani Perez, Steinbergs and the wonderful Robinson as the main characters.

Barça’s doubts and Manresa’s inaccuracies intensified in the third quarter. An anarchic period where there was no clear owner of the ball, the game or the scoreboard, with Barça taking the lead on the scoreboard with a bare minimum. lManresa leveled the match at 14-3 with Badio’s decisive contribution.. After all, with a high volume of outside shots and some control over offensive rebounding, they are the ones making the most triple attempts in the ACB, their lack of success has prevented them from taking the lead. But there was already one possession of the ball in the game, and this did not suit Barça very well. Doubts in attack, blunders and holes in defense. At the beginning of the last quarter, the locals were already winning (65-64).

Without Willy on the field, Barça’s best player after the break, the triple success once again strengthened Barça. A few minutes because Manresa partially returned and tied the game at 72. Fatigue from the back-and-forth match was starting to take its toll, mistakes were plentiful and Barcelona’s greater outside precision once again gave them a small but significant advantage. four from the end (72-77). They didn’t lose her again. Jabari Parker, with two baskets, was responsible for eliminating any local option.