Festive atmosphere in Montjuïc ahead of Barça-Mavericks match

Five Barça Regal players made a surprise stop at the Blaugrana Fan Zone on Maria Cristina Avenue in Barcelona this afternoon. Xavier Rabaseda, Nathan Jawai, Joe Ingles, CJ Wallace and Erazem Lorbek joined the gathered fans for shootout contests and three-vs-three matches on the make-shift courts set up adjacent to the Palau Sant Jordi, where Barça Regal will face the 2011 NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks.

Competition and entertainment at the Sant Jordi

After the fun and games at the Fan Zone, Barça Regal trained at the Palau Blaugrana. Before the session, however, Xavi Pascual’s men talked to the press. “It’s a good opportunity to enjoy ourselves and compete against one of the best teams in the NBA,” said Abrines. “I’m sure we’ll have fun because this will be more than just a basketball game. The fans will have a great time,” added Lorbek.

Lorbek: “It’s not the ACB, but it’s an important match”

The Blaugrana pivot believes that the match against the Dallas Mavericks “is important” even though it’s not an official match. “We’ll give it our all and it would be spectacular if we won, it would give us confidence,” he said. Barça Regal come into the match against the Mavs after losing its last two Liga Endesa games. “We’ve been lacking concentration and our defence hasn’t been solid,” said Tomic, who added that he can’t be satisfied with his performances if “the team doesn’t win.”

Exciting matchup against Nowitzki

The three Barça Regal players admitted that they’re looking forward to the chance to face off against Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best basketball players in the world. “He’s one of the best players of the NBA,” said Abrines. “Stopping him won’t be easy, he’s a natural scorer and he always knocks down a lot of points,” added Lorbek, one of the men that will undoubtedly be tasked to mark the big German in tomorrow’s match. Barça Regal will have a chance at winning the game if they can neutralize Nowitzki. The team know it and that’s what they’ll try to do.