FCB Regal - Real Madrid: No margin of error (72-84)

FCB Regal - Real Madrid: No margin of error (72-84)

An imperial Felipe Reyes, 20 points, leads his team to victory, which forces Barça Regal to win on Sunday in Game 4 of the final playoff for the Liga Endesa title

Barça Regal have to pull out all the stops on Sunday. There’s no other choice. It’s all or nothing. Despite the ruckus atmosphere at the Palau, Barça Regal were unable to defeat Real Madrid. Pascual’s men need to defeat Madrid on Sunday in order to avoid a Los Blancos league victory in Barcelona. The objective is clear: win on Sunday in order to fight for the title in Madrid.

More nerves than game

The start of the match wasn’t easy for Barça Regal. The tension and the eagerness to win worked against the Blaugrana. Madrid, who were more comfortable on the court, took the initiative and jumped to a 6-13 lead after 6 minutes. Pascual, however, calmed his men down and they responded by clawing back to a 13-17 by the end of the first quarter.

Saras keeps Barça in the game

Sarunas Jasikevicius played as if it were 2003, when he was in his prime. The Lithuanian proved that he’s one the best players in Spain with his magnificent passing and understanding of the game. He scored when the team needed it most, he selected the right pass when the Blaugrana were stuck on attack and he scored a fundamental three-pointer to put Barça in front halfway through the second quarter (23-21).

Madrid reacted, however, and in three minutes they went on a 6 to 16 run thanks to Reyes’ leadership (29-37). The half came to an end with 35 to 41 on the scoreboard.

Maximum equilibrium

Barça found it difficult to get back into the game at the start of the third quarter. Shots from beyond the perimeter didn’t go in, and the ones within were off their mark. With that said, Madrid weren’t that much better and Pascual’s men were still in the game (37-45). Ante Tomic started to make his presence felt in the paint and the Blaugrana started to feel more comfortable on their home court. Oleson and Tomic scored and Barça found themselves ahead once again (46-45). The flow of the match didn’t change until the end of the quarter, when Madrid took a slight six-point lead (50-56).

Navarro can’t do it alone

With Reyes taking center stage, the game became very difficult for Barça. Laso’s men jumped to an eight-point lead and the Blaugrana watched as their hopes of winning the match slowly faded. Navarro, who scored nearly 10 consecutive points for his team, was unable to stop Madrid’s momentum (68-72). But he couldn’t do it alone. The end of the match came with 72 to 84 on the scoreboard. Barça Regal are now down 2-1 in the final series, which means they must defeat Madrid on Sunday in order to keep their title hopes alive.
 

Força Barça
Força Barça

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