Partizan – Barcelona
International - Euroleague, Round 3
Tuesday, 18:30 CET
The Expert
Partizan responded in the EuroLeague second round with a convincing win against Asvel in Villeurbanne (62:88). Head coach Zeljko Obradovic criticized his players after a poor performance in Tel Aviv, and it had an effect. A completely different defensive energy was evident in all subsequent games. The black and white team will have difficulties patching up the defensive gaps left by the departure of Mathias Lessort to Panathinaikos, but offensively, it's a different story. Last season, Partizan was the best team in the competition in offensive rating, and they will certainly be within the top 3 again. When you have players like Kevin Punter, Zach LeDay, James Nunnally, PJ Dozier and Frank Kaminsky, scoring should not be an issue. Especially in the "Stark Arena," where Partizan will have 20 thousand fans behind them in every game.
Everything seen from Barcelona in the current part of the season is difficult to evaluate. Looking at all the games, they have achieved six wins and two losses, both against Real Madrid. This statistic indicates that they are playing well, especially when they have outplayed Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague. However, Barcelona struggled in all games. Against Olympiacos, they were lucky as the opponent played without three key players, and on top of that, the Catalans made 15 three-pointers. The three-point shot will once again be the most powerful weapon of this team. Alex Abrines and Nicolas Laprovittola are particularly dangerous in that aspect. Plus, Nikola Kalinic, Tomas Satoransky and Joel Parra can also shoot at high percentages. Barcelona will have an advantage under the boards compared to Partizan, but the question is whether they can exploit it to the fullest.
On paper, Partizan once again has an outstanding team built to compete for a spot in the Final Four. Punter is still searching for his shooting rhythm, and this might be an excellent opportunity for him to get into a scoring streak. With the departure of Nikola Mirotic, Barcelona lost a leader and someone who could score 15+ points even on a bad day. Roger Grimau certainly does not possess coaching qualities like Sarunas Jasikevicius, and these results of Barcelona do not yet show everything that was lost during the summer. Partizan is always exceptionally inspired and motivated on their home court, and considering that this will be their first home game in the EuroLeague this season, the excitement will be even greater. Everyone in Belgrade is eager for good basketball, and this is a great opportunity for Partizan to gift their fans with a significant win. The home team also has a greater offensive quality than Barcelona, and if the opponent doesn't have monstrous numbers in three-point shooting, everything indicates that both clubs will be at 2-1 after three games played.
Pistol Pete
More than five months have passed since Partizan did not lose as a host in Belgrade; it is unlikely to happen on Tuesday against Barcelona, in Euroleague round 3.
"Black and whites", the team that last season played the best attacking basketball in the European elite competition, are catching their recognizable rhythm this month. Last week, the team of the legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic played exceptionally in the away game Asvel in Lyon, winning 88:62. Then, on Saturday, Cibona was defeated 96:67 in the regional ABA League in Belgrade in a completely routine manner. The defeat of Maccabi in Tel Aviv, 96:81 in the match played on October 5, is already forgotten.
In the match played on March 28, according to many, Partizan disappointed in the defeat against Barcelona 89:80 in Belgrade. Now the situation is different; The ABA league champions are counting on all healthy players, while a large number of important players left the Catalan giants Barca during the summer. The impression is that two-time European champions Barcelona are still in the process of searching for a winning attacking game.
The last time Partizan won an official game against Barcelona in February 2010, in a memorable duel 67:66. One gets the impression that at this moment the Belgrade team is in the best position to achieve a triumph against a famous rival, than at any time in the last decade and a half.
However, Partizan also managed to celebrate in a friendly game in September of last year 81:75 and already then showed that they have the quality to fight against teams that are in the narrowest circle of favorites for the Euroleague title.
Now the home team has an advantage primarily in the number of guards who can get into top shooting rhythm. The most is expected from shooting guard Punter, guard-forward Nunnaly, American Dozier, Serbian national team playmaker Avramovic... For the home team, it is extremely important that centers Smailagic and Kaminsky have recovered from minor injuries.
Barcelona has the advantage under the basket, Hernangomez and Vesely are among the best centers in Europe. However, the home team rotation is of better quality. If the Belgrade club has at least 15 minutes of top attacking rhythm, they will have an exceptional opportunity to "break" the match in their favor. Simply, Barca does not have enough quality shooters, to be able to send off the good series of the home team.
Also, it seems that at this moment the match is much more important for the Serbian team. Until mid-November, Partizan will play away to Olympiacos, Baskonia and Bayern, and at home against Crvena Zvezda and Fenerbahce in Euroleague, after this game. Obradovic's players know this is almost a must-win game for them, and it is expected that in the final, with the support of over 20,000 fans, they will win over Barcelona.