A more mature Madrid defeats a Barça under construction | Basketball | Sports

Madrid has a new seal with Facundo Campazzo back in charge of operations. Barça is completely different with many new pieces at the service of another debutant on the bench, Roger Grimau. The classic remains the same, whether in the fight for the league title, in a Final Four or, like this Saturday in Murcia, in a Super Cup semi-final to open the season. The whites won with Musa’s points (24), Tavares’ rebounds (11) and Facu’s wisdom, and this Sunday (7:00 p.m., Movistar) they will play the final against the winning duel between the hosts and Unicaja. The Madridistas are seeking their sixth straight title in the Super Cup. The new Barça, very dependent on Laprovittola (27 points) and with little contribution from the new players, is in the incubator.

Neither Willy nor Tavares in the initial quintets. The two teams kept some of their best cards. Madrid did bet on that fresh air of Campazzo that recalled an illustrious past. Barça did not start any of his recent additions. But he did begin to leave touches of the Grimau style, a less rigid game, with more freedom of thought, detached from the chains that Jasikevicius held. Less chess, in short. The Barça team sprinted while the Madrid player tried his luck from the perimeter. Three minutes with a squalid 3-2 lead gave way to the two giants, Willy and Tavares, in their first clash of the season. A rebound from the Cape Verde tower sent Campazzo on the counterattack. And in the next play the Argentine connection with Deck (8-10) appeared. The presence of Tavares intimidated Barça, recovered with the raids and the wrist of Laprovittola, the best striker, a whirlwind inside and out (16 of his team’s first 19 points). Madrid responded by uniting the imagination of Sergio Rodríguez with the stature of Tavares, who injured Brizuela with an elbow (the shooting guard no longer played). A triple by Chacho in the last tenth closed a very fast-paced first quarter (25-22).

Jabari Parker, Jokubaitis, Parra… And Rudy, Llull, Hezonja… The two greats exhibited their extensive wardrobe. Willy was paired with Poirier, another tough bone against which to test his defensive fever. And to look for the tickles on the opposite board. He followed Barça at full speed, even with shots in transition without the option of offensive rebound, a boldness that would have ignited Saras. But this Barça has another side, it doesn’t give so much thought to the coconut. An outside bingo by Parra stretched the income (32-25). The wise Rudy caused an unsportsmanlike behavior from Laprovittola, who was quieter in the second quarter (two points) after his concert in the first episode, and Campazzo also remembered old times from a distance. Madrid made the most of the turnovers that the new Barça booklet sometimes carries as a toll, and with those counterattacks the whites compensated for some traffic jams in the static attack. The duel returned to square one (35-36), intense in hand-to-hand combat. Now it was Campazzo who suffered a hard blow to the head from his colleague Laprovittola, and Da Silva who attacked Rudy in a split ball. Neither Super Cup nor preseason, it was a classic in every rule. There is no truce when it comes to Barcelona and Real Madrid and a title is sniffed out. Tavares became strong in the cave (with no antidote even if they changed their dance partners) and Madrid reached the break one step ahead (40-42).

Laprovittola returned to where he had left off at the start of the duel. Campazzo marked the ruler from his observatory. Because of those mysteries of basketball, Argentina was left out of the World Cup and the next Games with these two geniuses in its ranks. With Facu at the wheel and the production of Musa, Madrid raised the temperature against a Barça that is still in the process of fitting the puzzle. The Madridistas were in charge (48-52) despite a hiccup in their success from three-point range. From that tile Jabari Parker scored his first points in the match. The number two of the draft 2014 left more doubts than certainties about what his performance will be throughout the season. In the zone, Tavares emerged with his endless 2.21m and his arms like poles to sink Willy Hernangómez with a block, who finished with only two points. The big man from Madrid rules there. Between the interior power of the center and the agility and cutting of Campazzo, Chus Mateo’s team gave a good bite. Before the last push, 59-67.

Madrid had the game clock in their pocket, master of the scene against a Barça that started the season with more urgency. Musa, a shot when facing the rival rim, increased the spoils (64-76). The Bosnian will not be the best defensive lock, but in attack he has all the keys. The Blaugrana once again resorted to Laprovittola’s top hat, an overly exploited avenue. The whites slept through the appointment because time was in their favor. And in a pinch, ball to Tavares. With the account safe, Madrid accepted an exchange of blows that did not alter their vital signs. To secure the pass to the final, Campazzo as master of ceremonies. Reinforced by Facu, strong on the inside (54 points in the paint), the whites today are a much more developed team than a very renewed Barça that is still discovering itself.

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