Barça's debut in the Euroleague against the always fearsome Efes was viewed with some suspicion, let no one be fooled. At the dawn of a new project there are always potholes and we have to face them and overcome them. Also in the Grimau team, for whom Europe was a fable. The new Barça coach gained credit with an exciting and encouraging victory in a dedicated Palau, which was finally able to enjoy his team.
It is undeniable that things are changing in Barcelona, where tactical corsets seem to have emigrated and where stopping the clock now seems like an affront. The Barça fans had fun with a Barça that ran and ran, confirming that they try to have fun in the process of learning the roadmap that Grimau wants to impose. He still has a long way to go to achieve that goal but he puts all his effort into it.
Efes was a good touchstone to gauge this Barça team, which is still looking for its direction in the initial stretch of the season. The Turkish team has also changed a lot, without the controversial Ataman, a usual source of tension in the Palau, which created a beautiful battle that was later confirmed as such.
Grimau opted for experience, with a five-man squad without new signings, and the match had an intense and entertaining first act, although with a feeling of little impact on the scoreboard. He flew the ball from one field to the other with Vesely and Derek Willis, the former de la Penya, commanding operations on their respective sides. The scoreboard didn't inflate as much as it seemed, but no one yawned.
Barça took command and made its first push in the second quarter with the emergence of Brizuela and his wrist, always threatening. A three-pointer from the Basque Mamba extended it to 32-23 (minute 14). By then, Willy Hernangómez had appeared on the court, who seemed much looser than lately, scoring an excellent 2 1 to make his debut in the Euroleague as a Barça player as a prelude to a more than remarkable performance, leading scorer of the duel to begin with. It was Larkin, always him, who prevented the first scare for Efes and kept the Turks with their lives intact.
The equality was maintained after the break, with an Efes team that tried to deploy all its resources, especially in the outside shot, against a Laprovittola team that wanted to put on a show.
But Barça decided to press the accelerator in the last ten minutes and the Turks could not keep up. Willy and Vesely took turns destroying the Efes rim, increasing the differences play by play. Although it was the emergence of Jabari Parker that finished turning the night blue. Brizuela's ability in passing allowed the Chicagoan to shine against a Palau team that was excited about its big-name signing. The rival ended up so devastated that Laprovittola's last free kick closed a final score that reflected the biggest difference in the duel all night. It was, without a doubt, an encouraging debut.
91. Barça (22 18 29 21): Laprovittola (13), Satoransky (8), Kalinic (4), Da Silva (4), Vesely (16) -starting team-, Brizuela (7), Hernangómez (18), Abrines (7), Parker (10), Jokubaitis (4) and Parra (-).
74. Anadolu Efes (15-19-30-10): Thompson (2), Larkin (16), Yilmaz (3), Willis (8), Zizic (9) -starting team-, Beaubois (4), Bryant (10), Clyburn (7), Hollatz (-), Jones (10) and Pleiss (5).
Árbitros: Sreten Radovic (CRO), Mehdi Difallah (FRA) y Milivoje Jovcic (SER). Sin eliminados.
Incidents: match on the first day of the Euroleague played at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona before 5,577 spectators.
