Barça extends an unthinkable miracle

BarcelonaA Barça side ravaged by injuries and with just nine professional players defeated Monaco (79-72) and forced a 2-2 victory over Monaco in the Euroleague quarterfinals. The Catalan team overcame all odds, prolonged the miracle, and equalized a tie in which everyone thought they were eliminated. The Catalans offered their best performance on the toughest night. A total of 7,018 spectators created some very emotional moments at the Palau Blaugrana, where Joan Laporta celebrated the victory like any other fan.

The big winner of the night was Joan Peñarroya, who, despite once again being without Jan Vesely, harnessed the talent of players like Darío Brizuela and Jabari Parker to impose his game plan.

Barça took advantage of Jabari Parker's momentum to start Game 4 on a high. The power forward scored 11 points in six minutes, boosting the Blaugrana's chances. The home side's energy surprised Monaco, who were already losing by 15 points (21-6) before they even got on the court. The visiting team took advantage of Barça's haste to narrow the gap (23-14).

Vassilis Spanoulis made some tactical adjustments to disrupt Barça's rhythm, which quickly lost the lead (27-28). Parker also committed his third personal foul. Mike James, a player as good as he is difficult to coach, was back to his best. The Blaugrana, who wasted too many balls, lost patience with the refereeing: by the time Monaco had taken 17 free throws, the Catalans had yet to have a single one. The first-half lead was 2-21, which translated into a resounding 12-24 scoreline (35-38). "When you play against players who are above the rules, it's very difficult," lamented Darío Brizuela.

Monaco, which for many minutes won all the divided balls, toughened its defense during a third quarter in which the visitors' lead increased to 8 points (36-44). The Monegasque team offered a very dynamic game against an opponent who tried to park their frustration with the referees. When they toughened their mentality, Barça reacted and were able to reach the final ten minutes with the game tied (58-58).

Brizuela starred in a handful of magical actions to put Monaco on the ropes (66-62), and Parker added efforts to take a five-point lead in the last 70 seconds of the game (75-70). The final efforts of the Monegasque team did not alter the concentration of the Barça team.

Ephesus is still alive

Anadolu Efes also defeated Panathinaikos (85-82) and forced a fourth game of the tie (2-2), in a matchup in which Elijah Bryant, who scored 19 points, was the decisive player. Meanwhile, both Fenerbahce, coached by Sarunas Jaiskevicius, and Olympiacos, coached by Georgios Bartzokas, who eliminated Real Madrid on Thursday, have already qualified for the final four in Abu Dhabi.