Barça stumbles against an unexpected ally in Monaco

BarcelonaBarça started the quarterfinals with their most inconsistent form and lost the first game of the tie in Monaco (97-80). The Blaugrana suffered some serious lapses against a more intense opponent than expected. The home side increased their physicality, forcing the visitors to play with very long possessions. The defensive level established by Vassilis Spanoulis became a decisive ally for his players and an unexpected burden for the visitors.

"They played more physical than us. We struggled to play our game and lost too many balls. Defensively, we were always late," analyzed Joan Peñarroya, coach of a team that only distributed 11 assists, a perfect summary of the problems he had in establishing a collective game.

Barça took advantage of their rebounding dominance to impose their game plan during a first quarter in which Kevin Punter's outside shooting made the difference. Thanks to good ball circulation, the visiting team found good shooting positions. The burden on the Blaugrana team was their turnovers (21-25).

Monaco improved their defense with a strong commitment from all their players. Barça, lacking tactical discipline, went almost six minutes without scoring a basket, a circumstance that the home team took advantage of to register a 20-2 run (41-27). Lacking the necessary concentration for a quarterfinal tie, Willy Hernangómez lasted only 81 seconds on the court. Youssoupha Fall's contribution was very productive for a Catalan team that reacted in time. A final run of 3-15 closed the score (44-42).

The third quarter was disastrous. Another lapse from Barça allowed Monaco to extend their lead again. The Blaugrana's shot selection, which failed to emphasize their transition plays, worsened. The home team, on the other hand, had the patience to improve their passing speed and score 32 points in just ten minutes (76-59).

Monaco was able to tighten up their contact and adapt better to the referee's criteria. Trailing by 19 points (80-61), Tomás Satoransky was disqualified for excessively charging Matthew Strazel. The point guard was penalized with an unsportsmanlike and technical foul. The incident erupted into a brawl. Despite the Catalan team's efforts, the deficit was insurmountable. Daniel Theis' versatility made the difference. Mike James and Elie Okobo also played well.

Friday, second round

With no time to make any substantial changes, Monaco and Barça play their second match of the tie this Friday (7 p.m.). The Blaugrana have a tough schedule, as they have to play Unicaja on Sunday.