Barça come within a hair's breadth of an impossible comeback

BarcelonaA Barça side with more courage than legs came within a hair's breadth of an impossible comeback. The Blaugrana, who were not far from overcoming a 20-point deficit, lost to Fenerbahce (78-82) and have now suffered four consecutive defeats. The EuroLeague leader and reigning champion remained calm in a high-voltage final stretch in which Sarunas Jasikevicius stopped the game to file a protest. Jan Vesely was unable to celebrate his 400th EuroLeague game with a victory. Kevin Punter (24 points) was the best player for a Barça team hampered by a poor performance from Will Clyburn, who missed 11 of his 12 shots. Xavi Pascual, who included Darío Brizuela in his lineup, tried countless tactical solutions. "We reacted too late and only fought in the final stretch," lamented the coach.

Saras, who was greeted with a thunderous ovation by a Palau Blaugrana crowd that hasn't forgotten his legacy, started the game imposing his game plan against a Barça team that was too soft in the physical battles. The Catalan team only managed to score 4 points in the first six and a half minutes, missing many open shots (4-15). "We missed the first few shots and that blocked us mentally," Pascual admitted. Jan Vesely was one of the few home players who started the game well. The Barça team missed their first seven three-point attempts (10-24). The Turkish opponent, on the other hand, made five of their first six three-point attempts (14-29). The visitors' lead set off alarm bells at the Palau Blaugrana (14-32). An unsportsmanlike foul by Wade Baldwin allowed Barça to score six points on a single possession, but the Catalan team struggled to be solid defensively. Fenerbahce's shooting percentages approached perfection during a disappointing first half for the Blaugrana. The introduction of Myles Cale energized the home team, who tried to capitalize on Kevin Punter's scoring to avoid falling behind against a Fenerbahce side that went into halftime with a 12-point lead (41-53).

After missing his first six shots, Clyburn finally scored his first basket at the start of the third quarter, but Barça continued to struggle defensively. With 15 minutes remaining, the game seemed decided (46-65). The Barça players tried to rally, but Fenerbahce responded well to the home team's initial efforts (49-69). The game came down to the final ten minutes, a do-or-die situation for Pascual's men (56-73).

Controversial ending

Barça relied on the magic of the Palau to try and turn around an extremely difficult situation. The home team's efforts resulted in a comeback that defies explanation, narrowing the gap against an experienced opponent. A 12-0 run allowed the fans to dream.

A change in the referee's interpretation of a personal foul led Jasikevicius to file a protest with three minutes remaining, when his team was leading by five points (73-78). The unusual situation stopped the game for a few minutes. Fenerbahce proved more accurate in the final possessions.