The Clásico exposes Barça

BarcelonaA very one-sided Clásico at the Palau Blaugrana. A resurgent Real Madrid, racking up nine consecutive victories in the Liga Endesa, exposed a Barça side that couldn't do more with less (76-95). The Whites highlighted all the shortcomings of a Barça project that doesn't bode well for this season. Their physical superiority translated into dominance on the boards.

A total of 7,032 spectators watched the game live, with dismay. Jan Vesely was the best player for a Barça team that is approaching the crucial stretch of the season with its key players exhausted. "The final reaction was insufficient. We weren't able to respond. We fell apart. Our offensive game isn't enough to compete against Madrid. We're on a very bad run and we have to turn the page. We faded away," lamented Xavi Pascual. The Catalan coach welcomed back Toko Shengelia, who only managed 2 points in 14:42 minutes. "We've been playing well for months. The team is more cohesive and knows what it needs to do," summarized Sergio Scariolo.

The first quarter served to highlight two of the coaches' main objectives. The first was to strengthen the defense. The second was to stretch the team as much as possible by giving minutes to players who usually spend more time on the bench than on the court. Without accuracy from beyond the arc, the first ten minutes did little to clarify the situation (18-15).

Real Madrid took advantage of a three-minute scoring drought by the home team to go on a 0-10 run (18-25). The situation became increasingly complicated. Procida, Lyles, and Hezonja, who hit two consecutive three-pointers, fueled the scoring for the Whites, who opened up a 21-point lead (30-51). The Whites managed to add 36 points in a second quarter in which Barcelona faded away. On offense, they only made 6 of their 17 shots, and on defense, the opponent made 8 of their 9 three-point attempts (33-51). Pascual shook things up by starting Juani Marcos and Willy Hernangómez, who hadn't yet played, in the third quarter. Far from shrinking, the visitors' lead continued to grow (44-68). Clyburn scored 9 of the home team's 20 points during a painful third quarter. The Palau Blaugrana crowd tried to rally the Barça team, but the locker room needs more support than applause. Barça entered the final ten minutes with a lot of doubt and an 18-point deficit (53-71). Young Nikola Kusturica entered the game to try and lift the spirits of a Barça team desperately needing some good news. Without the competitive tension of a match pitting the league leaders against the third-placed team, the final ten minutes were a formality. The Barcelona team capitalized on the visitors' complacency to reduce the deficit.

The heroes of Caserta, honored

Barça used halftime of the Clásico to pay tribute to the heroes of the 1986 European Cup Winners' Cup. The Blaugrana team, coached 40 years ago by Aíto García Reneses, defeated Scavolini Pesaro 101-86 in an iconic final played in Caserta. The Italian team was coached by Sergio Scariolo, the current Real Madrid coach.