FCBARCELONA.CAT

01.05.2009 19:53

Siskauskas puts end to the Barça dream (78-82)

Roger Bogunyà (enviat especial)

Regal Barça have gone out of the Euroleague Final Four at the semi final stage. Xavi Pascual’s side led for most of the game, but Siskauskas won it for CSKA Moscow with an amazing 18 points in the final period.

Like in 2006, CSKA put Regal Barça out of the Final Four in the semi finals, this time winning 78-82. It was a tough defeat to swallow, for Barça had led for most of the game – in fact it was not until the 34th minute that the Russian outfit finally took the lead.

There were two big reasons for that. Siskauskas was one. He’d had a great game already when in the final period he scored 18, taking his tally for the day to 29. And second, we had a rigorous referee that put Navarro and many of his colleagues in foul trouble far too early in the game, meaning Regal Barça were forced to play a more restrained game than they would have liked to.

Balance in offence

Regal Barça got off to a hopeful start. Concentrated in defence, Xavi Pascual’s side found the scoring easy, especially with Lakovic demonstrating his skill from beyond the three point line. Five minutes into the game, and Barça led by eleven at 17-6. The centres were doing their work and Basile made sure Smodis and Lorbek only played a minor role in the early exchanges. Regal Barça were cruising it in offence, with four three pointers and a further eight from inside, making it 21-12 when the buzzer sounded for the first time.

Fouls condition Regal Barça

It was in the second period that things suddenly stopped looking so rosy for Regal Barça. CSKA scored six in a row and leapt straight back into things, while Barça were suffering from accumulated fouls, and especially Navarro, who only played 20 seconds in the second period, and Grimau, who were both soon on three fouls. The Russians managed to tie the game (30-30), but then Lakovic, Santiago and Andersen reacted to make the half time score 36-32. CSKA had yet to lead, and Regal Barça were looking in control.

Change of pattern

Both sides came out after the break playing with the same intensity as before. Scores were exchanged either way, but apart from when it was 52-52, Regal Barça were always ahead. But the foul problem was still there, such as when Langdon was able to fly past Navarro without worrying about being fouled. By the 26th minute, the disparity in terms of fouls was more than evident, with Barça having suffered seven fewer sanctions than CSKA. The Barça ship was commanded from here on by Navarro and Andersen, both of whom posted excellent performances, and leading 56-54 at the end of the third, things were set up for a gripping final period.

Siskauskas tips the balance

And so it was, with the game entering a very different dynamic. At 61-56, Ramunas Siskauskas, MVP of the Euroleague, suddenly stepped up to turn the game on its head. He alone fabricated an impressive unanswered eleven points, and all of a sudden it was 61-67 and Regal Barça could feel a game they felt they had in the bag slipping out of their hands. Lithuanian Siskauskas registered no fewer than 18 points in the final period, and Barça could not find a response, not even from Navarro with his three points or some solid play from Ilyasova. Siskauskas came good just in time, and Regal Barça have missed out on the chance to appear in Sunday’s final.