FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.05.2009 18:54

Winning farewell (79-95)

Roger Bogunyà (Enviat especial)

Regal Barça said goodbye to Berlin after playing well against Olympiacos and winning the game to return home after finishing in third place.

After Friday’s defeat, Olympiacos were just happy to be in Berlin in the Final Four, whereas Regal Barça fought to win third place. This was probably the big difference between the teams in an apparently unimportant game for which Childress, one of Olympiacos’s star players, was not even called up.

So Regal Barça were more focussed and in the second quarter had opened up a 21-point gap. The final margin was 79-95. The team finished third for the first time in the club’s history in the Final Four, having lost its four previous third and fourth place play-off games. It wasn’t the hoped for Sunday, but the best possible one after losing to CSKA in the semi-finals.

Santiago in control

Right from the start the Greeks didn’t really seem to have their game faces on as Regal Barça scored easily and as on Friday racked up an 11 point lead (8-19). All the starting five had scored after five minutes, with Santiago leading the way with 9 points in the first quarter. After 10 minutes the scoreboard read 19-26.

Almost out of sight

Olympiacos didn’t score again until the 15th minute when Printezis shot home. By then Regal Barça were almost out of sight with 15 unanswered points to lead by 18 (19-37). Barça’s defence was much superior as was their attack on the inside. There was no need to get three pointers - Basile got the only one in the first half in the 16th minute – as the Catalans led inside the zone. At halftime it was 30-46.

Keeping the lead

Olympiacos made more of a game of it after the break but only in attack. Regal Barça found life tougher on the paint and so like only great teams can do shifted to scoring from outside. Navarro, Lakovic and Grimau came on to maintain the lead, and in a virtually uninterrupted 10 minutes 55 points went in between both sides. Regal Barça kept control at 58-73.

All quiet

The game was just about over in the third quarter with little defensive effort and the scoreboard clicking over for both teams. Most attention was in the stands where Panathinaikos and Olympiacos fans provoked each other, and even Bourousis, when not in the game, also took on the rival fans, which shows how interested Olympiacos were in the third and fourth place play-off. Finally Regal Barça brought the game to a quiet end and were able to leave Berlin disappointed not to have made the final but satisfied to have come third.