Barcelona: Determined to get rid of the retsinia

They are the second most consistent team in Final 4 appearances but also their most… unsuccessful Euroleague. THE Barcelona reaches the 17th Final 4 in its history with an obvious goal and extra motivation to shake off the stamp of the loser. How else can one characterize a team that in its previous 16 participations in the final phase of the competition has won the title only twice (2003, 2010), has lost five times in the final and nine in the semi-final and all this consistently having one of the biggest budget in Europe?

This time the Catalans reach the Final 4 more determined than ever. Without fanfare like in previous years, without being considered the big favourite, but given the pressure for the title. Anything less will anoint the season a failure (Cup and Super Cup have already been lost) and will lead him Sarunas Yasikevicius at the exit.

How he made it to the Final 4

Without… fireworks, Barcelona made it to the Final 4 with the least stress from all the other teams that qualified in Kaunas. The Blaugrana finished the regular season 23-11, one win behind Olympiakos and with the same record as Real Madrid, beating Madrid to a tie. In Barcelona he had a record of 13-4 and away from home 10-7. In the playoffs, he had the easiest task of all since when the other three series reached a fifth game, the Catalans “wiped” Zalgiris 3-0.

Most Valuable Player: He has heard a lot, he has been called “lackluster” in big matches, he has even been criticized because he has by far the biggest contract in Europe (close to 5 million per year), but the Nikola Mirotic he does not cease to be the barometer of Barcelona. A complete offensive repertoire, with both his back and his face to the basket, is the benchmark of Sarunas Jasikevicius’ offense. He may not have had an MVP-winning season like last year, but he has been solid with 15.9 points (80.6% shooting, 61.1% 2-pointers, 40.7% 3-pointers), 4.6 rebounds, 1 .2 assists and 17.1 rating in 24:51 avg. It is characteristic that with him on the floor, “Barca” has +14.7 points per 100 possessions. Winning his first Euroleague at the age of 32 is for him the biggest motivation to get rid of the loser’s grudge.

Unseen hero: You don’t exactly call him invisible, but o Nikola Kalinic he is valuable to barcelona. The tough Serbian forward “ties” the entire defense, is the glue player of the Catalans and can provide valuable points in the attack. He lost just one of his team’s 37 EuroLeague games and averaged 6.5 points on 39 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in roughly 23 minutes of action. Numbers that may not dazzle, but they do not reflect his offer, which is more apparent from the advanced statistic that with him in the five, the “Blaugrana” have +8.5 points per 100 possessions.

Advantages: He may not dazzle with the quality of basketball he plays, but Barcelona does he has the toughness required in knockout games. Where the “wood” reigns, the low tempo and the matches are judged on the points, that is. Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team is more trained than any other in such conditions and can cope. On top of that, it has a good balance between a fairly efficient offense (fourth in points per 100 possessions at 119.1) and a solid defense (third best at 111.7 passive points per 100 possessions).

Disadvantages: The persistence of Sarounas Jasikevicius to put rein in his players by suppressing their instincts it often makes Barcelona not only unappealing to the eye, but predictable to the opposition and ineffective. This often causes the irritation of players who have the talent to take initiatives, but feel “castrated” by the need to serve the strict plan of the Lithuanian coach. On top of that, an important problem for “Barca” is in the absence of Corey Higgins, of a player-leader who is now injured. Also, one “civil war” with Real in the semi-final he can either catch or disorient the team from the “forest”, which is the Euroleague conquest.

The Barcelona roster

1. Oscar da Silva (2.06m, 24 years) Forward/Center

3. Oriol Pauli (2.01m, 29 years) Forward

5. Sertak Sanli (2.13m, 31 years) Center

6. Jan Vesely (2.13m, 33 years) Forward/Center

8. Sergio Martinez (2.02m, 24 years) Forward

10. Nikola Kalinic (2.03m, 31 years) Forward

13. Tomas Satoranski (2.00m, 31 years) Guard

20. Nikolas Laprovitola (1.91m, 33 years old) Guard

21. Alex Abrines (1.98m, 30yrs) Forward

22. Corey Higgins (1.95m, 33yrs) Guard/Forward

23. Mike Tobey (2.13m, 28 years old) Center

24. Kyle Curitz (1.93m, 33yrs) Guard

31. Rokas Yokubaitis (1.93m, 22 years old) Guard

33. Nikola Mirotic (2.08m, 32 years) Forward

46. ​​James Nagy (2.12m, 18 years old) Center