Campazzo sets the rhythm of the Christmas classic

The third classic of the season continued painted in the same color. Madrid had won the Super Cup and the Euroleague, and they won the Endesa League. Campazzo’s masterful direction (17 points, six assists) outweighed Parker’s shot (18 points, nine rebounds) and Barça gave in to the upside after a missed triple by Metu in the last second. The Blaugrana were superior in rebounding (43-48) but they continue to fall, eighth in the standings, on the verge of qualifying for the Cup. Madrid celebrated its rebirth the day it became the first team to surpass 200,000 points in the League and in which Llull became the Madrid player with the most games in the ACB (620; next Friday he will be the player with the most duels in Europe).

The first chess move was the white pieces. Chus Mateo lined up Rathan-Mayes, unprecedented in the previous event (not even a second against Alba Berlin), with the mission of handcuffing Punter, and the Blaugrana charged with steps and a foul in attack in his first forays. On the other sidewalk, Campazzo demonstrated that he is half Madrid. The Argentine point guard raised the curtain from the perimeter and connected the rest of his colleagues. Musa, Deck, Hezonja and Tavares owe a good part of their production to Facu. The Madrid game director is a rocket, with legs and head. Barça clung to Vesely’s wrist, but they accelerated (running a lot is not the same as running well) and the roulette of changes kept the tension higher in the premises. The Peñarroya team took breath thanks to the vitality of Metu and his greater strength on the rebound. A triple by Hezonja closed the first round at the buzzer (21-15).

The same action and the same protagonist in the resumption. Madrid seemed to be in control of the game and controlling the clock, until Barça tightened the screws in defense, entrenched under the basket with Willy and Parker, and trotted out with Brizuela. The whites paid for the necessary rest of the illuminated Campazzo, the north of this team, and the Barcelona fans swerved in the direction in which the match was going: a 0-10 score changed from 24-15 to 24-25. Llull and an inspired Hezonja, who is an infinite manual of resources with the ball in his hands, and the intimidation of Tavares rescued the initiative for Chus Mateo’s group (36-31) before the break. The classic moved in fits and starts, without a clear dominator, both teams exchanging cat and mouse roles.

Madrid resumed its love affair with Campazzo. Barcelona needed to find the best version of Punter, from more to less in the course. The ball left Facu’s hands and returned to Facu’s hands. The circulation was more fluid in the owners of the field (45-36), a decisive difference due to what it represented of collective functioning in each army. Campazzo assisted Deck under the legs on a counter and El Tortuga smashed the ring with such violence that he was injured in the fall. Tavares expanded on both boards while Punter and Parker, the two best pickers in Barça, held the gaze with individual roles (49-45), more soloists than parts of an orchestra. The defensive fever was higher in the whites, who thus scratched several points after the losses of the rival side. Madrid’s Meccano was slightly more in tune: 57-51 before the last quarter.

Juan Núñez accepted the challenge of facing Campazzo in both halves of the court. A major challenge to give new life to Barcelona. Garuba gave way in the clash against Willy and the Blaugrana made the rubber. Against the ropes, Parker caught his team by the chest with two distant bingos in a row (63-63) and Punter joined the party. Vesely was eliminated due to fouls with two minutes left and Campazzo called for his turn in another heart-stopping finale. The Argentine, without respite in the second half, was once again the key factor in giving the final push. Metu missed the last shot and the classic continued painted white.