ABA Liga round 18: Crvena Zvezda - KK Partizan 86:74

The blog is still alive, so am I. It’s winter break now, no football, no handball, as for basketball, let’s not talk about it.

This time I still watched basketball. An eternal derby is an eternal derby.

I still follow the happenings though. The basketball team got a brand new management, new president included. Head coach Miroslav Nikolić was sacked, now Nenad Čanak is sitting on the bench. Among players Patrick Miller has left, Đorđe Gagić arrived, or rather returned. Two foreigners were signed, too, Vaughn and Sy.

Dear Everyone, the team is still like a butterfly fart.

At the beginning of the first quarter we were leading. Then it was gone soon.

Both teams made a lot of mistakes. At first it was 5:10 for us, then Zvezda equalized. (12:12) Then they took the lead (16:14), as for us, well, I find no better words, we made brutal mistakes, such ones that simply aren’t allowed on this level. We could take back the lead at the end of the quarter, though we needed an amount of luck, too (we could score two 3-pointers in a row, yes, we needed luck for that!). The first part ended with 22:24, we could barely score field goals, most of our points came from free throws.

As the second quarter started, we could keep the lead here and there, with 1-2 points only though. Then Zvezda slowly started to overwhelm us. They were just one bit more determined than us, but that was enough. They visibly got together as a team better than Partizan. Our game lacked every idea, yet it was full of basic mistakes.

I noticed two things. First that there was no derby atmosphere at all. There were a lot of fans there (most of them were Zvezda-fans though, Grobari were barely allowed), but the game missed the usual “we-kick-out-the-walls-of-the-sports-hall”-feeling. There was no battlefield spirit on the court either, the game was almost average. Oh, my God, I remember when Simonović threw Milutinov to the ground, or when Zvezda-fans threw a firecracker among Partizan-players. Those were the days…

The other was told me earlier by a fellow Grave Digger, and here I had to agree with him. Namely that this is all what these players are able to. They simply can’t do more. They can’t play. They can run, they can fight, but they can’t play. (I add that they can’t function as a team either.) We have to lower our expectations.

The half-time result was 49:43, Zvezda tried with something that reminded of basketball, but even they were their own shadows.

We had no antidote even for that.

The image of the game didn’t change for the third quarter either. We reduced the difference to 53:52, but we couldn’t equalize. From here Zvezda jumped to 58:54, and until the end of the quarter we scored two (2) more points. In more than five minutes.

The opponent scored a row of 3-pointers, we just watched them with a kind of dry apathy. The third part finished with 71:56.

This means a 13:2-series by the neighbours. Duško Vujošević would lay the entire team on his knees now, one after the other, and spank their arses with shovel.

As for the last quarter, only two things could be mentioned. First that Zvezda couldn’t make the 20-point difference despite all efforts, the other was that Gagić was fouled out, and during those approx. 34 minutes he scored two (2) points.

The football season starts on 17th February. I try to survive somehow until then.

Scene from the game: two Cokes for Marinković, 3 Valium for head coach Čanak (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Crvena Zvezda: Kešelj, Dangubić (12), Davidovac (7), Lazić (8), Dobrić (18), Janković (8), Rochestie (5), Omić (6), Lessort (13), Ennis (7), Jovanović, Bjelica (2)

Partizan: Williams-Goss (17), Vaughn (4), Sy (7), Tadić, Aranitović (9), Marinković (15), Tanasković, Veličković (20), Pecarski, Gavrilović, Gagić (2), Šalić

Current championship standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 33 points

2. Budućnost 33 points

3. Cedevita 31 points

4. Mornar Bar 29 points

5. FMP 27 points

6. Partizan 27 points

7. Zadar 26 points

8. Igokea 25 points

9. Cibona 24 points

10 Petrol Olimpija 24 points

11. Mega Bemax 22 points

12. MZT Skopje 20 points

ABA Liga, round 11: KK Partizan - Cedevita 82:92

I deliberately didn’t write about the game against Lietuvos back on Tuesday. It would have been senseless, just as the game itself was. We lost, we were shit, it just wrecked my nerves, it was useless, simple as that.

Just like this one.

I’ll be honest, I missed out the entire first quarter

I’ll be even more honest, I have no regrets.

The second quarter was interesting, because sometimes we took the lead. What is more, sometimes our actions distantly reminded of basketball. Williams-Goss carried the team on his back, not just here, but for the whole game. I’m not a fan of this American, but this time he deserves a high five. (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

The half time result was 44:44, Cedevita equalized right before the buzz. The third quarter was again a surprise

at least for the worn-out, tired-as-hell-of-it-all fan

because we still did things that actually looked like basketball. No, not for the whole quarter, come on. Still, there was some pace, running and some very very distant idea in the heads. In tracks only though. For a while it was nip-and-tuck, then the Zagrebians got bored of this fumbling and made a jump from 56:56 to 59:63. The quarter ended with 62:67, but the team ran out of oxygen already after 5-6 minutes.

Seriously, the best part of this whole game was Cedevita’s commercial with all those bears in a break.

As for the last quarter… let’s just forget it.

Šalić and Cherry had a fight right at the beginning. Other than that time passed slower than a rheumatic snail. I just hoped they would finish it until the game between Juventus and Inter starts. (They did.) Still there were moments that brought me new grey hair… Cedevita was leading to 74:79, maybe two minutes were left, Miller stole the ball from a Croatian player, then wanted to run up to slam, but he dropped the ball from his hand, and the ball rolled out of the court.

Then about a minute before the end Cedevita reached the 10-point-difference (78:88) and kept it until the final buzz.

After the game raging Grave Diggers hissed and booed the team, as they walked back to the locker-room, while throwing curses on head coach Miroslav Nikolić demanding his resign.

I really don’t want to look overly pessimistic, but dear everyone, I don’t think it will change in the near future.

KK Partizan: Miller (15), Williams-Goss (25), Aranitović (2), Tanasković (7), Veličković (2), Tomić, Pecarski, Gavrilović (4), Andrić (7), Čakarević (4), Stevanović (9), Šalić (7)

Cedevita: Ukić (23), Krušlin (8), Perković, Katić, Nichols (12), Žganec (2), Musa (16), Cherry (10), Markota (5), Ramljak, Stipanović (8), Murphy (8)

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 21 points

2. Cedevita 19 points

3. Crvena Zvezda 18 points

4. FMP 16 points

5. KK Partizan 16 points

6. Zadar 16 points

7. Petrol Olimpija 16 points

8. Mornar Bar 16 points

9. Mega Bemax 15 points

10. Igokea 15 points

11. Cibona 14 points

12. MZT Skopje 13 points

ABA Liga, round 10: Budućnost - KK Partizan 86:79

I worked out a new strategy for Partizan-games. Whenever the team play, I search for a TV-broadcast that runs parallel with it (it can be anything, football, basketball, handball, waterpolo, ice hockey, Formula 1, athletics, even archery… no matter whether domestic or foreign, it can even be a rerun), because I really can’t take this shit anymore and life is too short to waste it for crappy football (or basketball or whatever).

I watched this rubbish labeled as basketball in such a way that the meantime I watched Ferencváros - Videoton on TV. Watching Marko Nikolić, Marko Šćepović and Danko Lazović on a derby is a must, I won’t miss it out, no way.

I didn’t regret it. It was a tough, combative and exciting game with lots of action. Lazović even scored a goal, but FTC was better, stronger and more aggressive, they deserved the victory. (3:1)

As for Partizan…

Whatever. Never mind.

The first quarter was a pure torment. In the second we took the lead a few times for 1-2 points, but none of these lasted long. The third one should is better to forget

I’m looking into my notes I made during the game, but all I see is Budućnost leading for the whole time, also “nothing extraordinary happening”

then came the fourth quarter.

Without this FTC - Videoton and Lazović’s goal I would have surely got a convulsion. Veličković missed out a chance from which even I would have scored

even though I’m small (less than 170 cm) and slow and the last time I had basketball in my hands was approx. 30 years ago

then, when Average Fan thinks this is the bottom line, Marinković misses out an even bigger chance.

Listen, my dearies.

Veličković, GO TO HELL, RETIRE RIGHT NOW, FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!! Dude, you make more harm to the team than well.

Marinković, my dear son, please, go abroad to play there. As soon as possible. Anywhere, to Italy, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Greece, it doesn’t matter. Just go and don’t stay, because here you’ll just regress.

The same goes for you, my dear Andrić.

And now I share with you the most memorable moment of the basketball game.

Yep. It was Lazović’s goal.

Bye.

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 19 points

2. Cedevita 17 points

3. Crvena Zvezda 16 points

4. Partizan 15 points

5. FMP 14 points

6. Igokea 13 points

7. Petrol Olimpija 13 points

8. Mornar Bar 13 points

9. Mega Bemax 12 points

10. Cibona 12 points

11. Zadar 12 points

12. MZT Skopje 12 points

ABA Liga, round 9: KK Partizan - Petrol Olimpija 77:78

We reached the “joke” level. It was just a question of time though.

In the first quarter we were ahead with 20:9. Both teams were just standing on the court doing nothing, don’t ask me how we still scored. We were beyond the lame duck label. When half the team is under the backboard as some kind of dysfunctional traffic jam, pushing and pulling the ball around to press it into the ring, and it still rebounds after the 6th time, then that team should quit basketball and find another hobby. Olimpija seemed to be apathetic, giving absolutely no shit at all.

The most memorable moment of the second quarter was a timeout by Olimpija after about 4 minutes. The head coach threw a storm of curses on the players, not minding for a moment that he was live on air. Perhaps that was what Slovenes needed, because slowly, with clenched teeth they started to reduce the difference. 24:22, then 26:25, meanwhile I had a new mantra for myself: Veličković, off to pension with you, for fuck’s sake!

Veličković was beyond critics. It’s awful what this guy has been doing as basketball. One of the weakest links of the team. It’s obvious he has lost all interest, doesn’t even try to keep up some sort of illusion.

At the half-time Marinković had a buzzer-beater from at least the half-line. That made the half-time result 45:35.

Had circumstances been different, I’d have jumped out of my skin and danced around the house seeing such a cannon shot. Now it just made me raise my eyebrows, not more, not less. Wow, look at the kid.

Yeah, it’s already gone.

The third quarter was a torture for Average Fan. It just can’t thrill me to see the team falling short of expectations to say the least. We fucked up everything. Less than two minutes were left from the quarter when Olimpija took the lead. (56:57) Honestly? I wasn’t surprised at all. We were shit, we played soullessly and apathetically, while Slovenes resurrected and had a marvellous performance for the rest of the quarter. They kept the lead. (58:61)

We took it back for a short while in the fourth quarter (65:63), but we couldn't keep it. (65:66) It was a ping-pong game, in one moment the home team leading, in the other the guests, always with just 1 point. In the last 1-2 minutes both teams scored only from free throws and it was obvious that the winners will be the those with stronger nerves.

I guess it won’t make any spoiler for you if I tell you it wasn’t Partizan.

52 seconds were left. Olimpija led to 75:76. Williams-Goss scored. 77:76, the Slovenian coach asks for timeout. We return to the court. 45 seconds are left. Clenched teeth. Referees whistle a foul on us. Free throw for Olimpija. They score from both. 77:78. 19 seconds are left. Timeout for us. We return again to the court. Novica Velučković throws in the very last moment - and screws it up. Air ball.

Olimpija win. (photo: twitter.com/Starsportphoto)

Did they deserve it? Absolutely.

What should we learn from this? If a team can lose from 20:9, there are very serious problems, not just with the coach, but with the players as well.

If this team can be team only in their name but not in reality, then what is their function? Depressant, a serious one.

Shall we go and fuck ourselves? Right now, please.

ABA Liga, round 7: KK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 84:100

It’s hard now. Even after a whole day.

No, not because of the defeat. That was expectable. It’s because of being THIS very weak and shitty and we just don’t function THIS VERY MUCH as a team.

Zvezda was better. There’s nothing to question it. They have very strong (not just physically), skilled and experienced players (e.g. Pero Antić) and they play in Euroleague on a  basis against the best teams of Europe. They do it well, they regularly qualify to the best 8.

Dear Readers, please, someone tell me honestly, what the fuck did we want against them? What did we think of ourselves? Did we think that we could beat them with this dysfunctional team which would get defeated even by a team of teenagers from the basketball playground near the blocks? KK Partizan didn’t function as a TEAM. Andrić and Marinković looked as if they had never ever worked under Duško Vujošević. Veličković? To hell with Veličković, he should retire as soon as he still has the chance to remain in the memories as a class player. Miller, oh, my God, Miller, I don’t know who brought him here, but they should immediately disappear in hell together with this lame duck American. Samuels is tragic, he’s the love child of a sloth and a bear woken up from its winter sleep at the end of December. Pecarski, please go back to kindergarten. Nigel Williams-Goss, I have no idea why he is treated as some demigod

Musli and Gagić of 2013 would wash up the floor with him, separated as well as together. After that they would still have energy to make 50 press-up’s, for fuck’s sake

he is typically the “one-eyed king among the blinds”. Let’s be honest: NWG is a mediocre player. He can’t do anything extraordinary, he just does what he has been asked.

Do you know what’s really sad?

That even this minimal effort is enough in this “team” to be practically the best player.

As for the others, I don’t even know their names. That says all.

As for the game, there were a few famous guests. Half the football-team came (on the picture there are Ožegović and Tošić, but there were somewhere Vlahović and Kosović, toi, and probably others as well)...

(photo: aba-liga.com)

...Saša Pavlović...

(photo: hotsport.rs)

...but the most famous was without a doubt Bastian Schweinsteiger.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Seriously, that was the best part of the whole game. Let's just forget the rest. We were in our usual form. We missed out EVERY goddamn chance. Everything rebounded, we made such air balls, that the ball flew over the backboard crying. Zvezda did whatever it wanted already in the first quarter, while they scored a row of 3-pointers.

It was almost scary. They scored. And scored. Precisely, ruthlessly, from everywhere. Especially Bjelica. That dude surely ate uranium rod before the game. Or I don’t know. He was unstoppable.

The saddest was that we had no answer. We were just staring out of our heads. We were helpless. Zvezda lead for the whole game. We equalized only once, in the very beginning (3:3, yes, that was all we could achieve), then they took back the lead and kept it. The first quarter ended with 21:26, in the second they were ahead with 10 points (21:31) and even the bitter, angry, vulgar chanting of Grave Diggers didn’t bother them. They played us off the court.

There’s one thing for which they really deserve a high five, from me surely: they left behind that typically sly, disgusting style that was so characteristic of them. Yes, there was wrestling, a lot, but thankfully those revolting, cunning little tricks disappeared from their game. Well, yes. It’s not Dejan Radonjić coaching them anymore.

Fouls followed fouls, yes, mostly we were fouled. It was expectable, wasn’t it? I’ve seen many critics about the referees - yes, they were indeed terrible, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. How many games did we play that the referees could have take on the opponent’s jersey? Good old days… When the team was still full of combative energy and fire. Those times are gone… Meanwhile Zvezda lead, we struggled, but hey, we were lame ducks on every previous game, why would have we changed now? The half-time result was 42:51, I thought why not asking Saša Pavlović to join us a bit, he surely still has enough in himself to teach these a bit what is basketball.

The second half brought no surprise. Zvezda was still dominant, they played fast and aggressive, we were still lame ducks, around the middle of the third quarter I started to feel sorry for the team. Poor guys, they just struggle, visibly all their efforts are in vain, everyone and everything are against them, they are talentless and fed up with it all. The end of the quarter was so fragmented that both teams scored only from free throws. It finished with 63:74. For the last quarter Partizan collapsed. Zvezda had fun - well, they were leading to 74:92, we watched them with a weary smile, with no more energy to do anything. There was the coup d’etat left: a few seconds before the end buzz Zvezda scored its 100th point. It’s very painful for me to say it, but that’s the truth and I won’t hide it: they deserved it. We should draw the consequences and learn from our mistakes instead of self-pity.

(photo: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan: Miller (16), Williams-Goss (17), Aranitović (1), Marinković (7), Veličković (18), Tomić, Pecarski (6), Gavrilović (4), Andrić, Samuels (11), Čakarević, Šalić (4)

Crvena Zvezda: Radičević (2), Dangubić (12), Davidovac, Lazić (2), Antić (13), Dobrić, Feldeine (15), Apić, Rochestie (14), Lessort (11), Jovanović (2), Bjelica (29)

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 13 points

2. Crvena Zvezda 12 points

3. Cedevita 12 points

4. FMP 11 points

5. Partizan 11 points

6. Mega Bemax 10 points

7. Igokea 10 points

8. Cibona 10 points

9. Mornar Bar 10 points

10. Zadar 9 points

11. Petrol Olimpija 9 points

12. MZT Skopje 9 points

ABA Liga, round 4: Cibona - KK Partizan 74:90

Cibona: check. We happy, Vincent?

Get the fuck out.

Was it a shitty game? It was.

Have we been lame ducks again? We have been.

Have Cibona been a team of even lamer ducks? Absolutely.

Have there been again 600 million missed-out baskets? Possibly even more.

Am I a masochist? Beyond question.

Oh, wait, almost forgot. This newly signed Jamaican, Samuels debuted tonight. I swear I didn’t notice him being on the court until the commentator mentioned his name. The Leader Of The Gang said, he looks and moves like a bear. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice him, he was as sluggish as all the others.

The standing was 12:10 in the first quarter after 7 and a half minutes. Compared to the fact that this game was announced as the derby of the two top guns of ex-YU basketball, this result was depressing. The home team had turnover 6 times. We equalized for the end of the quarter, the second one was about Cibona sinking slowly. I seriously don’t know when was the last time I saw this many rebounds. It was seriously very saddening and depressive to watch. Additionally I did something I’ve never done yet: I muted the volume of the broadcast, because the commentators of ArenaSport got on my nerves. We were leading, but I almost fell asleep. Shitty game with a shitty and an even shittier team. Veličković had some tantrum before half-time

Veličković. Oh my fucking God, Veličković. Lately his only function seems to be as the 5th player to make a whole team when nobody else is around. He plays like a pensioner. Slow, sluggish, as if he would hate it all. No wonder he has been barely on court lately. He scored no points on this game. None.

The half-time result was 33:43, but I couldn’t mention a single player to have an extraordinary performance. All of them played dull. The third quarter was about Partizan or rather about how Cibona was struggling and suffering along the court, while we did whatever we wanted, or rather what our abilities made possible.If I remember well, we gained a 20-point-advantage, but I’m not sure. The last quarter was a comedy, a basketball-parody, the crappy version. We scored the first basket of the quarter after more than 5 minutes. Until that we did nothing. Though it tells all about Cibona that during these more than 5 minutes they could reduce the 51:67 difference only to 59:67. Knowing this there’s no surprise in the end result.

Cibona: Bilinovac, Uljarević, Young (20), Žorić (20), Ćorić, Melvin III (9), Novačič, Bošnjak (8), Rozić (12), Gospić (3), Tomas (2), Bušma

Partizan: Williams-Goss (20), Tadić, Marinković (19), Veličković, Tomić, Pecarski, Gavrilović (6), Andrić (14), Samuels (16), Čakarević (6), Stevanović (3), Šalić (6)

ABA Liga, Round 2: Mornar Bar - KK Partizan 83:81

ABA Liga, 2nd round, two games, two failures. We fucked up everything so far, there's no reason to soften it. In the first round we played against MZT Skopje, one of the weakest teams of the league. They washed up the court with us (92:89), now we got a special delivery from Mornar Bar: a horse dick up to our ass. Did anyone expect anything else? We were just loafing around on the court for three (3) quarters. Like a fart in the pants. Mornar humiliated us. Not even 4 minutes were gone, when they were ahead with 10:4. Then 15:6. Then 20:9. They might have even told jokes to each other. Meanwhie a bunch of lame ducks were hanging around on the court wearing Partizan-jersey. As if they were picked right from the street 5 minutes before the game.

No exception
And this was going fo three quarters.

This goes for Veličković as well. For some odd reason a lot of people are all over him. Though Veličković had quite a pave like a pensioner back in the previous season as well. For now he should be out of the team, being so slow and imprecise. What he dan't solve from routine, that remains unsolvrd forever.

Mornar had a great time. We didn't bother them in that. 47:33, 52:39, 74:53, and so on. Training game.
The team started to do something that distantly reminded of basketball only in the 4th quarter. Mornar was quite comfortable for this time, we actually managed to surprise them. We were not in top form though, to say the least. After too many mistakes (Williams-Goss was fouled out after two unsportsmanlike fouls in a row) we equalized with blood and sweat to 81:81, with only 51 seconds left. It all looked like a very nasty constipation with hemorrhoid. Time-out. After that we came back to the court. Mornar screw up the attack, turnover for us. Čakarević shoots - and misses. Mornar ran up, Ross shoots - and scores a buzzer-beater. Another game that we fucked up. 
By the way, today is the 72nd anniversary of founding SD Partizan.
Hapoy Birthday, Partizan.
Oh, wait...

Match action. It eas especially weird to watch Luković playing against us. (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Mega Leks - KK Partizan 80:87 (ABA Liga, round 24)

The team is still like a landscape after battle. 6 (six) players as well as head coach Aleksandar Džikić are still in pieces. The management had a press release today explaining that the players/coach staff are suffering from salmonella infection, many of them had to get hospital treatment and God knows when they’ll be strong and healthy again.
Nevertheless the beginning of the game against Mega Leks wasn’t that bad. We were leading to 2:5, Mega equalized (5:5), the overly strict referees whistled a lot of fouls for both teams. (Less than a minute passed, but Jaramaz already had two fouls...) Mega took the lead for a while (7:5), but it meant no headache for us to jump to 7:12.

We kept our advantage. It wasn’t too big (15:20), but we kept it. For the end of the quarter Mega approached us, even equalized (24:24), but Birčević took back the lead with a buzzer-beater (24:26).

Stefan Pot during the game

We marched through the second quarter and we played quite well. There was only one hiccup, when Mega took the lead again (34:33), but we took it back quickly (34:36) with a great Pot-Majstorović teamwork. There was one thing though that was problematic, Mega made a lot of turnovers/steals. They followed the "player vs. player"-tactics, every Partizan-player got his "escort" in pink jersey. It actually worked for the home team, though for our great luck they missed out most of their attempts. We were leading, we could make it to 39:45, the first half ended with 43:47.

Andrić made an extraordinary job

The third quarter brought some struggling. We were leading, but at this point we did miss those players who were on sick leave. Mega missed out their chances over and over again, while we kept our advantage. We didn’t make it beautiful or spectacular, but all our players put their hearts out to the court. This was what mattered. Nothing else. The quarter ended with 62:68, with Mega scoring a buzzer-beater.

Vrabac also had an excellent performance

We had an amazing start in the last quarter. We almost made our advantage to 10 points (64:73), which changed to 68:75. This again changed to 75:75 while Mega still couldn’t score one single 3-pointer. They took the lead though (77:75), but it didn’t last long again, because Pot equalized, then Birčević took it back for us (77:79). Rebić from Mega was fouled out, we were leading (77:82), the home team seemed to be more and more tensed, so they missed out even more attempts. We reached the 10-point-difference for the end of the game (77:87), and less than a minute was left when Mega finally scored a 3-pointer. Just in time. (80:87)

Mega Leks: Rebić (2), Jaramaz (8), Spasojević (5), Glogovac, Kaba (18), Zagorac (16), Simeunović, Tejić (2), Novak (14), Kapetanović, Marelja (15), Samardžiski

KK Partizan: Robinson (3), Vrabac (12), Tanasković, Veličković, Majstorović (8), Birčević (20), Andrić (20), Pot (15), Gordon, Luković (9)

Highlights:

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 47 points
2. Cedevita 42 points
3. Partizan 42 points
4. Budućnost 41 points
5. Igokea 36 points
6. Cibona 34 points
7. FMP 34 points
8. Union Olimpija 34 points
9. Mega Leks 33 points
10. Karpoš 33 points
11. Mornar Bar 32 points
12. MZT Skopje 32 points
13. Krka 31 points
14. Zadar 30 points

(photos: aba-liga.com)

Cedevita - KK Partizan 79:67 (ABA Liga, round 22)

Auuuu.
This short word (emotional expression?) includes the whole game. It was tough, it was a struggle, we didn't play well, we got defeated.
The first quarter wasn’t that bad, though it was clear even then that this Zagreb night won’t be a night to remember. We quickly scored 7 points at the beginning, we were leading to 5:7, then nothing happened for two and a half minutes. Really nothing. Well, all right, there were too many missed-out attempts on both sides. Finally Cedevita equalized in the 4th minute (7:7) and from then on it was a nip-and-tuck game in the first part. A basket here, a basket there. Only one in a minute though. After five and a half minutes the standing was 9:7, after a bit more than six minutes Marinković scored a 3-pointer, 9:10. About a minute later 11:10. You get the point. It wasn’t spectacular, it wasn’t exciting, it was slow. We still won the first quarter though, the standing was 16:16, half a minute was left when Andrić scored (16:18).

Birčević, Koprivica and Hatcher try to stop Žganec

In the second quarter Cedevita decided to step over this fumbling and took control in their hands. They jumped to 24:18, though the slow and struggling pace of the game didn't speed up. Croatians were leading, we made a lot of mistakes (I don’t remember when I had seen last time so many offensive rebounds). For our great luck Cedevita was the same effective with pushing the ball to the ring as us, yet still somehow they managed to do it a bit better than us. The standing was 30:22, then 32:25, the pace was again 1 basket/minute for both teams. For the end of the quarter Croatians were ahead with 10 points (36:26). We could nevertheless pick ourselves together for the last minutes and made a 37:30 half-time standing.

All the game’s struggles in one photo: Birčević fighting for the ball with Džanan Musa

We usually drop back a bit in the third quarter every time. This time it looked like this: the struggling pace was still on, together with the million missed out attempts and Cedevita leading to 48:32. There wasn’t any special trick in their game, they had the same struggling pace like us, they made a lot of mistakes like us, just, God knows, maybe mentally they were a bit more collected and they could push through their will despite the fumbling. The difference was almost 20 points (55:36), though finally we could avoid this shame. Birčević (he was the best in this game) and Marinković clenched their teeth and pushed us up to 57:43. A few seconds were left when the Croatians could still force a basket in. (59:43)

A Cedevita-player surrounded by Vrabac and Birčević

In the last quarter we made the difference a bit less (62:50) there was even some slight hope that maybe if we can speed up, we could make it really tough for Cedevita... I think you won’t take it as a spoiler if I say we couldn’t. The Croatian team could hold the 10+ diffeerence, while we struggled to score. Majstorović was fouled out, but it did neither good, nor harm. Croatians were leading to 75:58, we reduced it to 75:63, but at this point there was less than one and a half minutes left from the game. Hatcher scored (77:65), one more Croatian basket slid in 8 seconds before the end, finally Birčević scored a buzzer-beater (79:67).

Cedevita: James (8), Krušlin (6), Boatright (21), Katić (3), Žganec (10), Musa (2), Bilan (14), Shurna, Begić (1), Rogić, Tomas (3), Arapović (11)

KK Partizan: Ratkovica (6), Vrabac, Marinković (12), Veličković (6), Majstorović (4), Birčević (18), Koprivica (5), Andrić (4), Hatcher (8), Pot, Gordon (2), Luković (2)

Highlights:

Current standings:
1. CZ 43 points
2. Cedevita 38 points
3. Budućnost 38 points
4. Partizan 38 points
5. Cibona 33 points
6. Igokea 32 points
7. Union Olimpija 31 points
8. FMP 31 points
9. Karpoš 31 points
10. Mega Leks 30 points
11. MZT Skopje 30 points
12. Mornar Bar 29 points
13. Krka 29 points
14. Zadar 29 points

Independent of the results of the games left Partizan has qualified to the play-offs of ABA Liga.

(photos: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 86:81 (ABA Liga, round 21)

I seriously couldn’t pick a better return than this derby.
What a great game it was. Just GREAT. Big fight, huge battle, no idle moments. Marinković flashed right at the beginning with a 3-pointer.

Then Birčević also had his moment.

The referees were awful. I was ashamed seeing them. Majstorović had 3 fouls (!!!) for the middle of the first quarter. We were leading though. Our advantage was always 2-3 points, but we kept the lead in our hands. Zvezda sometimes equalized, but they could never step ahead of us. The referees fouled us a million times, Zvezda got the usual gift free throws, in fact they could score almost only from free throws. Their attempts for field goal failed. The first quarter ended with 21:17, Andrić scored a fantastic 3-pointer 1 second before the buzz.

Jamont Gordon

The gate for technical fouls opened in the second quarter. The first lucky winner was Zvezda’s head coach right in the beginning, meanwhile on the court the referees fouled us even when our players just took a breath - but when Luković was pushed around the paint, that was no foul... The second part brought an intense, great game with a lot of battles. Fans were chanting the most vulgar rhythms, but if a team’s president is a mafioso, they have to bear the consequences. The standing was 46:46 in the half-time.

Stefan Birčević

Zvezda took the lead in the third quarter. Their advantage wasn’t much, only 2-3 points, yet we always equalized. And again we got A LOT OF FOULS. Just too many. Simple foul, unsportsmanlike foul, while Simonović was the next lucky winner of a technical one. (I’m not sure, if it was at this point or later/earlier, but he had to leave the court as well.) Zvezda took back the lead one and a half minutes before the end buzz and they kept it. The third part brought the standing of 67:72.

Novica Veličković and Miloš Koprivica try to stop Gudurić

The fourth quarter was the same like the previous three as the referees kept on fouling us. Zvezda was still leading (69:73), but then came Veličković and Hatcher, and they were not leading anymore (73:73). Marinković came and it was again us who were leading. (76:73)

From then on we didn’t let control out of our hands. Zvezda had a lot of mistakes, the ball always rebounded from the ring, when they had an attempt. Lazić got fouled out after pushing Hatcher to the court. Luka Mitrović was the next winner of a technical foul... chaos emerged in the lines of the opponent. We were leading. The standing was 83:78, less than one and a half minutes were left, when Hatcher got the ball. He was quite a few steps out of the 3-point-line, but Hatch threw the ball.
Because Hatcher is a ballsy Partizan-kid.
Did he score?
HE DID!!!

Zvezda squeezed out 3 more points for themselves, Mitrović was fouled out, but all these didn’t matter at all.
Nothing mattered.
We won.

William Hatcher, one of the heroes of the day

Highlights:

KK Partizan: Ratkovica (11), Vrabac (2), Marinković (13), Veličković (11), Majstorović (4), Birčević (16), Koprivica (3), Andrić (3), Hatcher (20), Pot, Gordon (3), Luković

CZ: Wolters (9), Thompson (3), Mitrović (14), Lazić (4), Simanić, Dobrić, Simonović (5), Jenkins (10), Gudurić (9), Jović (8), Kuzmić (8), Bjelica (11)

League table will be brought later.

(photos: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan - Mega Leks 88:79 (ABA Liga, round 11)

Another game that again looked like a constipation/haemorrhoid/long line standing at the team doctor for laxative.
Yes, yes. We won. We got the two points, let’s not talk about the details, right?
Maybe we shouldn’t indeed.
The first quarter was ruled by Mega Leks. Sometimes they almost reached the 10-point difference. We struggled. We were fouled too often. Referees didn’t have a top performance either, but this should not be an excuse, for God’s sake... Birčević got a technical foul after getting into fight with a Mega-player. The standing was 2:11, then 7:13. Once we could equalize (17:17), but Mega had an instant reply with a 3-pointer (17:20). We finished the first part with 20:26.

In the second quarter we surely set a record... Within 40 seconds we were fouled three times. At this point Mega Leks did whatever they just wanted. (22:29) Then somehow, very slowly, with a lot of struggles we started to reduce the difference, approximately with the speed of a glacier. 4 minutes passed from the quarter, we reduced to 29:31, then - miracles happen - Ratkovica took the lead (32:31). It didn’t last long (32:33). We made a horror amount of double dribbles, I don’t remember when we made this much on a game. The two teams had a nip-and-tuck game, 36:37, 38:37, 40:37, 40:40, then Hatcher scored (42:40), but Mega got a free throw 3 seconds before the end, they equalized (42:42).

In the third quarter Mega took back the lead (42:45) and they kept it for quite a while. It was around the middle of the quarter, the standing was 46:49, when Veličković shook up the team a bit.

The standing here was more or less equal (48:51, 51:51), then about two minutes before the end we actually started to play.

It was high time for that. Until this point our actions contained basketball only in tracks. If ever.

We modified the standing to 62:54 (Hatcher scored 11 seconds before the end buzz), then we finished the quarter with 62:57, Mega Leks got a triple free throw just 1 second before the end and they scored.

In the last quarter we really started to remind of a basketball team. We were leading, we didn’t have a too big advantage though, but were constantly ahead with 4-5 points. Even despite the fact that we had the tendency to overcomplicate. But oh well. Victory.

No, I’m not impressed. We had a terrible performance through three quarters, with awful, soulless game, making mistakes after mistakes. Wonderful that we could step over the otherwise bit indisposed Mega Leks. Wonderful that we can make it through ABA Liga with even this performance. But I very much hope that everyone knows it’s not enough.

Highlights:

KK Partizan: Robinson (5), Ratkovica (9), Vrabac, Marinković (9), Veličković (10), Birčević (15), Koprivica (2), Andrić (8), Hatcher (16), Pot, Karahodžić, Luković (12)

Mega Leks: Mushidi (11), Đoković, Jaramaz (16), Spasojević, Milisavljević, Glogovac (4), Kaba (11), Zagorac (15), Čančar (5), Simenunović (5), Tejić, Novak (12)

League table comes later.

(photos: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan - Cedevita 87:97 (ABA Liga, round 9)

Again a game that slipped out of our hands.
We had a great start though. It was even excellent. We were leading, the team was bursting from energy.

Then it was 14:7. We had a strong start, we played well and spectacular. Cedevita tried to find their breath. They could still equalize (14:14), they even took the lead (17:20), but Veličković took it back twice and we finished the first quarter with a one-point advantage with his scores (23:22).

The second quarter was even better.
Our advantage was growing. 27:23, then 32:23... at a point Cedevita’s head coach had a meltdown, he got a technical foul. It made him freaked out, he yelled with the referees, finally he had to leave the court. The assistant coach took his duty, and I was sure he was waiting for this very moment. Gianmarco Pozzecco made an unbelievable show at the bench. If I didn’t have such a terrible mood after this defeat, I’d say things like Pozzecco for president or this guy and all his gestures must be spread all over the internet as gifs. Here is a compilation with him, you can click and take a look. (If you don’t have a too bad mood, it may even be entertaining.)
At the end of the video you can see and hear it well: Partizan-fans gave a loud applause to him and his team.
Meanwhile we were leading with more than 10 points.

Everything worked well, we did whatever we wanted. Then two and a half minutes before the end Ratkovica was fouled, that was the point when we somehow halted. Cedevita started to reduce their difference, they equalized from 49:42. We could still keep our advantage with a free throw (51:49), that was the half-time result.

Koprivica and Hatcher

Then came the third quarter.
At first we kept ourselves. Nothing seemed to be suspicious. (61:56) Then Cedevita equalized (61:61) and took the lead (61:63). We equalized, but Cedevita again took the lead (63:68). From this point on there was no return... They jumped to 65:73, meanwhile Veličković got a technical foul for yelling off the referee’s head. At the end of the quarter we got a free throw, Hatcher scored one, missed out the other. We were heading to the final quarter with 66:73.

Adin Vrabac

Let’s not talk about the last quarter...
We failed. We were nervous. We fell apart. The opponent took advantage of it all. Their point guard, Jackson was like as if he was sent directly from hell to Pionir Hall. He was very quick, tricked himself through Partizan’s defense and threw a million baskets. The other players of Cedevita could have walked off the court to the snack bar for a beer, Jackson did whatever he wanted. They were leading to 73:83, then we started to reduce the difference slowly and struggling. Two and a half minutes before the end it was 84:87, but we couldn’t make it any closer. Jackson was fouled out at the end, but only 50 seconds were left, it did neither good nor harm.
And a message for those fans morons who yelled at Aleksandar Džikić after the game: suck a horse.

Highlights:

KK Partizan: Robinson, Ratkovica (8), Vrabac, Marinković (8), Veličković (20), Birčević (7), Koprivica (2), Andrić (11), Hatcher (19), Pot, Karahodžić, Luković (12)

Cedevita: James (8), Krušlin (2), Katić, Babić (9), Žganec (3), Musa, Bilan (19), Begić (3), Tomas (16), Arapović (5), Jackson (32)

Current standing of the Liga:
1. Budućnost 17 points
2. CZ 16 points
3. Cedevita 15 points
4. Partizan 15 points
5. Cibona 14 points
6. Igokea 13 points
7. Mega Leks 12 points
8. FMP 11 points
9. Krka 11 points
10. Zadar 11 points
11. Mornar Bar 10 points
12. Karpoš 10 points
13. MZT Skopje 10 points
14. Union Olimpija 9 points

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Crvena Zvezda - KK Partizan 83:72 (ABA Liga, round 8)

Be happy and celebrate, dear everyone, because Charles Jenkins has returned to Belgrade. Not as if anyone would have missed him. What a joy it was when he left for Milan. It seems even in Milan nobody misses him. By the way, is there anyone who could tell why this moron has Serbian citizenship?... And if he has, then why do I not have any?...

Birčević is seemingly in shock to meet Jenkins again

The first quarter was relatively good. The battle was equal, nip-and-tuck game with no major differences. Though Hatcher got a technical foul after 5 minutes (he fought with Jenkins, his technical foul is forgiven). Then Koprivica was fouled twice within 10 seconds, this one was a bit more tough. (What is more, around the end of the quarter he got his third foul...) Gudurić also got a technical foul, then - less than 30 seconds were left - another Zvezda-player got a technical as well. We were leading to 20:23, only five seconds were left, Zvezda scored a basket, but it was double dribble, the referees invalidated it. Fans were raging, they were booing and hissing (the tribunes were all in red-and-white, only a handful of Partizan-fans were allowed, and they were surrounded by gendarmerie), but who cared for the whining of Zvezda-fans. We were leading.

Vanja Marinković

It started in the second quarter, namely that process which is usual at such derbies. Referees whistle off everything, giving fouls to Partizan-players. Zvezda gets a million free throws, of course they take the lead. We kept the pace at the beginning (22:26), but two minutes later Zvezda took the lead after those gift free throws. (27:26).

I have to admit though, we had too many missed-out chances. Really. It was a pain to watch. Especially the missed-out 3-pointers. We paid the price for these.

Finally we could score (31:28), then we reduced to 34:31. Only two minutes were left, when Zvezda made it to 10 points (44:34), while we were just struggling. We got a long row of fouls, but when Veličković was pushed to the floor, that was not whistled off... The referee just waved to Partizan’s team captain to stand up, come on, come on... Hatcher made a buzzer-beater 3-pointer, with his score we finished the first half with 48:39.

At first it seems like a romantic ’I wanna hold your hand’-scene between Vrabac and Jović, but in real they want to strangle each other

The third quarter was the sequel of the first two. We were fouled at almost every Zvezda-attack, Zvezda got a gift free throw every time, while we were struggling to score. The enemy was leading to 54:39. Foul came after foul, as if the world was against us. 56:43... Aleksandar Džikić asked for time-out in the middle of the quarter. Seriously, once he will get an apoplectic seizure during a time-out for yelling so much and so hard with the players.

I’m not familiar with such things, also it’s easy to play the smartass from here, at the sideline, but can anyone tell why must half the time-out be wasted with Džikić yelling at the players, sometimes in a too rough way? Isn’t a time-out rather for tactical discussion, while keeping the yelling part for the locker room?

It didn’t get any better for us. 61:46... We made every possible mistake. Or scenes like two Zvezda-players were hanging on Luković, the referee didn’t bat an eyelid. But when Luković hung on a Zvezda-player at the other side of the court, he was fouled immediately. At the end of the quarter the difference was 20 points (67:46), Average Fan was watching the endless row of fouls with just a dry smile. The quarter finished with 70:53.

Andrić and Majstorović wrestling with Mitrović for the ball. Can anyone tell why Andrić entered the game only in the middle of the third half?

And then, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the standing was 72:53, the head coach of Zvezda got the crust to make a tantrum when Zvezda got an offensive foul. (What a tantrum that was, my good God.)
The standing was 73:59, it was around the middle of the quarter, when Majstorović stayed laying on the ground with a painful face. The slow motion replay showed him clashing with someone and getting injured on the ingunial.

He could stand on his feet only with the help of the team doctor

He limped to the bench with Andrić’s support

What has to be noticed though: as Majstorović was limping off the court, he got an applause from Zvezda-fans. This was nice of you, guys. Thanks. Really.

Faith in humanity restored

The game continued and it was the same... (fault >> gift free throw to them, missed-out chances here). 77:61... 82:66... Finally, at 83:70 Vrabac scored, 24 seconds before the end. This way we could avoid the 10-point difference. But let’s just rather forget this game.
Update: it seems Majstorović needs at least a month of rest to recover from his injury

Highlights:

Crvena Zvezda: Wolters (6), Dangubić (6), Mitrović (12), Lazić (11), Simanić, Dobrić, Simonović (8), Jenkins (19), Gudurić (4), Jović, Kuzmić (8), Bjelica (9)

KK Partizan: Robinson (2), Ratkovica (11), Vrabac (6), Marinković (9), Veličković (11), Majstorović (3), Birčević (10), Koprivica (4), Andrić, Hatcher (16), Karahodžić, Luković

Current standing of the league:
1. CZ 16 pointa
2. Budućnost 16 points
3. Cibona 14 points
4. KK Partizan 14 points
5. Cedevita 13 points
6. Igokea 12 points
7. FMP 11 points
8. Krka 11 points
9. Zadar 11 points
10. Mornar Bar 10 points
11. Mega Leks 10 points
12. MZT Skopje 10 points
13. Union Olimpija 9 points
14. Karpoš 8 points

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)