Crvena Zvezda - KK Partizan 72:75 (play-off, final, 3rd match)

We won.
We should mention though that we could make it with greater-than-life luck and we could take advantage of Zvezda’s boosting self-confidence thinking that this night they would celebrate. If I can be brutally honest: this game was rather lost by Zvezda than won by us.
But sports are not about "rather"-s and luck, but about points and/or goals. At the end it’s only the result that matters.

Warning: I might anger some people with this blogpost, but despite the end result I won’t be gentle and forgiving to anyone.

We had a horrible start. There’s nothing to attenuate on it. I have never seen such a terrible, crappy game start by this team (I’ve been watching them for 3+ years now). We could score ONLY FIVE (5) POINTS in the entire quarter. Not more, not less. Five.
They were all scored by Jones.

Kevin Jones

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

We shat into the pants. There were five scared field mice on the court running circles. It was a shame. No excuse.
The quarter ended with 13:5. Okay, Zvezda didn’t push themselves either, but as I said earlier, they were too sure about their victory.
The second quarter started with the fight of Veličković and Miller.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Referees solved it by giving technical foul to both.

This time the main official of the game was a different referee, not that one from the previous two games. If I wanted to crack a weak joke, I’d say maybe that was the reason why we could win now. What’s sure is that this time (at least at the beginning of the game) there were definitely much less fouls and openly biased judgements by the referees. Though later they made it up for the large-scale production, so to speak.

We picked ourseves together a bit (15:10). We took advantage of Zvezda missing out many attempts. Veličković was on the top. He scored a lot of 3-pointers, we can thank mainly to him that we reduced the difference to 24:22 and we could even keep it. Once we even took the lead. Murić first equalized (26:26), then he got a free throw as well and scored one (26:27). It didn’t last long though (28:27). Both teams struggled with no result. Finally referees commiserated Zvezda and gave them a free throw at the end of the quarter. We finished the first half with a two-point drawback (29:27).

Zvezda-players were not too friendly with Murić

(photo: hotsport.rs)

In the third quarter Williams joined us

where the hell was he in the first half?...

and we immediately sped up.

Darrell Williams

(photo: hotsport.rs)

We equalized (29:29), we took the lead (29:31) and kept it (37:39). Williams made a fantastic series and he didn’t stop (39:41). Zvezda equalized (43:43), for a short while they took back the lead (45:43), then we were leading again with Murić’s 3-pointer. This was when Zvezda’s overconfidence striked back. We didn’t just lead (47:50), but what Vrabac did at the end buzz, that was unbelievable.

He threw the ball at the half-court...

...the ball perfectly fell into the ring. Time to celebrate

(photos: hotsport.rs)

There’s a video about this scene:

The quarter ended with 47:53.

Yes, we were leading. Still there was something that made me sad, or at least turned off my mood enough that I could't be happy with the standing. Namely I saw nobody with enough pulling power for the whole team. Neither this time, nor during the past 5-6 games. Okay, Veličković and his great routine helped us getting out of the bottom, but he had to do it all alone, because the others did not help or assist him. Okay, a few players had some good moments, e.g. this great 3-pointer by Vrabac, or Williams’s performance in the 3rd quarter. But on one hand none of these had a balanced performance, on the other the rest of the team was just a grey mass. Wilson was invisible, Murić excelled mostly with his faults during the past games. As for the rest, the only reason I remember them is because I see a few of their names in my notes near the scores. None of them had any remarkable moments. And this is unadmittable, because this is PARTIZAN and not just a nameless team from the countryside.

Then came the last quarter where we demonstrated how to gain a 15-point advantage, then we demonstrated right there how to lose it until almost the last point.
At first we were leading, almost confidently (50:59). We reached the two-digit difference (52:62). Hey, people, it’s the last quarter and we are leading with 10 points! What is more, with Jones’s 3-pointer it was 52:65. Aranitović showed himself, too (52:67). 15 points, in the last quarter!!!
Oh, wait...
It was reduced immediately to 10 points (57:67). Murić scored a 3-pointer (57:70) three minutes before the end. At 62:72 Veličković was fouled out, while Zvezda sped up (65:72). Full court press, combat fights, Vrabac was fouled in an impossible situation. Even ArenaSport’s commentators didn’t believe their eyes... Only 50 seconds were left, the standing was 70:73. Zvezda was struggling hard, while we desperately tried to defend the result. Wilson raised our advantage a bit from free throw (70:75), Zvezda scored 9 seconds before the end (72:75). In the most critical moment Wilson dropped the ball out of his hand. For our XXXXL-sized luck there were only 2-3 seconds left and Zvezda had no time to change the standing.
Here’s a video about this circus:

Then it ended. The standing is 2:1 now for the neighbourhood. The next game will be on Thursday, at 21:00 on ArenaSport 1.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Crvena Zvezda: Kinsey (10), Rebić, Dangubić (4), Mitrović (4), Lazić (4), Micić (3), Simonović (15), Gudurić (3), Jović (5), Miller (5), Zirbes (19), Štimac

KK Partizan: Aranitović (4), Jones (13), Murić (12), Marinković, Veličković (13), Vitkovac (4), Đumić, Magdevski, Milutinović (8), Williams (12), Wilson (4)

Borac Čačak - KK Partizan 83:94 (superliga, round 4)

This was awful. During the first half Murphy’s every law came into effect that is connected in any way to internet and/or IT. What is more, new laws were born. Dying internet, dead stream, collapsing/freezing browser

I swear, my browser collapses only once a year
well, I hope that now I’m done for the rest of this year

cursing, swearing, finally following the results live on FlashScore.com, as nothing else worked.
I could still make a few screenshots and there are official photos, too.

My net’s still dying, the photos are uploading with the speed of a rheumatic snail
I hope I can get this blogpost done for dawn

Group photo before start

Serbian anthem

 (photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Handshakes before start

(screenshot)

Jump ball

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

The most important is, as much as I could see, that we were leading for the entire first half. Sometimes our advantage was only 2 points, but we were always ahead (if the home team happened to equalize or even take the lead some time during the game, it didn't last long).

First quarter, Partizan-attack

Murić at the paint

Borac attacks soon before the end of the first quarter

(screenshots)

At the end of the first part we were leading to 21:24.
We kept our advantage in the second quarter, too. At a point we were ahead with 9 points (26:35). Borac then reduced the difference to 33:36.
Something happened here, because the standing was in halt on FlashScore for quite a while. I checked other sites, it was the same. If anybody knows what was going on at the court, please, write it to the comment box. Thanks in advance.
Borac equalized soon before half time (39:39), but we could take back the lead (39:42). That was the half time result as well.

Milutinović and Jones some time during the game

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

In the third quarter our advantage was 10 points (42:52). My net came back to life around here, just when Murić stood to the paint again (52:60).
Borac played very aggressively. I don’t know if they had this style in the first half as well, but they bit themselves on our players. I was just blinking. There were a lot of fouls, the game was very fragmented, referees were just whistling all the time.

Still it was a great game. Damn it that I had to miss out the first half.

Team Čačak put rebounding on a perfect level. They threw a lot of 3-pointers. They reduced the difference to 63:66. In the meantime local fans were hissing and booing every time a Partizan-player touched the ball. The atmosphere was heated.

Williams at the paint in the third quarter

Time-out

(screenshots)

In the fourth quarter we quickly jumped to 63:70, then we settled back the two-digit difference (67:77). After that we just had to keep it.
We managed.

Handshakes at the end

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Borac Čačak: Čarapić (3), Mitrović, Popović (5), Mićović (7), Bojić (4), Avramović (19), Bojović, Radonjić (2), Stanojević (2), Radojević (3), Stevanović (27), Mišković (11)

KK Partizan: Cvetković (5), Aranitović, Jones (13), Murić (19), Marinković (4), Veličković (12), Vitkovac (4), Đumić (2), Milutinović (4), Williams (13), Wilson (11)

Current championship standings:

Group A:*
1. CZ 6 points
2. FMP 5 points
3. Metalac 4 points
4. Tamiš 3 points

Group B:
1. Partizan 8 points
2. Mega Leks 7 points
3. Konstantin 5 points
4. Borac 4 points

*Group A played only 3 rounds so far

Mega Leks - KK Partizan 81:85 (superliga, round 2)

It was crazy.
On one hand this match just had to be put to the same day as the football cup final, and as an extra, the same TV channel broadcasted the two games

someone please, tell me, what was the idea behind it? Who thought that if a cup final starts at 19:00, it will really end at 21:00? I get that a football game is usually not longer than 90 minutes, but a final always includes the end ceremony as well, not mentioning the possible extra time
if at least the basketball game would have been broadcasted on AS 2 or something

so most of the first quarter was missed. Beside all ArenaSport stream links died, there was only sportuzivo.tv’s online broadcast left. Okay, it was great, because I could still watch the basketball team, yet on the other hand I was totally confused, because this broadcast had no commentator and it was from only one camera stand, without slow motion replay.
But let’s see things from the positive side. There was broadcast and we won. This latter one wasn’t that clear-cut though at first. After successfully finding a working link, the welcome screen was "Mega Leks - Partizan 21:18" which soon jumped to 24:18 after a 3-pointer. The quarter ended with 25:21, Average Fan just had a resigned sigh, after all, the football team won the Cup, let’s not be insatiable.
So lucky Partizan’s basketball team had a totally different opinion.

As there was no commentator for the game, I can’t really tell who scored and when. Nevertheless at the end of this post you’ll find the statistics.

Mega Leks was still leading at the beginning of the second quarter. Then we could equalize, first by the scores of Veličković (29:29), then of Vitkovac (31:31). Then something happened. Either we sped up or Mega Leks collapsed (or both), nevertheless we were soon leading to 33:40. From then on we kept our advantage til the end. We finished the first half with Veličković’s fantastic buzzer beater (42:51).

Veličković some time during the game

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

In the third quarter we reached the 10-point difference (47:57). The team was on fire, Cvetković made a great steal, passed the ball to Jones, who thanked and slammed it into the ring (49:63).

(source: GlimmerKKP)

Referees were not on top to say the least. Just the usual... What was fine for the opponent, was foul for us. For their great-great luck their activities didn’t have any negative impact on the end result. We finished the third part with 58:67.
In the last quarter we kept our advantage of 10+ points. Mega Leks tried with full court press, though the truth is, they scored mostly from free throws, as referees very generously served them a lot on golden plate. We could score only once, Mega Leks reduced the difference to 81:85 with the many free throws they got. Still the victory was ours.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

There are no highlights available about the game, but here is a video about KK Partizan’s brand new locker room (courtesy of Adidas Srbija) for your satisfaction.

Mega Leks: Rašić (7), Đoković, Veljković, Ivanović (11), Zubac (10), Pavlović, Luwawu (9), Zagorac (10), Popović (8), Simeunović, Nikolić (14), Janković (10)

KK Partizan: Cvetković (12), Aranitović, Jones (15), Murić (7), Marinković (6), Veličković (15), Vitkovac (15), Koprivica, Milutinović (3), Williams, Vrabac (3), Wilson (9)

Current championship standings:

Group A:
1. CZ 4 points
2. FMP 4 points
3. Metalac 2 points
4. Tamiš 2 points

Group B:
1. Partizan 4 points
2. Mega Leks 3 points
3. Kostantin 3 points
4. Borac 2 points

Union Olimpija - KK Partizan 118:115 (Adriatic League, Round 26)

It was a sensational, surreal basketball comedy in 4+4 acts. I have never seen such, they say it was the very first time in the history of Adriatic League that the 4th (!!!) extra time decides the final result of a game.

(photo: Twitter)

We started like a bunch of sleepy badgers and as the game was going on, it didn’t get any better. Olimpija made it to 9:5 and after a while their advantage grew to 10 points (17:7). As if the team would have been somewhere else in spirit. Olimpija was not on the top either concerning combativity, but we were like being bitten by tik tik flies. Thankfully Jones and Wilson didn’t fall asleep, they made us crawl back to 20:11. Cvetković scored as well (20:13), then the first quarter ended.
The second one was much worse. Terrible game, awful mistakes. We were like a team from the 3rd league. What is more, the on-screen scoreboard disappeared

not on my side, it was a glitch in ArenaSport’s matrix

and didn’t return until the end of the first half. I had to follow the standings on flashscore.com, though perhaps I should have stayed in blissful ignorance, because the result just made me depressive.
As for the match itself, it was boring, soulless and sleepy.

It was so boring that even a cherry baklava recipe was more interesting than what was going on the court of Tivoli sports hall.

Olimpija reached the two-digit difference a few times, we were just fumbling. Cvetković tried to keep the spirit in the team, he scored a few baskets, but we couldn’t reduce the 10+ point difference. Soon before the end the Wilson-Jones duo made us jump from 44:28 to 44:35, and it was high time to have some longer rest.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

We started to show life-signs in the middle of the third quarter. Or, maybe it was only Olimpija slowing down. Nevertheless the difference was reduced from 44:37 to 48:42. Wilson was the most active compared to the others (the rest played very enervated). The difference was less and less (55:51), meanwhile the timestamp collapsed on the on-screen scoreboard and didn’t recover at all. The quarter ended with 58:54.
For the last part (or at least that part we thought would be the last) Olimpija was obviously struggling. We equalized (58:58), then took the lead with Wilson’s score (58:61). Yet the game was still a surreal comedy, because what else could you name that when we had 4 attempts in a row for a 3-pointer, but the ball rebounded every single time?... Olimpija wake up from their slumber when we took the lead, and from this point on until the final K.O. it was like a ping-pong game. A team scores, then B team scores. Again A team scores, then again B team. Then again A team... and so on. 65:66, 67:66, 67:68, 67:70, 69:70, etc. Only a few seconds were left, we were leading to 69:71, when Olimpija suddenly equalized (71:71). End buzz, the standing is a draw. Extra time.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

What started here was like a very heavy feverish nightmare. We continued the ping-pong game. At this point it seemed like so that the team that loses would be the one that makes the first mistake. It happened at 78:77. Jones’s attempt rebounded from the ring. Olimpija took advantage, jumped to 83:77. Vitkovac sped up and scored 4 points (83:81). Less than a minute was left, Olimpija got a free throw (85:81). So did we, Cvetković scored (85:83). Partizan played full court press, we didn’t let Slovenians even take breath. Last seconds, Partizan attacks, Cvetković possesses the ball. He shots... and scores. 85:85, end buzz, another extra time is waiting.
We continued again the ping-pong. Wilson and Jones had a massive series, making us jump to 87:93.

At this point almost only our two Americans were active, the rest were breathing through their ears from exhaustedness.

Olimpija got free throw twice, they reduced the difference to 92:93. One free throw was there for us, too (92:94). 11 seconds were left, when Olimpija equalized (94:94). Amazing. End buzz, one another amount of extra time.
Ping-pong. Both teams were very tired, they made a lot of mistakes. Only one and a half minutes were left, the standing was 101:99, when we started the "Olimpija scores, we equalize"-game. It was absolutely not less nerve-racking than the ping-pong style. At 105:103 Olimpija’s coach asked for time-out. When they got back to the court, they immediately got a free throw (106:103). Wilson was tirelessly carrying the team on his back. He scored (106:105). Olimpija got another free throw (107:105). A few seconds were left, when Wilson ran up and right before the end buzz he scored. 107:107, another extra time.
In this absolutely crazy encore, when both teams made a superhuman performance, in this very last part we couldn’t take the lead. Olimpija was always ahead of us with a step (111:109, 113:111, 115:113, etc.). 10 seconds were left, the standing was 116:115, when Olimpija got a free throw. They scored. 118:115
4 seconds were left. Partizan got a free throw.
Wilson stood to the paint... and he missed it out. He couldn’t score.
The rest of the time was enough only for Olimpija to ran up to our backboard, then it was end buzz. After one hour we were defeated in a fantastic, surreal and very heroic game, but for all these we made in the last quarter and throughout the entire extra time, for all these the boys deserve all respect.

This is why I root for Partizan. This is why I don’t care for Hungarian sports, nor for spoiled foreign teams and their celebrity athletes. I love them for this battling spirit, and this is what I can find only at them.

Adriatic League has ended for us, the next station comes later in the Serbian domestic league.

Highlights:

Union Olimpija: Rupnik (2), Robinson (14), Hrovat (10), Mesiček, Nikolić (8), Vučetić (6), Lapornik (25), Lešić (31), Mahkovic (4), Zakis (18), Čančar

KK Partizan: Cvetković (19), Aranitović, Jones (32), Murić (7), Marinković, Vitkovac (12), Koprivica, Milutinović, Williams (4), Vrabac, Wilson (41)

Adriatic League regular season end results:
1. Budućnost 49 points
2. CZ 46 points
3. Cedevita 45 points
4. Mega Leks 43 points
5. Partizan 38 points
6. Zadar 38 points
7. Union Olimpija 37 points
8. Cibona 37 points
9. Igokea 37 points
10. MZT Skopje 36 points
11. Metalac 36 points
12. Krka 36 points
13. Sutjeska 35 points
14. Tajfun Šentjur 33 points

KK Partizan - Cedevita 82:61 (Adriatic League, Round 25)

I love to write about games like this.
This one was one big basketball gala. Fantastic atmosphere, a lot of talented players, tricks and many spectacular actions. We were leading for the whole time, Cedevita couldn’t even approach us.
What is more, this match was placed to Hala Sportova in Novi Beograd. This was KK Partizan’s home before they moved to Pionir Hall (Pionir Hall now is the home of a tennis championship, that’s why the basketball team played at the other side of river Sava).
Partizan made this retro-feeling run on the maximum. First, that’s how the entrance ticket looked like:

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Old school, printed program brochure was also available.

(photos: mondo.rs)

Serbian swimmer ace Velimir Stjepanović was also present at the game, he got a 70’s style basketball jersey.

(photo: mondo.rs)

(photo: Twitter)

Former top gun Novica Veličković was also there. His contract expired with his current teams, there are many rumours about him and his possible return to Partizan.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

After all these the atmosphere couldn’t be anything else but fantastic.

We went out to the court and bang, it was 7:2 within seconds. At this point Koprivica quickly got out to the bench - he returned later, but he had a plaster on his forehead.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Jones and Wilson did amazing things. The two of them made us jump to 11:6, later Williams joined them (13:9). Less than 5 minutes passed from the first quarter, when Murić got his 3rd personal foul from the referees. Cedevita got a fre throw (13:11), then something happened, and this something was not else than Vanja Marinković.

Then Williams stole the ball, ran up and performed a BRUTAL slam dunk.

Williams Airlines

(photo: aba-liga.com)

It was still the first quarter, Willams was unstoppable.

And so on. Tricks, dribblings, dunks, fans going crazy. For the whole time, to the end of the game.

Keep in mind though, we needed a seriously under-achieving Cedevita. No one knows what happened to the Croatians today, but they were their own shadows. They were weak and had absoultely no idea what to do with us. Their coach asked for time-out every now and then, but couldn’t clear up the chaos in the heads.

We retunred to the second quarter and continued where we stopped. Our advantage quickly grew to 10 points (36:26, Vrabac).
In the meantime fans were shouting "Vučiću, pederu".

If you don’t know the story behind it: after the infamous Serbia - Albania football game the reporter was talking to the two invited football experts (one of them was Partizan’s ex-goalkeeper Ivica Kralj) on the top of Partizan’s stadium, when a fan could somehow get into the press section, ran to the camera and screamed "Vučiću, pederu!" (Vučić, you faggot) right into the lens. The video gained cult state since then, a long row of remixes has been made about it and became almost like a greeting among Partizan-fans (not just among them).

In the meantime Cedevita had numerous attempts, but none of them was successful. The ball rebounded even when they tried with dunk.
Partizan was like a miracle. Jones threw baskets one after the other, Murić sent the ball into the ring after a fantastic row of passing it here and there and the counter was at 45:31. We finished the first half with 48:34.

Cvetković some time during the game

(photo: hotsport.rs)

In the third quarter Cedevita didn’t even walked out to the court, when Wilson scored (50:34).
Then Jones (52:34).
Then Wilson again (54:34). We were leading with 20 points.
Cedevita collapsed, Partizan did whatever they wanted.
Like this:

Then Cvetković had to be picked from the ground after he clashed with a Cedevita player under our backboard and he got a hit on his solar plexus (if I could see it well). He laid on the floor for quite a while.

(photo: Twitter)

But Cvele just took a deep breath and returned back to the game, because Cvele is a hero.
The third part ended with 64:44, after Williams (again) made the impossible possible.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

The fourth quarter was a fiesta.
At this point it didn’t matter that Williams ran so hard after a ball that he fell through the boards. When he crawled back to the court, fans greeted him with ovation.

(photo: Twitter)

Or Murić made an amazing steal, dribbled through the court and made such a slam dunk that it could be heard even in Genex tower.
At the very end Koprivica was fouled out, but that really didn’t matter at all. We won against Cedevita with an amazing, magnificent game.
It was high time to celebrate.

(photos: hotsport.rs)

Novica Veličković got VIP-hugs

(photos: Twitter)

Mrs. Milka, mother of Aleksandar Džikić was especially satisfied with Edo Murić (and if Mrs. Milka likes you, then you’re really great)

(photo: Twitter)

(photos: hotsport.rs)

Highlights:

KK Partizan: Cvetković (5), Aranitović, Jones (21), Murić (15), Marinković (4), Vitkovac (3), Koprivica (2), Magdevski, Milutinović, Williams (12), Vrabac (4), Wilson (16)

Cedevita: Pullen (10), White (1), Katić, Pilepić (6), Babić (3), Žganec (1), Walker (7), Bilan (13), Mazalin, Gordić (5), Žorić (7), Arapović (8)

Current standing of the league:
1. Budućnost 47 points
2. CZ 44 points
3. Cedevita 43 points
4. Mega Leks 41 points
5. Partizan 37 points
6. Cibona 36 points
7. Zadar 36 points
8. MZT Skopje 35 points
9. Union Olimpija 35 points
10. Krka 35 points
11. Igokea 35 points
12. Metalac 35 points
13. Sutjeska 34 points
14. Tajfun Šentjur 32 points

KK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 68:60 (Korać Cup, semifinal)

VICTORYYYYY!!!

What a victory, oh my God.
In the afternoon of the match day there was already a great police presence around the sports hall of Niš.

(photos: Twitter)

Two hours before the start the sports hall was almost full.

(photo: Twitter)

Then, as the time was coming soon, the squad appeared on the court to warm up.

(photo: Twitter)

They got a very warm welcome from the fans.

While on the stand there was someone whom we haven’t seen for long.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Yes, it was Predrag "Saša" Danilović personally, who came to see Partizan.
On Partizan’s bench the injured players gathered.

Vrabac, Magdevski, Andrić, Đumić

(photo: Twitter)

To hell with the goddamned Copa Del Rey. I’m fucking not interested in the Spanish royal cup right before the eternal derby, dear ArenaSport.

The start was tough, what else it could be. In the first half there was a long row of fouls on both sides. The first part of the first quarter wasn’t even gone when Koprivica got his third personal foul. After 7:7 Zvezda took the lead (7:10) and they kept it (8:11). We missed out a lot of chances - in fact both teams missed out too many chances, they were all very nervous. They were so nervous that Miller got a technical foul here, in the first quarter. At 8:13 Williams scored from free throw (10:13), then Cvetković sped up and he himself alone (!!!) brought us up to 17:13!!!

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Punch line for the end of the first quarter: Zirbes missed out a free throw.

The atmosphere was great.

The beginning of the second quarter was mostly about wrestling. Players were rolling on the floor struggling with each other, fighting over the ball, finally we could grab it and ran up to Zvezda’s paint.
What started at this point was something amazing, unbelievable and fantastic. Wilson made us jump to 24:13 (he got two free throws and in between he scored a wonderful 3-pointer). Cvetković was burning on 1 million Celsius and made such an assist to Vitkovac that will surely be remembered for long.

(source: GlimmerKKP)

Zvezda tried with full court press, they could reduce the difference a bit to 26:19. Players were literally fighting sometimes, referees couldn’t always follow the stream of events, they just whistled and gave fouls to random players.

It was especially funny because it was mostly the XXL-sized, tattoed Zirbes had to throw those free throws they got. Yet the German was totally out of shape, at least in the first half. He missed out almost all free throws, he could barely score a point here and there.

Jones got a rebound, he scored (28:19). Zvezda was struggling. They could score almost only from free throws

well, if not Zirbes threw them...

they were cramping, struggling. They struggled so hard they almost got piles, but they could come up to only 6 points of difference (28:22), but Murić cut their possible high hopes short with an elegant and cheeky 3-pointer (31:22).
After this Miller got the ball and ran up. He jumped, he sailed through the air like a helicopter, he clearly wanted to do a giant dunk. He rose his hand, he focused all his power into his palm that was holding the ball...
...and the ball rebounded from the ring with a fantastic trajectory.

At this point I fell on the floor from laugh and made such noises like a retarded seal.

We ran up for a counter-attack, Jones scored with a rakish movement. Our advantage was 11 points (33:22).

(photo: hotsport.rs)

At the end of the quarter the referees just had to give the 4th foul to Williams, because why not. Zvezda struggled hard enough to earn 3 more points (this time they could score from free throw), then we could have some rest.

Grave Diggers some time in the second quarter

In the third quarter Zvezda barely walked out to the court when Koprivica settled back the 10-point difference (35:25).

Jones scored (37:25), Murić brought a genious 3-pointer (40:25). Zvezda struggled ahead, sometimes they could score (40:29), but Jones always interrupted them, keeping the red hopes low instead of high, to keep them away from any possible emotional disturbance.
What a great pedagugoe Kevin Jones is.
After this a smaller war started under Zvezda’s backboard. Players were fighting, wrestling, the ball dropped all around, three Zvezda-players jumped on a Partizan-player, finally the ball reached Murić. Murić looked around then he threw a GIANT 3-pointer "from another planet" that the plaster fell off from the ceiling (45:29).
Zvezda got a row of free throws (45:32) - they couldn’t really score any field goal... Grave Diggers started to chant their little song about Vesna Čović, again

no, I won’t write it here, it’s too obscene

but the referees found it too harsh, so much that the speaker had to announce that if fans continue to "support their team in such an unsportsmanlike way", there will be nasty consequences.

Interesting, when back then opponent fans yelled life-threatening, obscene words to Duško Vujošević or when they called Bogdan Bogdanović "ustaša", nobody stopped the game and nobody told red fans to shut the fuck up. Double standards, my a.....

After this Grave Diggers chanted their song even louder about what Vesna Čović should do and especially how. At 45:34 Wilson scored a 3-pointer (48:34), and finally Zvezda could score a field goal after a long time. (48:37)
Then came Milutinović’s great moment.
The standing was 50:37, Cvetković ran up with the ball, dribbling. He broke through the red defense line, a defender pushed him to the ground. Cvetković threw the ball while he himself was falling, but the ball rebounded. Milutinović was sneaking under the backboard, he jumped, grabbed the rebounding ball and ruthlessly pushed it into the ring.

(source: GlimmerKKP)

At the end of the quarter Zvezda got a friendly clout on their head in the form of a gift free throw from the referees. We finished the third part with 52:39.
In the beginning of the fourth quarter Jones had his moments, changing the standing from 52:41 to 56:41. Zvezda was struggling (56:47), while the Wilson-Murić duo easily scored 4 more points for us (60:47).

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Wilson scored again, what made it funny was that a red hand touched the ball while flying towards the ring - had it not touch the ball, Wilson would have missed it out (62:47). Zvezda could score only from free throw (62:51). Williams was fouled out, Zvezda reduced their difference, it started to be a bit uncomfortable (65:59) after they got again a lot of free throws. There was less than a minute to go, when Wilson had a fantastic basket (67:59)

I swear I saw it to be a 3-pointer, well, the referee didn’t

Cvetković scored from free throw (68:59). There were only 7 seconds left, but the referees just had to foul out Wilson and give a last free throw to Zvezda (68:60). But they couldn’t take the victory from us.
It was time for a very well-earned celebration.

(photos: Twitter)

And finally, the extra punch line for the end: after the match the totally absent-minded Quincey Miller got on Partizan’s bus (for the great amusement of the Grave Diggers waiting there).

KK Partizan: Cvetković (6), Aranitović, Jones (19), Murić (11), Marinković (5), Tanasković, Vitkovac (3), Koprivica (2), Milutinović (4), Williams (2), Jovanović, Wilson (16)

Crvena Zvezda: Kinsey (22), Rebić, Dangubić (6), Lazić (1), Simanić, Micić (16), Tejić, Simonović, Gudurić, Miller (3), Zirbes (12)

The final of the Korać Cup starts tomorrow at 21:00, we’ll play against Mega Leks. ArenaSport 1 broadcasts it live.