KK Partizan - FMP 87:78 (play-off, semifinal, 3rd match)

We won. We qualified to the final. We sweated blood, all odds were against us, but finally justice has won.
A few hours before the game some rumours started to circle around the net reporting that FMP (allegedly) had decided to leave the court if Partizan-fans start to mock again Vesna Čović, as they did at the previous home game. This way they would made scandal and perhaps they could squeeze out of the basketball association to suspend us from the championship.

Последња информација: Ови смрдљивци из Железника добили су дефинитивне инструкције да напусте терен након првог скандира...
Posted by Partizan is life on Wednesday, June 1, 2016

After this Partizan-fans got an unexpected and unpleasant surprise at the entrance of Pionir Hall: a group of raging Crvena Zvezda-fans.

Nobody called them (maybe uncle Čoki did, but he doesn’t count)

(photos: Twitter)

A couple of beloved friends were present at the game.

International tae-kwon-do champion Milica Mandić...

...and Joffrey Lauvergne, who got a warm welcome from fans

(photos: Twitter)

Meanwhile the team warmed up.

(photos: Twitter)

During the national anthem I just had to make this screenshot. Filip Čović in life size.

Mr. Minority

(screenshot/ArenaSport 1)

Referees made us clear at the beginning that they dislike us. FMP brought their usual aggressive foul court press tactics again, but this time we didn’t keep ourself back from this man-to-man fight, but bravely entered. The only problem was that we were fouled for these fights and not the opponent.
It still looked so that things work fine. We were leading to 10:4, FMP’s head coach nervously asked for time-out. While the fans...
Hats off to Partizan-fans, they really didn’t chant that ominous "Čović Vesna, j..... se k’o besna"-rhyme.
Instead they chanted everything else.

Navijači Partizana gromoglasno navijaju protiv FMP-a #superliga #playoff pic.twitter.com/Cw8lrOPKHf

— Telegraf Sport (@TelegrafSport) June 1, 2016

After all, this was not forbidden...
In the meantime we reached the two-digit difference (16:6). Wilson and Jones were in excellent shape. Vitkovac threw a hook from an impossible angle (21:9) while a defender was hanging on his neck. Murić had a giant block, for which he was fouled, but when he was brutally blocked at the other side, the referees just waved "go on". However we finished the first part with 24:10.

Partizan-fans in the first quarter

(photo: Twitter)

For the second quarter it was clear that FMP can play the big boss only when they are at home, when only their own fans are around, and the only reason referees don’t wear FMP-shirts is because it would be too obvious. At an away court, against a (much more) professional team FMP is still an average countryside group of players. Partizan was leading with 15 points (29:14), and fans could still find a way to mock Mme Čović. The two sides of the tribune chanted in turns saying
Iiiiiiima jeeeeeedan tim...
...VESNA!
Ceo sam život s njiiiiiim...
...VESNA!
And so on.

It was genious. No curse words, no vulgarities, but it was still clear-cut.

We were leading to 35:16. As soon as a Partizan-player tried to throw the ball into the ring (especially if it was to be a hook), at least 4 FMP-players jumped on him. Our advantage was still confident, we were leading to 41:26 in the half-time. Vrabac scored a fantastic 3-pointer just 5 seconds before the end buzz.

Edo Murić, while he was still on the court

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

The beginning of the third quarter looked smooth. We were leading to 46:30, then to 54:36 (with the amazing teamwork of Jones and Marinković), but the referees whistled off impossible things as foul. Of course only for us, to be able to give gift free throws to FMP. Despite their efforts we could rise upt to 20 points of difference (57:37). Vrabac had a giant block, the slow motion replay even showed FMP’s player fumbling it away, but still Vrabac was fouled. Then Veličković got a bonus shot at 62:46. He threw the ball, it seemed to rebound, but still could have fallen into the ring, if an FMP-player hadn’t slapped it off, ending it as a defensive rebound - the referee didn’t whistle. We could still keep our advantage (66:50), though the guest team had a more and more aggressive game. The third part ended with 69:52, but the worst was yet to come.

Vrabac and Wilson help Williams to get back to his feet

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

At the beginning of the last quarter Murić and Čović clashed. All that was visible was that Murić tried to tackle Čović, then Čović pushed his elbow into Murić’s face and then hell broke loose.

Finally referees resolved the situation by giving technical foul to both players. This was the second technical for both, they had to leave the court.

How wonderful it was. (Not.) The fail of logics and moral.

Both teams got their free throws. Partizan scored (73:61), FMP missed it out. Therefore the referees gave them a gift free throw (fouling us again with an impossible reason). That was fine. Good boys. (75:63)
At this point both teams released the beast. Even though FMP's poison-fang was pulled out by sending off Čović, they didn’t get any more sportsmanlike or technically skilled. They played the same man-to-man-fight tactics with full court press, maybe with one less moron on the court. They still got the support from the referees they needed, so the absence of the Boss’s Son wasn’t that prominent. They reduced the difference to 79:73.
Here came the time for Veličković.
Veličković took the team on his back and started to score 3-pointers. FMP-players immediately jumped on him (at least 3 of them at once). Only a few seconds were left from the game, it was in fact wrestling and not basketball on the court. Finally the referee took a deep breath and fouled FMP. Marinković scored from the free throw (87:75), but at the very end FMP just had to get a bonus shot after a score as well as a free throw. After 40 minutes of circus the buzz ended the game and we could celebrate our qualifying to the final. Aunt Vesna is done, now come uncle Čoki and his pitbulls.

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

KK Partizan: Cvetković (2), Aranitović, Jones (16), Murić (8), Marinković (8), Veličković (20), Vitkovac (8), Đumić, Milutinović (1), Williams (5), Vrabac (3), Wilson (16)

FMP: Čović (9), Davidovac (5), Ostojić, Apić (14), Jeković, Đoković (8), Lazarević (14), Bursać (2), Dobrić (6), Šešlija (4), Radovanović, Tejić (16)

KK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 92:82 (Serbian SuperLiga, Round 14)

We won!!!!
Oh, my God, what a GREAT game it was.
But first, we must warm up. Mačvan appeared on the court a bit more than an hour before the match.

(photo: Twitter)

The others appeared as well, one after the other.

(photo: Twitter)

(photo: Twitter)

(screenshot)

Saša Pavlović during the Serbian national anthem

(screenshot)

For my great luck ArenaSport also broadcasted the match, not only RTS. They broadcasted on two channels - AS 1 and AS 4 - with perfectly working streams.

So, we ran out to the court and Saša Pavlović decided there’s no need for introduction, nor exposition, let’s just start with the epilogue.

(image: glimmerkkp.blogspot.com)

And we continued in this manner, so much that within less than a minute after the start of the game Kalinić got his first personal foul.
We made it to 11:2. Even at this point, right at the beginning Pavlović pushed such a pace like a Formula 1 racecar having an atomic pile as the engine. At 11:2 Zvezda’s trainer desperately asked for time-out - as a result Pavlović set the 10-point difference (13:2). And we didn’t even reach the half of the first quarter. Partizan-scores came, one after the other, Mačvan, Murić, Tepić (24:10), Zvezda could score only from free throw.
And then again Pavlović.

(image: glimmerkkp.blogspot.com)

We finished the first quarter with 30:19.
In the second quarter our tactics was, in brief: whenever Zvezda dares to reduce the difference below 10 points, we must quickly correcti it. Meanwhile referees led a man-hunt against Pavlović and generally against Partizan-players. Nevertheless in the very beginning Mačvan had his great moments (34:23), then when the difference was reduced to 9 points (34:25), Marinković scored a fantastic 3-pointer (37:25). At 37:29 Tepić ran up after a turnover, got Pavlović’s whole-court-long pass and scored with a hook (39:29).

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Referees "valued" it with a foul against Pavlović. It was his 3rd personal foul. Then at 39:31 Đumić scored with Tepić’s assist (and right after this Đumić also got his personal foul no. 4).

Murić: Mr. Referee, please, tell me, are you really this very stupid? Please, reassure us that you take your medicines regularly

(photo: hotsport.rs)

At 41:32 Mačvan corrected the standing, at 43:34 Marinković scored again a great 3-pointer, and so on. At 51:39 Marinković threw such an amazing, troll basket that made Average Fan’s eyes wet.

(image: glimmerkkp.blogspot.com)

The half-time result was 53:41.

International tae-kwo-do champion Milica Mandić was also watching the game

(screenshot)

In the beginning of the third quarter there was a small Tepić-show (58:43),

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

then those uranium rods started to exert their effect Pavlović chewed in the half-time. The standing was 62:50, followed by another desperate time-out by the other side.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Zvezda reduced the difference to "only" 10 points (62:52), but Marinković ran up right after the red team’s basket and scored a brutal 3-pointer (65:52). After that he scored with a hook as well (67:52), because it is always better to be safe than sorry. Another time-out. Fine. Trainer Radonjić on the other side tries to shake up his team. (LOL) Wonderful, they scored a 3-pointer, aren’t they fantastic. But then Murić ran up and scored a hook (69:55), while Average Fan is doing a happy dance. There is a new name for this eternal derby. "Basketball porn". The result of the third quarter was 72:62.
The last part started with Pavlović getting a technical foul.

Dear Referees,
It is not called "technical foul". You can tell us you got permission for man-hunt on Pavlović.

Better to be safe than sorry is definitely Partizan’s motto, as Andrić settled back World Order as well as the 10+ difference with a 3-pointer (75:63). Things started to get out of control. There was wrestling, fighting for the ball, Murić got into a battle with Jenkins so much that our Slovenian’s left shoulder got injured, he could not continue the game. (Some sources say, Murić is out for the rest of the season.)

Murić stayed on the floor after the clash

(photo: hotsport.rs)

He got immediate medical treatment

(photo: Twitter)

He spent the rest of the evening with an icebag on his left shoulder

(photo: Twitter)

Jenkins got a technical foul for this, but it will not make Murić’s shoulder be less in pain. Meanwhile we increased the difference to 15 points with Milutinov’s one-handed, dunking score (80:65).
At 82:68 Kalinić was fouled out. Something has broken in Zvezda’s player

maybe the fuse has blown for him

because he made a huge tantrum with screaming and yelling. Fortunately the referee didn’t change his mind and sent Kalinić off the court.
I don’t put here photos of red players. May this very case be an exception, for all of you, dear fellow fans, never ever to make this mistake.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

If I understood well, referees gave numerous technical fouls to the red team. Kalinić had to go back to the locker-room. What actually happened was that Mačvan could throw at least four, but rather five free throws (he missed at least one, the standing was 86:68 after this).
Then we made the 20-point difference with Milutinov’s basket. 88:68. YESSSSSS!!!
Then Pavlović was also fouled out. It was expectable, after referees openly hated him, but still, please, dear referees, go to hell.
It still somehow had an encouraging effect on Zvezda. Hooray, the badass Partizan-player is out, we can kill them now. Referees helped them, of course, they quickly whistled technical foul on Andrić, and Zvezda made a 1:14 series. They made it from 88:68 to 89:82.
There were barely a few seconds left. Average Fan accepted (with a dry smile) that we’ll win with smaller difference than it was hoped.
And then Andrić threw the ball from the distance.
The ball fell into the ring without touching it.
WHAT A 3-POINTER THAT WAS, BREEEE!!!!
End buzz.
92:82. We made the 10-point difference.

A totally deserved celebration

(photos: hotsport.rs)

Highlights:

Now comes the play-off. Beside Partizan the other 3 teams are Zvezda, Metalac and Mega Leks. Partizan clashes with Metalac on Sunday, from 20:00.