KK Partizan - Borac Čačak 102:77 (superliga, round 1)

After ABA League/Adriatic League there was a two-month-long gap until the Serbian domestic league to start.
Though we didn’t have any time to get bored in between.
The leading news of this period was the verbal karate between FIBA and the basketball associations around Europe.

I try to make just a short summary about it: it all started with FIBA declaring that they were not willing to acknowledge Euroleague as an official competition. (This is not a fresh fight, it started long ago and it will surely not end in the near future. There are definitely clashes of interest in the background, but that should be the topic of another blogpost.) As ABA League is tied to Euroleague, FIBA declared, they would not acknowledge ABA League either as an official competition series. 
What is more, they also declared, all those nations which enter ABA League or Euroleague, their national teams will be banned from every international competition (EuroBasket, world championship, Olympic Games) - countries like Serbia, Spain, Russia, Lithuania or Slovenia (in the meantime Croatia confirmed that they would co-operate with FIBA, at the same time they would turn away from ABA League). As for Serbia, right now it seems that the Serbian Basketball Association will choose ABA League and Euroleague vs. the national team.
My very own two cents: no right decision can be brought in this situation. The KSS can only decide which finger they should push into their eyes.

Partizan had their very own private warfare with KSS in the meantime. As we found out, Partizan may enter the Eurocup-series next season with a little luck (if we can get the wild card). Yet KSS declared, if Partizan entered Eurocup, we would get banned from the Serbian domestic league.

Don’t ever ask me why. There is probably FIBA in the background of this decision, but I (still) can’t see through the why’s and how’s. If anyone has any information about it, you can write it to the comment section below. Thanks in advance.

KK Partizan’s sports director Dragan Todorić had a clear-cut reaction on it. He sent both KSS and FIBA straight to hell, and he added, if Partizan gets the wild card, then we will enter Eurocup, even if green snow falls on Belgrade in the middle of the summer.
And if this was still not enough, KK Partizan’s president Nikola "Pekmen" Peković had a controversial interview in the media.

Let’s get it straight: Pekmen licked the current Serbian government’s ass clear. It means, well... if you don’t know what it means, then I don’t know where you have been in the past two years.

After all these Serbian superliga could finally get a start yesterday, and Partizan had an easy training game with Čačak.
The match had to be played behind closed doors, from a nobody-remembers-when-and-what-happened punishment by KSS. But on the stands you could still see two old friends.

Saša Pavlović and Nemanja Bezbradica

(photo: sportskacentrala.com)

All the flags with the team’s former championship titles and victores disappeared. This only Serbian flag was hung there - the others were gone almost surely as the result of the fight between ABA League/Euroleague and FIBA

(photo: Twitter)

During the national anthem

(photo: Twitter)

The beginning of the game was a bit tough, Borac got a free throw in the very first minute (0:1), then they jumped to 8:12. It didn’t last long, we equalized (12:12, Koprivica had such a great game, why does this kid not get more chance to play?).

Miloš Koprivica with the ball

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Then it soon turned into 26:18.
This was that moment, too (2 and a half minutes were left from the first quarter) when Novica Veličković, who returned to Partizan a few weeks ago, entered the court.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

We soon reached the two-digit difference (28:18, Wilson). We practically won the match at this point. The quarter ended with 37:26.
The second quarter was even smoother. 43:26 (Veličković), 47:30 (Jones), 49:34 (Vitkovac).
And then came Petar Aranitović.
The kid washed off team Čačak from the court. He scored 9 points within 1-2 minutes (58:34). He was at everywhere, caught the ball and threw it into the ring every single time (even Murić’s rebound). At the end he closed the first half with such a 3-pointer that should be taught at academies (63:36).

The second half was just a formality. There’s not much to say about it. We were just throwing the ball into the basket, Team Čačak was nice to us, they just let us play around.

They deserve a hats-off though. It was a fair play game with them, and they fought as much as  they could, despite Partizan’s obvious advantage.

No highlights, I found none official. Yet here is the entire game, you can watch it again, if you’d like.

KK Partizan: Cvetković, Aranitović (14), Jones (12), Murić (11), Marinković (10), Veličković (9), Vitkovac (5), Koprivica (9), Milutinović (5), Williams (10), Vrabac (6), Wilson (11)

Borac Čačak: Čarapić (6), Mitrović, Popović, Mićović (13), Bojić (2), Avramović (27), Bojović (2), Radonjić (19), Stanojević (1), Radović, Stevanović (3), Mišković (6)

League table will be brought later.
Update: championship standings after the 1st round

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

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

Another player has left the basketball team

Večernje novosti reports that Nemanja Bezbradica will surely not start the preparations for the next season with KK Partizan. There’s no news yet about where he continues his career (as soon as I get to know anything, I’ll update the post.)
Right now there are only 8 players who will surely be there at the start of the preparational trainings for the 2015/16 championship. They are Petar Aranitović, Ioannis Kouzeloglou, Edo Murić, Vanja Marinković, Božo Dumić, Mihajlo Andrić, Andreja Milutinović and Miloš Glišić. Milenko Tepić’s contract has expired, so far there is no news whether he’ll extend it or not.

The preparations start on 17th August, under the command of the forever and unshakeable head coach Duško Vujošević.

Update (1st August):
Ioannis Kouzeloglou has also left the team, according to mozzartsport.com. And if that's not enough, rumours speak about Andreja Milutinović continuing his career at elsewhere.
There’s no news about Nemanja Bezbradica’s new team.

For God’s sake, will we have enough players to make a team for the next season?...

Tamiš - KK Partizan 50:82 (Serbian SuperLiga play-off, Round 13)

Another easy training match.
I have to confess, I barely know any details about the game, who scored when and how many points. There was no TV-broadcast, only a semi-official stream with no commentary. I made quite a few screenshots though which I’ll post here.
But first we must warm up.

(photo: Twitter)

This is something brand new, this "put your legs up in the air"-figure presented by Milenko Tepić.

(photo: Twitter)

Miša Tumbas was there, too. No match can start without him anyway. He was standing together with the coach staff, when players ran out to the court.

(screenshot)

He was standing next to the boys at the national anthem.

(photo: Twitter)

At first Tamiš tried the impossible. They sped up, threw baskets, they even took the lead, first to 6:3, then keeping the pace to 10:9.

Murić and Milosavljević were watching their teammates from the side

(photo: Twitter)

Pavlović got fed up first of the slow motion pace of Partizan, he threw a basket and took us to the lead (10:11). It quickly grew to 10:15.

First timeout - Partizan-bench

(screenshot)

We won the first quarter to 12:17.

(screenshot)

In the second quarter there was no more glitch in the Matrix. First we made the 10-point difference.

(screenshot)

At a point the trainer of the home team asked for timeout. While teams gathered together at the benches, Miša Tumbas walked up to the court, for the great joy of Grave Diggers.

(screenshot)

(photo: Twitter)

 Our players kept on throwing the ball into Tamiš’s ring without much problem. We were at 16:33, Dallo’s free throw was coming.

(screenshot)

At this point we were just a step away from the 20-point difference (18:37). Tamiš still tried to keep the pace. We finished the first half with 25:41.

In the half-time Miša Tumbas appeared on the court among children

(screenshot)

He high-fived with them

(screenshot)

Then he found a ball and tried to throw a basket

(screenshot)

Yes, he threw a 3-pointer :)
The third quarter was easy as a pie. We made the 20-point difference at the very beginning (27:48).

"Are you ticklish, bro?" - a funny moment with Mačvan and Milosavljević

(photo: Twitter)

Another timeout - Partizan-bench

(screenshot)

Then at 27:52 the game suddenly stopped and all we could see was people gathering under the backboard on the right-hand side. Even medical assistant appeared, Average Fan froze down.

(screenshot)

Then we got to know, in the heat of the game Miša Tumbas fell off his chair and some worried fans thought he had gotten sick.

(photo: Twitter)

Miša stood up - he actually jumped up -, rushed to the tribune of Grave Diggers, who welcomed him with cheer and applause. He threw them kisses.

(screenshot)

The game continued, Boris Dallo had a great time throwing baskets in a row (32:57).

In the meantime the Captain got such icebags on his knees - definitely not for cooling himself in the summer heat

(photo: Twitter)

Dallo kept on scoring, either by Andrić’s assist or by himself. Glišić also threw a hook (35:61), the one and only question left was whether we can make the 30-point difference or not.
Ladies and gentlemen, we could make it. In the beginning of the last quarter Andrić threw a 3-pointer, making the standing to 35:66. Then it was 41:72. Meanwhile Petar Aranitović joined the game (at least this was the point when I recognized him on the court).

There he is with No. 5.

(screenshot)

It was the easiest from then on. At the very end Bezbradica scored from free throw.

(screenshot)

Then it ended.

(screenshot)

(screenshot)

(photo: Twitter)

Fans celebrated with cheering, applause and firecrackers.

(screenshot)

(screenshot)

(photo: Twitter)

KK Partizan - Konstantin 89:80 (Serbian SuperLiga play-off, Round 8)

It all looked to be smooth in the beginning. An easy, training match-alike event with a victory, of course. Something we need after the eternal derby, where our self-esteem was roughed up.
In the first quarter our biggest problem was whether Bezbradica could score 10 points right in the beginning of the game or we should wait until the second part. We were leading to 25:14 and we kept it up in the next quarter as well. The difference was almost always above 10 points and there was one - very pleasant - part of the game when Average Fan could hardly follow counting the quick baskets one after the other. The pace was easy and light, just what one needs on an early summer Tuesday afternoon. Murić was excellent, Đumić pushed the ball to the ring like a dependable worker, and after all these the result was 52:39 in the half-time. Average Fan went to the kitchen for a mug of coffee and watched peacefully as children were playing on the court in the half-time pause.
I’ll be honest: all my respect goes to Konstantin that they didn’t collapse despite Partizan's domination and having all odds against themselves. They were brave, they fought and they were not willing to give up. They reduced the difference to 57:52. At this point we also had to speed up from our cozy pace. Murić and Marinković settled back the 10-point difference after a series of 3-pointes (67:57), but Konstantin kept on fighting (69:60). Finally we ended the third part to 74:62, but the last quarter was still left.
It began with 74:69 and we couldn’t really settle back to the 10-point difference anymore. Konstantin’s players scored a lot of 3-pointers, surprisingly quickly and precisely. They reduced the difference to 79:75. Tepić quickly threw two baskets (83:75), but the guest team was again panting right into our ears from behind (83:79). Then Bezbradica took the team on his back, that Bezbradica, who played extraordinarily for the whole game. He was joined by Marinković and the two together with Milutinov successfully made it to 89:79 for the end. Still we couldn’t finish it with a two-digit difference, because Konstantin got a free throw at the very end and they could score one. (89:80)

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Here, at the end of the post Partizan’s former football player, Predrag Mijatović asks for your attention. He joined Aleksandar Mitrović’s "Save KK Partizan"-campaign.

Fans can also join by clicking this link. Up to now more than 4 million dinars were collected for the basketball team.

KK Partizan - Mega Leks 82:68 (SuperLiga Srbija)

Whose idea was this to start this match right at the same time as football?
Who was this perverted bastard?
I can’t believe they couldn’t postpone it, let’s say, to 8 pm. Or to Sunday. It’s unbelievable. It was on purpose, to mock fans.
We could make a deal even with ABA League, to postpone matches with an hour or two, or to play it rather on Sunday, or maybe on Monday, so fans can watch (or attend to) both matches. Plus the League always uploaded all matches, full ones to Youtube, while at the same time bombarding fans with memorable game moments and match highlights. And now there is only one piece of highlights, found in the depths of internet, that is barely longer than a minute

a million thanks to the uploader, saving the life of many fans

because the goddamned STATE-OWNED TV STATION sits on the recording of the match like a pregnant elephant, not wanting to give it out. But even RTS Sport’s own Youtube-channel lacks the highlights. There’s not even just half a minute there from the match.
I wish your mother had a headache on that certain night.
As an extra, fans were not allowed to the game. The teams played in front of empty tribunes, because Partizan allegedly had some punishment from the previous (!!!) season.
That season, when Gogić’s jacket fetisism came to light.
A very few fans could still make it and sneaked in to the game. Not much, but still there were some.
The match started with a touching gesture. The whole team was wearing such T-shirts before starting the game, sending their support to former team member Davis Bertans, who got seriously injured recently, on the similar knee he had injured during his time at Partizan, when he had to undergo surgery and long months of recovery.

Everyone had this T-shirt on.

Bertans was deeply moved. He sent his greetings to his former team via Instagram.

I tako mi gledamo utakmicu sa crno-belim @rockyjr42 i on je isto #grobar

A photo posted by Davis Bertans (@dbertans_42) on Apr 4, 2015 at 9:22am PDT

Otherwise, all reports mention Partizan having a "routine win" over Mega Leks. Mačvan played everyone off the ground with his 17 points, followed by Pavlović (14 points), Tepić (13) and Milosavljević (12).
There are some photos I found.

Warming up is the heart and soul of every match

Edo Murić

Bezbradica some time during the match

The Captain

Tepa with Dejan Musli in the background

Old friends meet

Handshake with Maki, too

Applause for the few fans who attended

Match highlights:

And a message to Dejan Musli,
You come back to Partizan. It's not a request or an order. It's an indicative sentence. Your place is here. Period.

Current championship standings:

1. FMP 4 points
2. Partizan 4 points
3. Vojvodina 3 points
4. Crvena Zvezda 2 points*
5. Metalac 2 points*
6. Konstantin 2 points
7. Tamis 2 points
8. Mega Leks 2 points

Teams marked with * played only 1 game so far.

(Photos: Twitter)