Szolnoki Olaj - KK Partizan 55:70 (Champions League, round 4)

It was a smooth game despite we played still/again very badly and we won’t put this game on display either.
We were leading in the first quarter, the standing was 5:14 in the 5th minute. On appearance it was a self-confident leading, but in fact we weren’t in top form. Though Szolnok was struggling more. We missed out too many 3-pointers, while Szolnok players made double dribbles in critical moments. Around the end we were leading to 8:16, then it was 13:20 when there were only 44 seconds left. Finally Dávid Vojvoda scored a 3-pointer at the very end, the first quarter finished with 16:20.

Birčević was one of the best players of the game

The second quarter was the sequel (again) of the first. Rebounding 3-pointers, missed-out free throws

Koprivica, bro, sometimes I really wonder what is the purpose of your presence on the court...

fouls caused by fumbling or carelessness (I look at you now, Hatcher...), missed-out attempts. Szolnok equalized after two and a half minutes (20:20)

no wonder, after that amount of fumbling we made

Robinson scored a 3-pointer after more than a minute, we took back the lead (20:23). I have to admit though, we did a great job in rebounding. Really. Especially with defensive rebounding.
Then we couldn’t force the ball into the ring standing just two steps away from the backboard. (Szolnok did the same, too, a bit later.)
Three minutes were left, Szolnok took the lead with a 3-pointer (28:27). Aleksandar Džikić asked for time-out, then he got a technical foul for something I couldn’t see. Free throw for Szolnok (29:27). No problem, Ratkovica equalized (29:29). Birčević took back the lead from free throw (29:30) and we kept it in our hands for the rest of the game. The first half ended with 32:33, both teams played beyond criticism in the second quarter of a struggling, painful, very bad game.

The third quarted didn’t differ from the previous two. Szolnok was struggling and we didn’t demonstrate our good side either. We were leading, two minutes before the end Szolnok jumped to 43:45. They were close, right behind us (46:47), but they again made a lot of double dribbles, meanwhile we could stabilize ourselves a bit (46:51). Only 4 seconds were left, when Kinney fell on the court. The referee passed the ball to us, and Andrić scored a buzzer beater. (46:53)

A small group of Grave Diggers were there to support the team

For the last quarter the home team ran out of breath. We increased our advantage to 10 points (48:58), but we copied the "tactics" (LOL) of previous games, when we scored only one basket in every minute. (It was still enough for the victory now though.) Szolnok collapsed, our advantage was more than 10 points three and a half minutes before the end. (52:64) Nothing exciting happened for the rest of the game, we played a bit more on the loose and won. We could celebrate.

Highlights:

Szolnoki Olaj: Kinney (5), Barnies (1), Wright (9), Hajdú, Eilingsfeld (5), Wittmann (2), Vojvoda (21), Tóth, Rudner, Borisov (12), Popović

KK Partizan: Robinson (5), Ratkovica (6), Vrabac (4), Marinković (7), Tanasković, Birčević (17), Koprivica (2), Andrić (4), Hatcher (11), Pot, Karahodžić, Luković (14)

Current standing of Group E:
1. Besiktas 8 points
2. AEK 7 points
3. KK Partizan 7 points
4. Ludwigsburg 6 points
5. Sassari 6 points
6. Zielona Gora 5 points
7. Szolnoki Olaj 5 points
8. Spirou Charleroi 4 points

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

KK Partizan - Szolnoki Olaj 62:55 (Adriatic League)

A message to the commentators of Hungarian sports channel Sport 2: leave the commentator seats behind yourselves and rather work as rope-dancers. For everyone's benefit. What these two idiots made as "commentary" during the broadcast is a shame. Around the third quarter I was seriously thinking of switching off TV and search for a Serbian stream on my PC instead. The reason why I didn't do so was that Partizan appears on Hungarian TV only twice a year. (When we play against Szolnok.)

At the warming-up you could see such things:

At this point Average Fan carelessly thought this match will be an easy one, would have never ever thought to get a lot of new grey hair til the end (thanks mostly to those two mentioned above). Unbelievable things happened at this match, I seriously don't remember when I saw such things the last time. The ball looked as if it was covered with soap to be slippery, it slid out of players' hands, not just once.
Szolnok sped up in the beginning (3:8, all points by Mačvan at our side). First the Captain scored (5:8), then Andrić (7:8). For this basket he got a bonus shot, we could equalize. Then Mačvan took us on the lead (10:8). Until 12:12 we were on the lead with 2 points always, Szolnok was rushing behind us equalizing. Then Saša Pavlović decided to quicken the pace and we made it to 16:12.
In the beginning of the second quarter Partizan brought amazing tricks, as did Milosavljević (18:12) and Pavlović (20:16). Dallo was also doing his best (23:16). Szolnok tried to pick themselves together, they came back to 23:22. Pavlović quickly scored a 3-pointer (27:26). Szolnok didn’t want to make a fool of themselves, small sized Jones was just too fast (27:26), but Tepić ensured our advantage, with Pavlović’s great assist (29:26). Just the problem was that in the half-time Szolnok was on the lead. Thanks, Jones. (29:30)

This happened, too, numerous times. Milutinov fights for the ball

The third quarter should be forgotten quickly. There were a lot of missed chances. In the beginning Pavlović switched the standing (31:30), so did Bogdanović after Szolnok took the lead again (34:32), then Milosavljević raised our advantage assisted by Pavlović (36:32). But Szolnok made a 5-point series, they were leading again (36:37).

In the meantime the two commentators were screaming so loud that I had to turn down the volume.

Our counter-attack was thorough and fatal. Bogdanović brought a 3-pointer (39:37), Milutinov made a dunk (41:40), then, when Szolnok again wanted to take the lead (LOL), Andrić punished them with a 3-pointer (44:42). We started the last quarter with 46:44.
It started with Pavlović getting injured. He crashed with a Szolnok-player during an attack and fell on the ground with a painful face. The game ended for him at that point.

I guess everyone can imagine that amount of pain that knocks out the nuclear reactor-alike Pavlović this much.

It was equal (48:48) and Milutinov missed a free throw. But all was fine, as Andrić scored a 3-pointer (51:48) and from this point on we didn’t let control out of our hands. The only question was if we can raise our advantage to two-digit in the last minutes. (Well, that would have been too much, especially at such a bad game.)

Duško Vujošević watching the game with Murić

(Photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Update: Pavlović will surely miss out the next game against Krka. There are no news about his possible return.

Szolnoki Olaj - KK Partizan NIS 55:60 (Adriatic League, Round 1)

The match had a very interesting start, because no point was scored for 3 (!!!) minutes. Many chances were missed and many fouls were made. Finally Gagić broke the silence and scored 2 points in the 3rd minute. Szolnok missed out even a penalty at the 4th minute. We were in the 5th minute (!!!) when Tepić scored another basket, it was 0:4 for Partizan.
It was followed by fouls only. Mostly by Szolnok, during their attacks. There were barely 4 minutes left from the quarter when Milutinov scored another basket for Partizan. Not much later Tepić made such a great steal that Average Fan was screaming from joy.

Tepić in action

Partizan’s secret weapons were stealing and rebounding. Yet despite them in the upcoming one minute nothing on Earth happened except for some fouls. Szolnok had their first basket after 6 and a half minutes (2:6).
It was 3:10 for Partizan when Szolnok had a timeout. They picked themselves together and started scoring 3-pointers. They got the grip so much that the result was 11:10 for them at the end of the quarters.
This was the first and last time Szolnok could control the match. Because then came Parni Valjak, the Great Steam Roller.
The second quarter started with a foul by Szolnok, again while attacking.

Match action: Milutinov and Andrić surrounded by Szolnok-players

But then the Tepić-Dallo axis put itself into motion. The first of them (Tepić) scored a basket (11:12), then Szolnok could gain back a little bit of control for about half a minute (13:12), most probably to be sure they’ll remember this momentum, because it would never ever come back again.

The reason was Boris Dallo, with an unbelievable performance. He got all the possible rebounds and he kept on hanging on Szolnok-players’ back picking them as long as they dropped the ball. After 4 minutes it was 13:19 for Partizan, Dallo himself scored 7 points within one minute, while Gagić was the destroying force of the defense.

Then it was 13:21 after a brilliant Tepić-Gagić-Tepić teamwork. Then 15:23 (Báder scored, after 3 minutes of total silence by Szolnok, Andrić reacted quickly with a basket). And we even got to know that Boris Dallo is the X-Factor of Partizan.

Here came a timeout by Szolnok but it didn’t really make things better for them. Dallo was at everywhere, rebounding, stealing and picking Szolnok-players until they dropped the ball, to be able to have such a great interplay with Bezbradica.

Szolnok missed a lot of chances, finally they scored from penalty (16:29). At the end of the first half they made it for 25:29, after Partizan missed chances - while Szolnok missed an even bigger chance, because Gagić made such a great blocking that should be taught at academies.

The second half started again with a lot of missed chances. Then Andrić scored (25:31). Then it was again him, with a 3-pointer.
Đoko Šalić made a wonderful blocking. (The video is lagging a bit, but you can still see it all.)

Even Szolnok’s timeout didn’t make it better. Partizan scored 9 points in a row.

Discussion at Partizan’s side

Szolnok scored after 4 and a half minutes in this quarter (28:38). Partizan kept on throwing baskets ahead. 28:41, then 31:44 (a Szolnok-attack was followed by Tepić’s instant reaction). And Szolnok was still missing out their chances... For the end of the quarter they decreased the difference a bit, the result was 37:44 (even Partizan missed out quite a few baskets).

The last quarter was mostly about fouls and penalties. Milutinov still scored a field goal in the beginning (37:46), then young Marinković scored from penalty. This gave a huge extra to Partizan, Gagić and Tepić were continuously stealing Szolnok’s weak passes and with a fast break they built up attacks. At 39:53 Szolnok again asked for time-out. Afterwards they made it for 52:53, but Milutinov quickly rearranged the standing (42:55). 

Numerous missed chances followed this period. There were barely 5 minutes left when Szolnok scored. Then 2 minutes passed without points (only missed chances happened, nothing else). In the 6th minute the home team scored again, Duško Vujošević asked for time-out. 

Only 90 seconds were left, it was 51:57 when Szolnok had a row of fouls. The last 30 seconds were only about penalties. One 2-pointer for Szolnok, one for Partizan, and so on. Finally the last penalty was scored by Gagić, when there were only 7 seconds left from the game. (55:60).

League standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 2 points

2. Mega Vizura 2 points

3. Krka 2 points

4. Zadar 2 points

5. Union Olimpija 2 points

6. Partizan 2 points

7. Budućnost Podgorica 2 points

8. Metalac 1 point

9. Cibona 1 point

10. Szolnoki Olaj 1 point

11. Igokea 1 point

12. MZT Skopje 1 point

13. Cedevita 1 point

14. Levski 1 point

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Coming up: Szolnoki Olaj - KK Partizan NIS Adriatic League today

Today at 18:00 the 2014/15 season starts for Partizan's basketball team. At the first round of Adriatic League (ABA League) they meet Szolnoki Olaj from Hungary - that Szolnoki Olaj that were supposed NOT to take part at the League this season.
- Szolnok is the best team in the Hungarian championship - started deputy team captain Milenko Tepić. (Dragan Milosavljević is still out of order until about November, until then the Novi Sad-born combo guard is his substitute.) - No wonder they have been participating in the League for years. This will be our first match, therefore it will not be easy at all for us. As for me, I hope despite our difficulties, injuries and player registration issues we will win.
- All our respect goes for our opponent - said Duško Vujošević. - Players of Szolnok are very motivated against us. It’s because we took part in Euroleague and we had good results in our local championship as well. For this reason it would be unwise to think teams playing against us won’t bring their best form.
The trainer detailed those registration issues Tepić also mentioned.

This all started with their former player, Jaka Klobučar from Slovenia. He terminated his contract with Partizan in 2011, but still demanded the club to pay those 240 000 euros recorded in the contract. Later this amount was reduced to 120 000, then to 38 000 euros, but Partizan still didn’t pay. Finally the Slovenian went to the international association, that finally made a verdict and forbade Partizan to register their new players until they won’t pay to Klobučar.

- We are still under BAT (Basketball Arbitral Tribunal) sanctions - said Vujošević. - We tried to agree with Klobučar, we talked to lawyers. Until now we paid 60 000 euros to him, from which we collected 20 000 with the help of sponsors. Yet we still couldn’t register our new players, Murić, Kouzeloglou and Luka Bogdanović. Eurocup starts on 15th October, if we can’t register them until then, I don’t know how we’ll represent our club, city and country.
Ticket and season ticket sells are keeping us alive now, they have a crucial importance for us - he added.

The match will be broadcasted live by Sport Klub 3 (Serbia) and SportM (Hungary).