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)

Besiktas - KK Partizan 77:62 (Basketball Champions League, round 2)

This was painful :(
We didn’t have such a bad start though. In the beginning we kept the pace with Besiktas, we even took the lead (7:8). Turks took it back, but we were always behind them with one step (16:13, 19:16). The quarter ended with 25:16, though at this point it seemed nothing is lost yet.

In the second quarter Turks reached the 10-point difference (26:16). They couldn’t be too proud of themselves, because they missed out a lot of chances. So did we... that was the problem.

Besiktas missed out chances, thanks to Luković and his XXL blocks

We jumped to 30:25 with Robinson’s baskets, but we seemed to run out of breath even at this point. It was a tough quarter, we made many mistakes and even though Besiktas was not on top either, it brought us no comfort. (Small malicious grin: Partizan-players surrounded Štimac and brought him a few moments CZ’s ex-player surely doesn’t want to remember.) The first half ended with 35:31, Hatcher scored at the end.

In the third quarter Besiktas brought back their 10-point advantage (55:45). Something just didn’t work. No breath. We slowly collapsed. That’s the truth... The quarter ended with 60:45.
In the last part Besiktas practically did whatever they just wanted. At the end they were leading with 23 points... From this point on all that was left for us was to die with dignity.
That was all. 77:62.

Besiktas: Güler (3), Clark (8), Edge (3), Karli, Štimac (12), Thompson (14), Roll (16), Sanli (4), Strawberry (10), Sipahi, Weems (7), Karaman

KK Partizan: Robinson (5), Ratkovica (9), Vrabac (9), Marinković (2), Majstorović, Birčević (15), Koprivica (1), Andrić, Hatcher (13), Pot, Karahodžić (4), Luković (4)

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

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)

FMP - KK Partizan 56:65 (ABA Liga, round 6)

Question no. 1.: Whose very stupid idea was to put this game - actually a derby - to Sunday noon?
Question no. 2.: Who was/were that/those idiot(s) who agreed with it?
FYI: at Sunday noon I’m still at my morning coffee, after I had my English-style breakfast in a leisure style. Even this time I was still not fully awake, when the boys started to wrestle with Čoki and co. on the court. (Even the commentator greeted the viewers with "Dobro jutro" - Good morning.)
This game was mostly a wrestling game, though it contained basketball as well in tracks. At the beginning of the first quarter already 3 fouls were whistled, yet the standing was still 6:6 after 5 minutes. (While Čoki jr. got his second foul.) Meanwhile we took the lead with a minimal advantage, but we kept it (10:11, 9th minute). Only 7 seconds were left, we took the lead again after an equal with Veličković’s 3-pointer (12:15), but at the very end, right at the buzz the referees just had to whistle a foul on us, and the opponent got a triple free throw. They scored, all of them, of course. 15:15, what a comedy.

Majstorović vs. Čović junior. The difference is not only their height, or "Gimme the ball or else I’ll call MY DAD!"

(photo: aba-liga.com)

The second quarter was the same with barely any scores, but much more fighting. FMP was leading for almost the whole time. Once we equalized around the middle of the quarter (22:22), but they took back the lead almost immediately. Both teams played with too many fouls and mistakes, with only one basket in a minute. If there were two baskets within a minute, then excitement was about to explode... We finished the first half with 32:31, but Uroš Luković definitely brought his best.

Čoki sr. (on the left) and Mme Vesna were there to watch the Baby Boy

(photo: hotsport.rs)

In the third quarter we brought ourselves back to life. At first it was a pingpong-game (one basket at this side, one at the other), then at 36:35 we started a huge series with Luković’s basket and didn’t finish until 36:51. FMP could score from free throw 10 seconds before the end (38:51), but we also got one, right at the very end, the same way as the opponent got it in the first part - it was almost the end buzz, but the referees whistled a foul and we scored from free throw (38:53).

Majstorović and Vrabac surround Ljubičić 

(photo: aba-liga.com)

FMP decided to play it hard for the last quarter, while probably the referees also woke up and started to whistle a row of fouls on us, whether it was really a foul or not. The opponent jumped to 51:55, but we still didn’t let the advantage out of our hands. The 7th minute brought a fighting scene, Ratkovica and Šešlija clashed, literally. (Both of them were fouled, but only FMP got a free throw...) Too many mistakes and missed-out chances came in the last minutes, and even if one of the teams could score, that was almost surely from free throw. Field goals were totally missing.
And we were those who took advantage of free throws.
Of course.
*halo switched on*

Highlights:

FMP: Čović (10), Ćorović, Davidovac (7), Apić (7), Lazarević (9), Bursać (9), Šešlija (1), Kutlešić, Žižić, Ljubičić (9), Kaplanović (2), Bolden (2)

KK Partizan: Robinson (5), Ratkovica (2), Vrabac (1), Marinković (2), Veličković (15), Majstorović (5), Birčević, Koprivica, Andrić (7), Hatcher (20), Pot, Luković (8)

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

Mornar Bar - KK Partizan 57:58 (ABA Liga, round 1)

The basketball season has finally started.

Brand new team, brand new hopes, Mihajlo Andrić has returned at long last after a very long pause and Novica Veličković stayed at Partizan.
Then the game started and it was a struggle. The home team was leading to 8:2, we missed out a lot of chances, or rather the Montenegrin team blocked the hell out of us.

12:2, then 14:4. KK Partizan was out of order... Hatcher got a technical, Andrić was fouled for the second time in the 7th minute. Even Veličković entering the court didn’t help. He scored though (14:6), but we still kept on collecting fouls. The quarter ended with 18:10.

Adin Vrabac

Just when the second quarter started, Ellis blocked Veličković twice in a row. This video here is just a teaser, they made it the same way once again.

We struggled. Mornar played it aggressive, in fact that was all. As for us, well... we didn’t. We played as if we were asleep, we tried to stop them with clenched teeth, no success (22:10). Then finally Marinković scored a 3-pointer (22:17), that woke up the team, a bit. Hatcher and Robinson equalized (24:24), we even took the lead with Hatcher’s free throw (24:26). We came back to life a bit, but it didn’t last long. Just 16 seconds before the end buzz Mornar took back the lead (28:27), that was the half-time result as well.

Stefan Pot with the ball

That very annoying something that was typical for the rest of the game started in the third quarter, this "ping-pong"-game, when one team leads, then within a few seconds the other takes the lead, and just a bit later the first team takes it back - and so on. The difference was max. 3-4 points always. There was struggling, there was fight, but there was barely any score. Both teams had very strong defense, but at the same time none of them had a convincing performance. Mornar was leading to 43:42 before the final quarter.

Andrić and Luković (55) try to block Mornar’s player. Robinson (5) is watching from the left, Vrabac (7) is wrestling with Waller

It was the same in the last part. Fight, struggle, sweat, then at 57:56 Ratkovica clashed so hard with the opponent under the backboard that he fell on the court and remained there. (Finally he could stand up and teetered off to the bench.) Then at the end Veličković settled the final score.

Highlights:

KK Mornar Bar: Jones (14), Krstić (3), B. Radunović (8), Vujošević, Čalić (2), Mijović (6), M. Radunović, Pantić, Dickerson (4), Ellis (5), Hadžibegović, Waller (15)

KK Partizan: Robinson (2), Ratkovica (7), Vrabac (2), Marinković (9), Veličković (8), Majstorović (5), Birčević (3), Koprivica, Andrić (3), Hatcher (11),  Pot (2), Luković (6)

League table will be brought tomorrow, there is one game left from this round.
Update: standings after 1 round
1. Budućnost 4 points*
2. Zadar 3 points*
3. CZ 2 points
4. Krka 2 points
5. Cibona 2 points
6. Mega Leks 2 points
7. Partizan 2 points
8. Union Olimpija 1 point
9. Mornar Bar 1 point
10. FMP 1 point
11. Cedevita 1 point
12. Igokea 1 point
13. Karpoš 1 point
14. MZT Skopje 1 point

Teams marked with * have already played round 2.

(photos: aba-liga.com)