ABA Liga round 18: Crvena Zvezda - KK Partizan 86:74

The blog is still alive, so am I. It’s winter break now, no football, no handball, as for basketball, let’s not talk about it.

This time I still watched basketball. An eternal derby is an eternal derby.

I still follow the happenings though. The basketball team got a brand new management, new president included. Head coach Miroslav Nikolić was sacked, now Nenad Čanak is sitting on the bench. Among players Patrick Miller has left, Đorđe Gagić arrived, or rather returned. Two foreigners were signed, too, Vaughn and Sy.

Dear Everyone, the team is still like a butterfly fart.

At the beginning of the first quarter we were leading. Then it was gone soon.

Both teams made a lot of mistakes. At first it was 5:10 for us, then Zvezda equalized. (12:12) Then they took the lead (16:14), as for us, well, I find no better words, we made brutal mistakes, such ones that simply aren’t allowed on this level. We could take back the lead at the end of the quarter, though we needed an amount of luck, too (we could score two 3-pointers in a row, yes, we needed luck for that!). The first part ended with 22:24, we could barely score field goals, most of our points came from free throws.

As the second quarter started, we could keep the lead here and there, with 1-2 points only though. Then Zvezda slowly started to overwhelm us. They were just one bit more determined than us, but that was enough. They visibly got together as a team better than Partizan. Our game lacked every idea, yet it was full of basic mistakes.

I noticed two things. First that there was no derby atmosphere at all. There were a lot of fans there (most of them were Zvezda-fans though, Grobari were barely allowed), but the game missed the usual “we-kick-out-the-walls-of-the-sports-hall”-feeling. There was no battlefield spirit on the court either, the game was almost average. Oh, my God, I remember when Simonović threw Milutinov to the ground, or when Zvezda-fans threw a firecracker among Partizan-players. Those were the days…

The other was told me earlier by a fellow Grave Digger, and here I had to agree with him. Namely that this is all what these players are able to. They simply can’t do more. They can’t play. They can run, they can fight, but they can’t play. (I add that they can’t function as a team either.) We have to lower our expectations.

The half-time result was 49:43, Zvezda tried with something that reminded of basketball, but even they were their own shadows.

We had no antidote even for that.

The image of the game didn’t change for the third quarter either. We reduced the difference to 53:52, but we couldn’t equalize. From here Zvezda jumped to 58:54, and until the end of the quarter we scored two (2) more points. In more than five minutes.

The opponent scored a row of 3-pointers, we just watched them with a kind of dry apathy. The third part finished with 71:56.

This means a 13:2-series by the neighbours. Duško Vujošević would lay the entire team on his knees now, one after the other, and spank their arses with shovel.

As for the last quarter, only two things could be mentioned. First that Zvezda couldn’t make the 20-point difference despite all efforts, the other was that Gagić was fouled out, and during those approx. 34 minutes he scored two (2) points.

The football season starts on 17th February. I try to survive somehow until then.

Scene from the game: two Cokes for Marinković, 3 Valium for head coach Čanak (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Crvena Zvezda: Kešelj, Dangubić (12), Davidovac (7), Lazić (8), Dobrić (18), Janković (8), Rochestie (5), Omić (6), Lessort (13), Ennis (7), Jovanović, Bjelica (2)

Partizan: Williams-Goss (17), Vaughn (4), Sy (7), Tadić, Aranitović (9), Marinković (15), Tanasković, Veličković (20), Pecarski, Gavrilović, Gagić (2), Šalić

Current championship standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 33 points

2. Budućnost 33 points

3. Cedevita 31 points

4. Mornar Bar 29 points

5. FMP 27 points

6. Partizan 27 points

7. Zadar 26 points

8. Igokea 25 points

9. Cibona 24 points

10 Petrol Olimpija 24 points

11. Mega Bemax 22 points

12. MZT Skopje 20 points

ABA Liga, round 11: KK Partizan - Cedevita 82:92

I deliberately didn’t write about the game against Lietuvos back on Tuesday. It would have been senseless, just as the game itself was. We lost, we were shit, it just wrecked my nerves, it was useless, simple as that.

Just like this one.

I’ll be honest, I missed out the entire first quarter

I’ll be even more honest, I have no regrets.

The second quarter was interesting, because sometimes we took the lead. What is more, sometimes our actions distantly reminded of basketball. Williams-Goss carried the team on his back, not just here, but for the whole game. I’m not a fan of this American, but this time he deserves a high five. (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

The half time result was 44:44, Cedevita equalized right before the buzz. The third quarter was again a surprise

at least for the worn-out, tired-as-hell-of-it-all fan

because we still did things that actually looked like basketball. No, not for the whole quarter, come on. Still, there was some pace, running and some very very distant idea in the heads. In tracks only though. For a while it was nip-and-tuck, then the Zagrebians got bored of this fumbling and made a jump from 56:56 to 59:63. The quarter ended with 62:67, but the team ran out of oxygen already after 5-6 minutes.

Seriously, the best part of this whole game was Cedevita’s commercial with all those bears in a break.

As for the last quarter… let’s just forget it.

Šalić and Cherry had a fight right at the beginning. Other than that time passed slower than a rheumatic snail. I just hoped they would finish it until the game between Juventus and Inter starts. (They did.) Still there were moments that brought me new grey hair… Cedevita was leading to 74:79, maybe two minutes were left, Miller stole the ball from a Croatian player, then wanted to run up to slam, but he dropped the ball from his hand, and the ball rolled out of the court.

Then about a minute before the end Cedevita reached the 10-point-difference (78:88) and kept it until the final buzz.

After the game raging Grave Diggers hissed and booed the team, as they walked back to the locker-room, while throwing curses on head coach Miroslav Nikolić demanding his resign.

I really don’t want to look overly pessimistic, but dear everyone, I don’t think it will change in the near future.

KK Partizan: Miller (15), Williams-Goss (25), Aranitović (2), Tanasković (7), Veličković (2), Tomić, Pecarski, Gavrilović (4), Andrić (7), Čakarević (4), Stevanović (9), Šalić (7)

Cedevita: Ukić (23), Krušlin (8), Perković, Katić, Nichols (12), Žganec (2), Musa (16), Cherry (10), Markota (5), Ramljak, Stipanović (8), Murphy (8)

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 21 points

2. Cedevita 19 points

3. Crvena Zvezda 18 points

4. FMP 16 points

5. KK Partizan 16 points

6. Zadar 16 points

7. Petrol Olimpija 16 points

8. Mornar Bar 16 points

9. Mega Bemax 15 points

10. Igokea 15 points

11. Cibona 14 points

12. MZT Skopje 13 points

ABA Liga, round 10: Budućnost - KK Partizan 86:79

I worked out a new strategy for Partizan-games. Whenever the team play, I search for a TV-broadcast that runs parallel with it (it can be anything, football, basketball, handball, waterpolo, ice hockey, Formula 1, athletics, even archery… no matter whether domestic or foreign, it can even be a rerun), because I really can’t take this shit anymore and life is too short to waste it for crappy football (or basketball or whatever).

I watched this rubbish labeled as basketball in such a way that the meantime I watched Ferencváros - Videoton on TV. Watching Marko Nikolić, Marko Šćepović and Danko Lazović on a derby is a must, I won’t miss it out, no way.

I didn’t regret it. It was a tough, combative and exciting game with lots of action. Lazović even scored a goal, but FTC was better, stronger and more aggressive, they deserved the victory. (3:1)

As for Partizan…

Whatever. Never mind.

The first quarter was a pure torment. In the second we took the lead a few times for 1-2 points, but none of these lasted long. The third one should is better to forget

I’m looking into my notes I made during the game, but all I see is Budućnost leading for the whole time, also “nothing extraordinary happening”

then came the fourth quarter.

Without this FTC - Videoton and Lazović’s goal I would have surely got a convulsion. Veličković missed out a chance from which even I would have scored

even though I’m small (less than 170 cm) and slow and the last time I had basketball in my hands was approx. 30 years ago

then, when Average Fan thinks this is the bottom line, Marinković misses out an even bigger chance.

Listen, my dearies.

Veličković, GO TO HELL, RETIRE RIGHT NOW, FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!! Dude, you make more harm to the team than well.

Marinković, my dear son, please, go abroad to play there. As soon as possible. Anywhere, to Italy, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Greece, it doesn’t matter. Just go and don’t stay, because here you’ll just regress.

The same goes for you, my dear Andrić.

And now I share with you the most memorable moment of the basketball game.

Yep. It was Lazović’s goal.

Bye.

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 19 points

2. Cedevita 17 points

3. Crvena Zvezda 16 points

4. Partizan 15 points

5. FMP 14 points

6. Igokea 13 points

7. Petrol Olimpija 13 points

8. Mornar Bar 13 points

9. Mega Bemax 12 points

10. Cibona 12 points

11. Zadar 12 points

12. MZT Skopje 12 points

ABA Liga, round 9: KK Partizan - Petrol Olimpija 77:78

We reached the “joke” level. It was just a question of time though.

In the first quarter we were ahead with 20:9. Both teams were just standing on the court doing nothing, don’t ask me how we still scored. We were beyond the lame duck label. When half the team is under the backboard as some kind of dysfunctional traffic jam, pushing and pulling the ball around to press it into the ring, and it still rebounds after the 6th time, then that team should quit basketball and find another hobby. Olimpija seemed to be apathetic, giving absolutely no shit at all.

The most memorable moment of the second quarter was a timeout by Olimpija after about 4 minutes. The head coach threw a storm of curses on the players, not minding for a moment that he was live on air. Perhaps that was what Slovenes needed, because slowly, with clenched teeth they started to reduce the difference. 24:22, then 26:25, meanwhile I had a new mantra for myself: Veličković, off to pension with you, for fuck’s sake!

Veličković was beyond critics. It’s awful what this guy has been doing as basketball. One of the weakest links of the team. It’s obvious he has lost all interest, doesn’t even try to keep up some sort of illusion.

At the half-time Marinković had a buzzer-beater from at least the half-line. That made the half-time result 45:35.

Had circumstances been different, I’d have jumped out of my skin and danced around the house seeing such a cannon shot. Now it just made me raise my eyebrows, not more, not less. Wow, look at the kid.

Yeah, it’s already gone.

The third quarter was a torture for Average Fan. It just can’t thrill me to see the team falling short of expectations to say the least. We fucked up everything. Less than two minutes were left from the quarter when Olimpija took the lead. (56:57) Honestly? I wasn’t surprised at all. We were shit, we played soullessly and apathetically, while Slovenes resurrected and had a marvellous performance for the rest of the quarter. They kept the lead. (58:61)

We took it back for a short while in the fourth quarter (65:63), but we couldn't keep it. (65:66) It was a ping-pong game, in one moment the home team leading, in the other the guests, always with just 1 point. In the last 1-2 minutes both teams scored only from free throws and it was obvious that the winners will be the those with stronger nerves.

I guess it won’t make any spoiler for you if I tell you it wasn’t Partizan.

52 seconds were left. Olimpija led to 75:76. Williams-Goss scored. 77:76, the Slovenian coach asks for timeout. We return to the court. 45 seconds are left. Clenched teeth. Referees whistle a foul on us. Free throw for Olimpija. They score from both. 77:78. 19 seconds are left. Timeout for us. We return again to the court. Novica Velučković throws in the very last moment - and screws it up. Air ball.

Olimpija win. (photo: twitter.com/Starsportphoto)

Did they deserve it? Absolutely.

What should we learn from this? If a team can lose from 20:9, there are very serious problems, not just with the coach, but with the players as well.

If this team can be team only in their name but not in reality, then what is their function? Depressant, a serious one.

Shall we go and fuck ourselves? Right now, please.

Eurocup, round 6: KK Partizan - Alba Berlin 80:96

There’s not much left to be written about the basketball team. All that I’ve written (cursed…) earlier are still true. Nothing ever changed. We played awfully, dull, with no motivation, while Alba won over us with half speed. They lead from the beginning to the end, sometimes with just a few points, sometimes with almost 20. 19:21 (1st quarter), 40:54 (half-time), 58:73 (3rd quarter).

Small things to note: Veličković is getting more and more bald, while even the Hungary vs Costa Rica football friendly is more exciting than this.

Two things still made this game interesting, though not necessarily in the positive way. First was the newest bullshit - heard from reliable source - that Eurocup is not a priority for us, for us ABA Liga is the priority, therefore we won’t play as hard in the international tournament than in the regional.

This totally freaked me out. First, everyone should go and fuck themselves with this shit, second, this is too obviously a very crappy excuse.

No, we don’t play better in ABA Liga. But there even this shit called performance is enough. (And that speaks volumes about ABA Liga as well.)

The other was Samardo Samuels’s half-time interview. Some TV presenter caught him for a quick resume about the game, and Samuels had a very honest, very angry outburst, live, on air. He spoke about the lack of communication within the team. The after the game he continued on his Instagram. (source: screenshot/b92.net)

I’m not a fan of Samuels, I find him slow and sluggish on the court, he seemingly won’t be MVP too often. But I have to agree with him here. Because the team is fucking disfunctional (and players know best what doesn’t function, as they are the ones who are there and not us), and the coach’s duty is to put all available players on court, esp. when the opponent is ahead with almost 20 points, and ours function only as fumbling, lame ducks. Samuels might have been vulgar, but perhaps this is what’s needed for a few eyes to open up and end self-pity. No, he is definitely not my favourite player, but we do need more of such open and honest people.

(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

Update: a media shitstorm is on the way. Samuels is still fuming on his Instagram and I still agree with him. Head coach Nikolić had a press conference where he said without the blink of his eye that it’s not him to blame for this situation, it’s Partizan (ie. the team) to blame.

Idiot.

Eurocup, round 5: KK Partizan - Lokomotiv Kuban 83:93

It’s merely keeping the records why I made a blogpost about this game. I don’t want to waste too many words on it, even these I wrote so far are more than it actually deserves.

It was a shitty game, we were shit, we played like shit, we lost, we deserved it. That sums it up.

The beginning was like a constipation. Slow, hard, sweaty and stinky. Lokomotiva seemed to be even sleepier than us. We lead in the first quarter (26:21). As for the second, I remember nothing. It was so terribly boring that I did some needlework instead, or else I would have fallen asleep. The Russian team took the lead here and there, but I know no details, maybe for the better. All that comes to my mind is that Williams-Goss git a technical foul soon before the end and the half-time result was 39:42. The third quarter was very annoying, it was this “pingpong”-game, this team take the lead, other team score, they take the lead, first team take it back… 47:49, 49:49, 49:52, 52:52… you get what I mean. We missed out a countless amount of chances. Like a bunch of amateurs. It’s so obvious how much the players themselves hate it. The third quarter ended with 57:63, it was obvious that we would fail unless some miracle happens.

It didn’t happen.

In the last quarter Lokomotiva realized that it might have even won the game. They actually started to play, and they put speed into their game. It was still far from the level of NBA, but it was still a little faster than before. Samuels was fouled out two and a half minutes before the end. Only 1 minute was left when the difference was 10 points (79:89). The two Americans lost their temper, they played nervous, yelling with the referees, who all whistled a foul on them after every scene. (83:93)

That’s all. Go to sleep.

KK Partizan: Miller (17), Williams-Goss (18), Tadić, Aranitović, Jovanović, Marinković (13), Tomić, Pecarski (5), Andrić (3), Samuels (17), Šalić (5)

Lokomotiv Kuban: Collins (6), Antipov (10), Ragland (23), Baburin, Lacey (13), Ivlev (2), Ilnitskiy, Khvostov, Elegar, Kulagin (17), Qvale (12), Broekhoff (10)

ABA Liga, round 7: KK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 84:100

It’s hard now. Even after a whole day.

No, not because of the defeat. That was expectable. It’s because of being THIS very weak and shitty and we just don’t function THIS VERY MUCH as a team.

Zvezda was better. There’s nothing to question it. They have very strong (not just physically), skilled and experienced players (e.g. Pero Antić) and they play in Euroleague on a  basis against the best teams of Europe. They do it well, they regularly qualify to the best 8.

Dear Readers, please, someone tell me honestly, what the fuck did we want against them? What did we think of ourselves? Did we think that we could beat them with this dysfunctional team which would get defeated even by a team of teenagers from the basketball playground near the blocks? KK Partizan didn’t function as a TEAM. Andrić and Marinković looked as if they had never ever worked under Duško Vujošević. Veličković? To hell with Veličković, he should retire as soon as he still has the chance to remain in the memories as a class player. Miller, oh, my God, Miller, I don’t know who brought him here, but they should immediately disappear in hell together with this lame duck American. Samuels is tragic, he’s the love child of a sloth and a bear woken up from its winter sleep at the end of December. Pecarski, please go back to kindergarten. Nigel Williams-Goss, I have no idea why he is treated as some demigod

Musli and Gagić of 2013 would wash up the floor with him, separated as well as together. After that they would still have energy to make 50 press-up’s, for fuck’s sake

he is typically the “one-eyed king among the blinds”. Let’s be honest: NWG is a mediocre player. He can’t do anything extraordinary, he just does what he has been asked.

Do you know what’s really sad?

That even this minimal effort is enough in this “team” to be practically the best player.

As for the others, I don’t even know their names. That says all.

As for the game, there were a few famous guests. Half the football-team came (on the picture there are Ožegović and Tošić, but there were somewhere Vlahović and Kosović, toi, and probably others as well)...

(photo: aba-liga.com)

...Saša Pavlović...

(photo: hotsport.rs)

...but the most famous was without a doubt Bastian Schweinsteiger.

(photo: hotsport.rs)

Seriously, that was the best part of the whole game. Let's just forget the rest. We were in our usual form. We missed out EVERY goddamn chance. Everything rebounded, we made such air balls, that the ball flew over the backboard crying. Zvezda did whatever it wanted already in the first quarter, while they scored a row of 3-pointers.

It was almost scary. They scored. And scored. Precisely, ruthlessly, from everywhere. Especially Bjelica. That dude surely ate uranium rod before the game. Or I don’t know. He was unstoppable.

The saddest was that we had no answer. We were just staring out of our heads. We were helpless. Zvezda lead for the whole game. We equalized only once, in the very beginning (3:3, yes, that was all we could achieve), then they took back the lead and kept it. The first quarter ended with 21:26, in the second they were ahead with 10 points (21:31) and even the bitter, angry, vulgar chanting of Grave Diggers didn’t bother them. They played us off the court.

There’s one thing for which they really deserve a high five, from me surely: they left behind that typically sly, disgusting style that was so characteristic of them. Yes, there was wrestling, a lot, but thankfully those revolting, cunning little tricks disappeared from their game. Well, yes. It’s not Dejan Radonjić coaching them anymore.

Fouls followed fouls, yes, mostly we were fouled. It was expectable, wasn’t it? I’ve seen many critics about the referees - yes, they were indeed terrible, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. How many games did we play that the referees could have take on the opponent’s jersey? Good old days… When the team was still full of combative energy and fire. Those times are gone… Meanwhile Zvezda lead, we struggled, but hey, we were lame ducks on every previous game, why would have we changed now? The half-time result was 42:51, I thought why not asking Saša Pavlović to join us a bit, he surely still has enough in himself to teach these a bit what is basketball.

The second half brought no surprise. Zvezda was still dominant, they played fast and aggressive, we were still lame ducks, around the middle of the third quarter I started to feel sorry for the team. Poor guys, they just struggle, visibly all their efforts are in vain, everyone and everything are against them, they are talentless and fed up with it all. The end of the quarter was so fragmented that both teams scored only from free throws. It finished with 63:74. For the last quarter Partizan collapsed. Zvezda had fun - well, they were leading to 74:92, we watched them with a weary smile, with no more energy to do anything. There was the coup d’etat left: a few seconds before the end buzz Zvezda scored its 100th point. It’s very painful for me to say it, but that’s the truth and I won’t hide it: they deserved it. We should draw the consequences and learn from our mistakes instead of self-pity.

(photo: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan: Miller (16), Williams-Goss (17), Aranitović (1), Marinković (7), Veličković (18), Tomić, Pecarski (6), Gavrilović (4), Andrić, Samuels (11), Čakarević, Šalić (4)

Crvena Zvezda: Radičević (2), Dangubić (12), Davidovac, Lazić (2), Antić (13), Dobrić, Feldeine (15), Apić, Rochestie (14), Lessort (11), Jovanović (2), Bjelica (29)

Current championship standings:

1. Budućnost 13 points

2. Crvena Zvezda 12 points

3. Cedevita 12 points

4. FMP 11 points

5. Partizan 11 points

6. Mega Bemax 10 points

7. Igokea 10 points

8. Cibona 10 points

9. Mornar Bar 10 points

10. Zadar 9 points

11. Petrol Olimpija 9 points

12. MZT Skopje 9 points

Eurocup, round 4: Limoges - KK Partizan 92:83

What a damn good game it was! We happy, Vincent?

Yeah, we happy!

Did we lose? We did. But who cares? There was pace, there was excitement, there was action and there were amazing tricks.

Was it mostly the French team that provided them? Yes. But they pressured us, too, to run and use our heads.

Apart from this we still (or again) missed out too many chances. The Frenchmen took advantage of it, like every good team should. After 5 minutes the standing was 14:8. I’ll be honest: we were lame ducks. We could barely score, but it was fantastic to watch the basketball parade of Limoges.

This brings me inner peace. There is still good basketball existing on this world.

The first quarter ended with 22:18 and the second continued where this one ended. Lots of running, actions, tricks, Partizan kicked out of its comfort zone, still being sluggish though, but forced to run and trick around. Seriously, it was great to watch, so much that I even forgot about the football game (AS Roma - Chelsea) on TV in the background. Limoges lead, 31:26, then 35:28, then we equalized (39:39), and that was the point when the stream decided to die. After a long row if curses and headaches it came back to life, but it was enough only to catch the half-time result (47:41).

I noticed two things during the third quarter. First was how very well the French team worked with rebounds, both on the attacking and the defending side. (Yes… It wasn’t that long ago that Partizan had rebound-kings, but those times have passed away.) Second that I see neither Veličković, nor Samuels on the court. (First I didn’t mind, latter I didn’t really care about.) Limoges were ahead with more than 10 points (84:72), Conklin was fouled out around the middle of the quarter while Partizan seemed to get weary. In the fourth quarter we achieved 7 points within 7 minutes… Limoges lead (90:79) and had a well-deserved victory. (92:83) We need more opponents like them, that force us to run, battle, play and think.

ABA Liga, round 4: Cibona - KK Partizan 74:90

Cibona: check. We happy, Vincent?

Get the fuck out.

Was it a shitty game? It was.

Have we been lame ducks again? We have been.

Have Cibona been a team of even lamer ducks? Absolutely.

Have there been again 600 million missed-out baskets? Possibly even more.

Am I a masochist? Beyond question.

Oh, wait, almost forgot. This newly signed Jamaican, Samuels debuted tonight. I swear I didn’t notice him being on the court until the commentator mentioned his name. The Leader Of The Gang said, he looks and moves like a bear. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice him, he was as sluggish as all the others.

The standing was 12:10 in the first quarter after 7 and a half minutes. Compared to the fact that this game was announced as the derby of the two top guns of ex-YU basketball, this result was depressing. The home team had turnover 6 times. We equalized for the end of the quarter, the second one was about Cibona sinking slowly. I seriously don’t know when was the last time I saw this many rebounds. It was seriously very saddening and depressive to watch. Additionally I did something I’ve never done yet: I muted the volume of the broadcast, because the commentators of ArenaSport got on my nerves. We were leading, but I almost fell asleep. Shitty game with a shitty and an even shittier team. Veličković had some tantrum before half-time

Veličković. Oh my fucking God, Veličković. Lately his only function seems to be as the 5th player to make a whole team when nobody else is around. He plays like a pensioner. Slow, sluggish, as if he would hate it all. No wonder he has been barely on court lately. He scored no points on this game. None.

The half-time result was 33:43, but I couldn’t mention a single player to have an extraordinary performance. All of them played dull. The third quarter was about Partizan or rather about how Cibona was struggling and suffering along the court, while we did whatever we wanted, or rather what our abilities made possible.If I remember well, we gained a 20-point-advantage, but I’m not sure. The last quarter was a comedy, a basketball-parody, the crappy version. We scored the first basket of the quarter after more than 5 minutes. Until that we did nothing. Though it tells all about Cibona that during these more than 5 minutes they could reduce the 51:67 difference only to 59:67. Knowing this there’s no surprise in the end result.

Cibona: Bilinovac, Uljarević, Young (20), Žorić (20), Ćorić, Melvin III (9), Novačič, Bošnjak (8), Rozić (12), Gospić (3), Tomas (2), Bušma

Partizan: Williams-Goss (20), Tadić, Marinković (19), Veličković, Tomić, Pecarski, Gavrilović (6), Andrić (14), Samuels (16), Čakarević (6), Stevanović (3), Šalić (6)

Eurocup, round 3: Bilbao - KK Partizan 92:96

Whoa. We won.

It kinda happens sometimes. We happy, Vincent?

I’ll be honest. The only reason I watched this so-called basketball game was that I found no link for the game of Ádám Hanga & Co. Barcelona too played last night, against Žalgiris, but all sports channels available for me would rather die instead of broadcasting Euroleague. Nevertheless out of caution I switched on TV broadcasting DFB-Pokal (German Cup). It was Magdeburg - Borussia Dortmund, with breathtaking coreography of the home fans. One needs quality football/sports broadcast time as well.

The link I found was on the verge of death for the entire first quarter, though I don’t think I missed out too much. Bilbao was leading to 26:21 for the end of the first part and it seemed so (even later on) that we can put another defeat to the “incoming” side. The second quarter was a nip-and-tuck game sometimes we briefly took the lead, but at this point it was quickly gone. The quality of the game was between shit and full total boredom, both teams were as awkward as possible. Too many fouls, fragmented game. That was until half-time (49:39), and even afterwards. If I say there was absolutely no score in the third quarter for two massive minutes (the clock on the screen showed 7:56, when Veličković finally pushed the ball into the ring after a long row of fumbling), then believe me I was as diplomatic as I could be. Then Bilbao’s advantage slowly melted and the truth is that the Basques can thank it only to themselves. They screwed it up, they made a 5-point-disadvantage out of a 10-point-advantage for the last quarter (68:73).

A végét nem néztem, ennyire azért nem vagyok mazochista, mint ahogy annyira sem, hogy Miroslav Nikolić vezetőedzőt most hirtelen elkezdjem éltetni. (Azt bírom, hogy most pont azok éltetik a leghangosabban, akik eddig a legdurvábban szidták… Döntsétek már el, hogy mit akartok, basszátok meg.) Néha a győzelem is előfordul, majd akkor talán hajlandó leszek megállni és elgondolkodni egy pillanatra, ha egymás után nyerjük a meccseket látványos, tetszetős játékkal. Addig meg marad a Barcelona meg a Fenerbahce.

I didn't watch the end, I’m not such a masochist. Nor am I one of those who suddenly started to hail head coach Miroslav Nikolić. (I find that especially amazing that those hail him now the loudest who spitted on him the heaviest. Fucking decide what you want…) Sometimes victories just happen. I might give it all a deeper thought when victories come in a row with spectacular playing style and self-confidence. Until then Barcelona and Fenerbahce.

Finally Barcelona got defeated from Lithuanians, yet Hanga scored the most, 19 points, to be precise. (Just for the sake of facts.)

Eurocup, round 2: KK Partizan - Lietuvos Rytas 80:91

I know this game was days ago, but do I look like I care that I’m not up-to-date?

Any time it’s about KK Partizan, I turn into a 3-year-old. I say ‘why’ at least ten times a minute. Last week Alba Berlin smashed us, now it was Lietuvos Rytas, and the Lithuanians were kind enough to deliver it for us home. (Between these two games we managed to beat Zadar in ABA Liga, but there was noting in that game to remember. On the contrary.) To be honest, originally I planned not to watch this game. Getting my nerves fucked up is a too expensive hobby for Average Fan, plus there was also a football game waiting, the one against Skenderbeu away, nerves made from rope were badly needed (finalky it ended as a goalless draw, we sweated blood, let’s just forget that match quickly and go on). This day was also CL-day, who the heck wants to watch a bored, tired team, who are so unmotivated, that if it made physical pain, the whole Belgrade would echo their screaming?...

Yes. Me. Finally I did watch it.

No, not the whole game. No way. I just had to watch football, too, at the same time, for sanity reasons. That’s one thing that most of our scores came from free throws (and not from actions) and for this the game was fragmented. But at the same time our game was so dull, boring,grey and soulless that it didn’t matter at all when I join the game and when I switch to football, because we played in the same garbage style at every point of the match with insignificant semi-talents, and it reached the level of masochism.

Either you call back Duško Vujošević, or disband the whole team, go and hoe or dig ditch.

For the facts: it was a nip-and-tuck game for 3 quarters, with a lot of mistakes on both sides. Then Lithuanians probably got bored with the fumbling and smashed into our faces hard. From 60:57 to 64:64, then 68:70… Two minutes before the end it was 74:81, then 76:86… It ended with 80:91. Ridiculous? It definitely is.

ABA Liga, Round 2: Mornar Bar - KK Partizan 83:81

ABA Liga, 2nd round, two games, two failures. We fucked up everything so far, there's no reason to soften it. In the first round we played against MZT Skopje, one of the weakest teams of the league. They washed up the court with us (92:89), now we got a special delivery from Mornar Bar: a horse dick up to our ass. Did anyone expect anything else? We were just loafing around on the court for three (3) quarters. Like a fart in the pants. Mornar humiliated us. Not even 4 minutes were gone, when they were ahead with 10:4. Then 15:6. Then 20:9. They might have even told jokes to each other. Meanwhie a bunch of lame ducks were hanging around on the court wearing Partizan-jersey. As if they were picked right from the street 5 minutes before the game.

No exception
And this was going fo three quarters.

This goes for Veličković as well. For some odd reason a lot of people are all over him. Though Veličković had quite a pave like a pensioner back in the previous season as well. For now he should be out of the team, being so slow and imprecise. What he dan't solve from routine, that remains unsolvrd forever.

Mornar had a great time. We didn't bother them in that. 47:33, 52:39, 74:53, and so on. Training game.
The team started to do something that distantly reminded of basketball only in the 4th quarter. Mornar was quite comfortable for this time, we actually managed to surprise them. We were not in top form though, to say the least. After too many mistakes (Williams-Goss was fouled out after two unsportsmanlike fouls in a row) we equalized with blood and sweat to 81:81, with only 51 seconds left. It all looked like a very nasty constipation with hemorrhoid. Time-out. After that we came back to the court. Mornar screw up the attack, turnover for us. Čakarević shoots - and misses. Mornar ran up, Ross shoots - and scores a buzzer-beater. Another game that we fucked up. 
By the way, today is the 72nd anniversary of founding SD Partizan.
Hapoy Birthday, Partizan.
Oh, wait...

Match action. It eas especially weird to watch Luković playing against us. (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)

A (not that long) summer break

I don't mind at all (on the contrary!) that the summer break is this short in the football season. Compared to the two-month-long winter break, when I almost cut my veins, this few-week-long holiday is really bearable, especially that the CL-qualifyings are at the corner and afterwards the championship starts as well. (Meanwhile it's hot as hell, Average Fan tries not to get cooked, nor to get a heat stroke.)

The biggest happening of the transfer season was the return of Danilo Pantić to Partizan. I tell you, I’m one of those few who’s very happy for the boy’s return.

I know it's been trendy lately to curse, mock, spit and threaten Pantić as well as anyone who’s on his side. Yes, I also did get a portion after raising my voice for the kid and/or telling off a few haters. It made me laugh hard to see all those neurotic, spitting armchair-smartasses who put all possible threatenings into sight in case of Pantić’s return. Some of them looked as if ambulance should be called for them. So, I’m happy for Pantić being back to Partizan and can’t wait for his goals and assists.

Danilo Pantić in all smiles at his arrival at Partizan’s training camp in Zlatibor

Posing with Neca at a training

He even played at a friendly against Mladost

(photos: partizan.rs)

Another thing - independent of Pantić - that the team have played two friendlies so far and lost both. One against Zeta (MNE), to 0:1, another against Mladost (again 1:0). Oh well. These games are just friendlies, with no consequences and better to lose now than in the championship/CL.
As for other transfers, little Milenković went to Fiorentina. Partizan's management decided about his fate with the Italians back in the spring, what is more, it seems, Fiorentina takes Vlahović, too, as soon as the kid reaches the coming of age. No news yet about possible arrivals. There are a few rumours about Seydouba Souma though, but Partizan have been trying to get this midfielder from Guinea since forever, so far with no success. (Maybe, if I remember well, there was a Brazilian player as well in the possible transfers, but nothing happened.)
Meanwhile the team travelled to Slovenia for a training camp, there will be friendlies, then on 11th or 12th July comes the Champions League qualifying against Budućnost Podgorica.

***

I honestly admit, I didn't follow the basketball team for a while. Their performance was so very depressing and awful that every single game (among those I actually watched...) made me totally pissed and very sad at the same time. It was painful and infuriating to see the very same tactics - regardless of opponent or league - on every single goddamned game. Same tactics, same half-talents who will probably never have any more chance in life and especially to see every single game have the same screenplay, moment to moment. Shitty first quarter, struggling second (when we somehow equalized), suicidal third, finally (if we had luck) a combative fourth in a style that should have been present in EVERY SINGLE FUCKING QUARTER. Then, if we were lucky enough, we could win the game with this last quarter, if not, then not. It happened every time, on every game. And I hate to say it, but I was right: I said right in the beginning that even though this performance might take us until a certain point either in the freshly baked Basketball Champions League (the Euroleague of the poor...) or ABA Liga or in the Serbian superliga, but it's not enough for happiness. After this in Champions League PAOK smashed us into the face, in the semifinal of ABA Liga Cedevita simply stepped over us (based on our shitty performance we wouldn't have deserved to qualify to the final...), but the really bad surprise was in the Serbian league: we were eliminated in the semifinal by FMP (!!!). They say the last time it happened to KK Partizan to get eliminated in the semifinal was in 1998. Honestly, it didn't surprise me after this very disappointing season. Head coach Aleksandar Džikić has left for Budućnost, the two Americans left - Robinson has left during the season (he added absolutely nothing to the team), Hatcher left at the end of the season (he had some performance, though in a team like this even Michael Jordan himself couldn't make any miracle). I can't pick any player who had an exemplary or just an acceptable performance. I know that everyone is all over Novica Veličković, but the thing is, that in his case it was more about routine and heart than abilities/talent, but as the saying goes, in the land of the blind the one-eyed will be the king. The team is searching for a head coach now, but most of all it's searching for its old self.

***

As for the rest of the team sports: the water polo team has won the Serbian league. After practically the whole team left last year, it was a miracle even that there were a few remaining in Banjica to continue the work. They continued, so much that they won the championship title and will enter Champions League.
The handball team were running the gauntlet during the past season. Key players left, one after the other, a new coach was needed, too, plus the play-off became play-out at the end of the season. They finished on the 3rd place of the play-out, avoiding relegation, but who knows what comes in the next season.
The volleyball team ended much worse. OK Partizan was factually an U21 team for the season and they got releagated to the 2nd league. Honestly? I'm not surprised. My heart breaks for the team, but knowing their circumstances, it couldn't be avoided. It's no wonder at all, with so young players and such financial possibilities that are worse than worst. The team was practically on an amateur level.
That's all, folks.

Mega Leks - KK Partizan 80:87 (ABA Liga, round 24)

The team is still like a landscape after battle. 6 (six) players as well as head coach Aleksandar Džikić are still in pieces. The management had a press release today explaining that the players/coach staff are suffering from salmonella infection, many of them had to get hospital treatment and God knows when they’ll be strong and healthy again.
Nevertheless the beginning of the game against Mega Leks wasn’t that bad. We were leading to 2:5, Mega equalized (5:5), the overly strict referees whistled a lot of fouls for both teams. (Less than a minute passed, but Jaramaz already had two fouls...) Mega took the lead for a while (7:5), but it meant no headache for us to jump to 7:12.

We kept our advantage. It wasn’t too big (15:20), but we kept it. For the end of the quarter Mega approached us, even equalized (24:24), but Birčević took back the lead with a buzzer-beater (24:26).

Stefan Pot during the game

We marched through the second quarter and we played quite well. There was only one hiccup, when Mega took the lead again (34:33), but we took it back quickly (34:36) with a great Pot-Majstorović teamwork. There was one thing though that was problematic, Mega made a lot of turnovers/steals. They followed the "player vs. player"-tactics, every Partizan-player got his "escort" in pink jersey. It actually worked for the home team, though for our great luck they missed out most of their attempts. We were leading, we could make it to 39:45, the first half ended with 43:47.

Andrić made an extraordinary job

The third quarter brought some struggling. We were leading, but at this point we did miss those players who were on sick leave. Mega missed out their chances over and over again, while we kept our advantage. We didn’t make it beautiful or spectacular, but all our players put their hearts out to the court. This was what mattered. Nothing else. The quarter ended with 62:68, with Mega scoring a buzzer-beater.

Vrabac also had an excellent performance

We had an amazing start in the last quarter. We almost made our advantage to 10 points (64:73), which changed to 68:75. This again changed to 75:75 while Mega still couldn’t score one single 3-pointer. They took the lead though (77:75), but it didn’t last long again, because Pot equalized, then Birčević took it back for us (77:79). Rebić from Mega was fouled out, we were leading (77:82), the home team seemed to be more and more tensed, so they missed out even more attempts. We reached the 10-point-difference for the end of the game (77:87), and less than a minute was left when Mega finally scored a 3-pointer. Just in time. (80:87)

Mega Leks: Rebić (2), Jaramaz (8), Spasojević (5), Glogovac, Kaba (18), Zagorac (16), Simeunović, Tejić (2), Novak (14), Kapetanović, Marelja (15), Samardžiski

KK Partizan: Robinson (3), Vrabac (12), Tanasković, Veličković, Majstorović (8), Birčević (20), Andrić (20), Pot (15), Gordon, Luković (9)

Highlights:

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 47 points
2. Cedevita 42 points
3. Partizan 42 points
4. Budućnost 41 points
5. Igokea 36 points
6. Cibona 34 points
7. FMP 34 points
8. Union Olimpija 34 points
9. Mega Leks 33 points
10. Karpoš 33 points
11. Mornar Bar 32 points
12. MZT Skopje 32 points
13. Krka 31 points
14. Zadar 30 points

(photos: aba-liga.com)

KK Partizan - PAOK 78:82 (Champions League, play-off, return match)

This is very very painful now. It was just at an arm’s length and we put our souls to the court.
Before the game the team greeted Miša Tumbas, who celebrated his 63rd birthday now.

(photo: mondo.rs)

The football team also came to support the basketball boys.

(photos: sportske.net)

(photo: mondo.rs)

Marko Nikolić got THIS huge welcome.

The atmosphere was fantastic. Fans again chanted together "PAOK-Partizan", the entire sports hall was one giant black-and-white cavalcade.

(photo: basketballcl.com)

Then kickstart...
...and PAOK jumped to 2:11. Then to 6:18. No idea how. It was awful to see.
Then came Andrić and it was 13:18.
Again no idea how. It just happened. There were a few moments at the game like this, that events had a 180-degree turn within the blink of an eye. Nevertheless 8 seconds before the end of the first quarter Veličković adjusted the standing to 16:18, which means an actual 10:0-series by us. It definitely looked much better than 6:18.

Stefan Pot played with these "duct tapes"

(photo: basketballcl.com)

The second quarter was amazing.
For a while.
We equalized (18:18). We took the lead with Pot’s free throw (20:18). There were quite a number of free throws at this point, but independent of them we could maintain our pace (25:20). The Greek team still wanted to have their word, they equalized (27:27), then took back the lead (28:30). PAOK pressured hard, we just tried to find our breath. We constantly lost the ball, Greeks stole it or made turnovers, so that we had almost no chances for any field goal. Our drawback grew to 10 points (30:40), the first half ended with 32:47.

Half of Partizan’s squad struggled with vomitting, diarrhoea and high fever. The other half was still exhausted after last week-end’s cup final. They still fought as much as they could.
Yes. Now you stand up and salute for them.

Mihajlo Andrić, one of the match’s heroes

(photo: mondo.rs)

The third quarter was the toughest. PAOK’s advantage was more than 10 points for the whole time. We struggled with clenched teeth, we fell apart, we played enervated. Here it seemed all was lost and all we could do was to die with chins up. Though Veličković scored a buzzer-beater at the end of the quarter, this was great to see despite all. We faced death the last part with 50:64.
Dear everyone,
What we did in the last quarter... it was unbelievable.
We opened it with Robinson’s 3-pointer (53:64). We started to reduce our difference step by step. The standing was 59:68, here PAOK realized they might have got into trouble if they hadn’t found out something. So they jumped to 59:76. Again it looked so that all is lost. The standing was 63:78, Birčević was knocked out by a PAOK-player, Andrić almost knocked out the Greek one in exchange... A bit more than 1 minute was left, the standing was 70:80, when PAOK’s coach asked for time-out.
Then we returned to the court.
Veličković scored (72:80). 1 minute and 8 seconds are left. Pionir Hall is like an erupting volcano. Greeks attack, but referees whistle it off, offensive foul. It’s our turn. Great battle on the court. Clanton gets fouled out, we get a free throw (73:82). 44 seconds are left, Andrić scores a huge 3-pointer (76:82). The entire hall is on their feet, everyone is shouting on the top of their lungs. Players wrestle for the ball, the referees whistle it off. It’s PAOK’s turn now. But Veličković makes a turnover and scores (78:82). PAOK’s coach again asks for time-out. It’s 3 million degrees Celsius in Pionir Hall. The whole Partizan is one big heart now. 25 seconds are left. Veličković gets fouled out. Only 23 seconds are left. PAOK gets a free throw... and they miss it out! Both!
But time’s up.
We couldn’t make it.
That was all.

Nenad Čanak made a great job not just now, but also last week-end during the cup final, substituting Aleksandar Džikić, who is also struggling with the virus

(photos: hotsport.rs)

KK Partizan: Robinson (7), Ratkovica (2), Vrabac (8), Tanasković, Veličković (19), Majstorović (2), Birčević (11), Andrić (11), Pot (11), Gordon, Luković (7)

PAOK: Chrysikopoulos (2), Koniaris, Tsochlas, Margaritis (12), McFadden (26), Miljenović (2), Glyniadakis (1), Karamanolis, Sibert (16), Papadopoulos, Peniers (15), Clanton (8)

Highlights: