Since their world-renowned rivalry took to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stage, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have never battled before to retain a perfect record.
Something new under the sun of El Clásico
Artikel
4 Lesezeit
They have met in more consequential Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games. Everything short of a championship final, in fact. There have been three semifinals in the last decade, all won by Real Madrid. Before that, their two playoff series to reach the Final Four were both won by FC Barcelona.
All told, after 34 meetings on EuroLeague courts since 2005, their record stands at 17-17, which seems quite fitting for the most famous club rivalry in sports. But on Thursday, in their 35th such EuroLeague showdown, Real and Barcelona will face off for the first time as unbeaten co-leaders with sole possession of first place as the prize. Not even for last season's earliest El Clásico ever in the EuroLeague, in Round 2, were both undefeated, due to Barca having lost its home opener to Olympiacos Piraeus.
Until the new round-robin format came along in 2016, guaranteeing two such face-offs per season on the EuroLeague stage, all but two of their previous 20 meetings were in the Top 16, playoffs or Final Four. Starting in 2016, the best combined record they brought to this showdown was 10-4 in 2019, but first place was not up for grabs that time.
Tonight, these two nearly century-old rivals arrive as the only perfect 4-0 teams in the EuroLeague, and to the victor will go the spoils of riding alone atop the standings.
How good have they both been so far?
Well, on offense, they are ranked first (Real, 90.8 ppg.) and second (Barca, 89.5) in scoring; tied for second in assists (22.0 apg.); second (Real, 12.3) and third (Barca, 11.8) in three-pointers made per game; second (Barca, 44.8%) and third (Madrid, 42.2%) in three-point accuracy; first (Barca, 2.1 to 1) and second (Real, 1.9 to 1) in assist-to-turnover ratio; and, consequently, first (Barca, 114.0 per game) and second (Real, 107.3) in team performance index rating.
On the other end of the court, they are first (Barca, 27.0) and second (Real, 26.3) in defensive rebounds, and first (Real, 3.5) and third (Barca, 3.0) in blocks. Barca also ranks first in defending three-point shots, holding opponents to a rate of 29.3% accuracy, while Real ranks second in defending two-pointers at 47.8%.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is dominance. But which team is flying high enough to dominate tonight?
Logic says that the defending Euroleague champion playing on its home floor and having won their sole meeting so far, the preseason Spanish Super Cup, gives Real the edge. But, of course, this is El Clásico, so where the game is played and what happened in the past doesn't apply. It's all about seizing this moment and becoming part of the legend of this rivalry.
Real is healthier up until now, with stalwarts Walter Tavares and Gabriel Deck on form again while floor generals Facundo Campazzo, Sergio Rodriguez and Sergio Llull orchestrate the offense by choosing between themselves and constant threats like Mario Hezonja, Guerschon Yabusele, Dzanan Musa, Fabien Causeur, Vincent Poirier and Rudy Fernandez. Real's greatest strengths at the moment are depth and continuity. Any one or two or three players can take over, and after years of familiarity, Real's players know before any opponent who those protagonists of the night are most likely to be.
Barca's greatest strength is hunger. To complement core veteran stars Jan Vesely, Nico Laprovittola, Tomas Satoransky, Alex Abrines, Nikola Kalinic and Rokas Jokubaitis, the roster was restocked over the summer with players who can't wait to put their imprint on big games like tonight's. Center Willy Hernangomez will go against his old team, Real. Forward Jabari Parker is already showing he can adapt his vast talents to a new brand of basketball. Combo guard Dario Brizuela is getting his long-awaited opportunity in the big-time. And local product Joel Parra is poised to make his mark on a rivalry he grew up watching on TV. Laprovittola is a last-minute scratch due to injury, but that won't lessen the motivation of his teammates.
Just three weeks will have passed at tipoff since the EuroLeague's opening night and already we have a first in this competitive drama, perhaps the two biggest sporting brands on Earth undefeated and going head-to-head to stay that way.
The basketball gods couldn't have scripted it any better.