Surprises, surprises and surprises. That's the way I can define the day we have lived this weekend in Spain. The results of the games played yesterday and today have been:
AXA Barcelona 85-74 DKV Joventut
Grupo Begar León 83-81 Kalise Gran Canaria
Pamesa Valencia 70-91 Akasvayu Girona
Cajasol 102-96 Ricoh Manresa
CB Granada 97-81 Iurbentia Bilbao Básket
Real Madrid 84-80 MMT Estudiantes
Polaris World Murcia 70-73 Unicaja
ViveMenorca 101 - 93 Grupo Capitol Valladolid
TAU Cerámica 98-61 Alta Gestión Fuenlabrada.
Why have I said that about 19th day in ACB League? AXA Barcelona won DKV Joventut in a very emotive match. The spectators who came to the basketball court, found the player who is called to substitute Juan Carlos Navarro as the leader of the team. His name is Grimau, Roger Grimau. His numbers yesterday were amazing, with 23 points and 3 rebounds. DKV Joventut dissapeared in the second part of the match but in the third period things changed.
Also, Grupo Begar León won at home. When Kalise Gran Canaria is the visitant, things are easier for the local team, and in this season, this team has lost all their games outside "Centro Insular". Also it has one consecuence.
New coach, game won. This happened last week with Cajasol, in which Manel Comas became the new coach for the team after Magnano was fired. But the popular sentence I have wroten few words before; is not properly to define the situation in Sevilla. With the latest coach, they won 4 games out of 17, and with Manel, they have not lost. Yes, you will say, they only have played two times, before he signed with Seville's Basketball Team, but the mental preparation of the players, I think, is very different. When he arrived in Seville, he said: If the throttle is not at 100%, I will step on it.
Where is Fuenlabrada? That was the question which the spectators who came to Buesa Arena were asking all the 40 minutes of the match. They dissappeared in the first minutes and, TAU Vitoria took advantage of this situation. Sergi Vidal was the game's MVP and Fuenlabrada, in my opinion, in the last 20 minutes, made a training game, and fuenlabrada lost this game 98-61.
Also Granada won Iurbentia Bilbao Básket, the sensational new “Big Team” of the season, in a match in which Granada was not playing with all their players. Vlado Scepanovic and Curtis Borchardt, the MVP of the team were not summoned to go to the match because of their injuries, but the rest of the players were capable to solve the situation in a big lesson given to the basque team.
In conclusion, after 19 days of league ACB, everything can happen. Cajasol, Fuenlabrada, Estudiantes and Menorca are candidates to play next year in LEB. In the top of the classification, Real Madrid and Iurbentia are the principal candidates to finish in the first position, and TAU, DKV and Barcelona seem to be one step under them.
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