A fresh Joventut hammered Barça

Yesterday, Joventut Badalona wrote another page of history beating the Euroleague runner up, FC Barcelona. Not many people would have given credit to the host team with such a great performance, but there were some reasons for their victory:

• FC Barcelona was tired after too many games played in Euroleague and Spanish playoffs. If you look closer Barca had 4 games in 6 days, including the continental Final lost in front of Anadolu Efes.
• On the other side, Joventut is mostly a young team, with a fast rhythm and great skills on both sides of the court. The youngsters are led by two veterans, Pau Ribas and Ante Tomic, that played during the last seasons with FC Barcelona. So their motivation is always higher when they meet their former team.
• It was the first game with fans in the arena for Joventut Badalona in the last months and the crowd was of big help supporting their team.
• Barca was again without Nick Calathes, who is recovering after the injury suffered in the Euroleague Final 4. When he will be back the team will look different.

I think the key factor of the battle was the huge motivation and enthusiasm that Joventut Badalona had in order to avoid the elimination. Of course, Barca is still the main favourite to advance to the semifinals but Joventut made a huge game, proving once again their season was a good one.

Image credit: Eurocup