Real destroys Barça

Real Madrid smashed Barcelona to smithereens 85-59 with a devastating performance in the capital city’s Palacio de Deportes on Monday to move within one step of winning the Liga ACB.

It was an exhibition performance of the like not even the oldest fans in the crowd could remember. Madrid is growing match by match at the same rate as the Catalans are weakening in the best-of-five series. Now 2-1 ahead, it only needs a win in Wednesday’s fourth match (10pm, TVE1) to take the title.

Starting with Víctor Sada and Juan Carlos Navarro on court, Barça switched from its usual style by mounting a voracious attack. But Real responded with similar force and the baskets rained in. Barça’s American small forward Pete Mickeal quickly counteracted the Real advantage, disguising the difficulties Navarro was having in developing his play and Erazem Lorbek’s lack of accuracy. But then on came Jaycee Carroll to inflict 12 points in little more than four minutes on Barcelona.

Real was now flying and Sergio Rodríguez, the hero of game two who is having a colossal impact on this series, was there to make the most of it. This time he didn’t show the same sound shooting judgment, but found a perfect dance partner in Felipe Reyes and the gap widened.

There was little Barcelona could do to close it.

Mickeal — who tussled with Carlos Suárez and took a swipe at Novica Velickovic in the subsequent brawl — was no longer scoring, Chuck Eidson kept being denied and the rest of the team offered little more.

Real went for its rival’s jugular, its attack not letting up an inch of intensity. The 10 points between the two teams became 20 and the match was over before the hour was up.

The outlook could still change in chapter four on Wednesday, but Barcelona needs to improve a lot. “Neither I nor the team want to think about throwing away the season after all the work we have done,” said Barça shooting guard Xavi Rabaseda after the match.

For now, Real is clearly in charge, but isn’t taking anything for granted. “We still have the last step left, which is the most difficult,” Suárez told newswire Efe. “We know we have taken a small one, but tomorrow we think we will encounter a better Barça, which is going to want some pride and to play its best match.”