FC Barcelona downs Galatasaray in playoffs

FC Barcelona got off to a winning start in its best of five series against Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray to open the Euroleague Playoff stage. The Spanish giant was the form team of the Top 16 and despite relenting in the final weeks of the phase Barca shows no sign of losing sight of the Final Four in Milan.

The perfect start on the road to the Final Four was needed as Galatasaray will certainly pose a threat in this series, especially back in Turkey. However, Barcelona cruised in this game with home court advantage by sinking Galatasaray by over 25 points, with the final score reading 88-61. Barca´s cause was helped when Galatasaray´s offensive talisman Carlos Arroyo limped out just before halftime. The point guard will likely be back for game two (he will have an MRI scan first), but his loss in Spain was felt as the Turkish club wilted after his departure, as head coach Ergin Ataman confessed after the game.

In the second half Barcelona was able to build a substantial lead through clinical three point scoring, and in the end collected a comfortable win to lead the series 1-0.

FC Barcelona vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital, 88-61

First quarter
Galatasaray got the scoreboard ticking when Arroyo fed Furkan Aldemir to sink from beyond the arc. The Turkish club impressed in the opening exchanges and an Arroyo jumper was followed by Malik Hairston with a score in the paint and Aldemir with a dunk. It had been a fantastic opening two minutes for the visitors, and a 0-9 run had been carved out for an early lead. Barcelona finally found the basket after 2 minutes 21 seconds when Juan Carlos Navarro opened his account with a triple. Arroyo responded in kind for Galatasaray and the teams traded for the next few minutes as the away team maintained a healthy lead at 12-19. There was enough time left in the first quarter for both sides to collect one more net, leaving the score at 14-21 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter
Barcelona worked hard at the start of the second period as Brad Oleson and Alex Abrines created more space on the court. Over the opening minutes the hosts chipped into the deficit and got to within five points, with the board now reading 18-23. Bostjan Nachbar´s one hander was matched by Arroyo, but Barcelona was now outscoring Galatasaray, with Abrines´ and Ante Tomic finding scores to draw Barcelona closer. Arroyo once again paced the visitors with two points that put some space between the two teams (25-29). The Puerto Rican kept Galatasaray in front until he had to leave the game with just one minute of the first half remaining. Despite Arroyo´s absence, the Turkish club held on to hold a slender 33-35 lead at the midway interval.

Third quarter
Barcelona took the lead for the first time with the opening basket of the second half, a downtown effort from Jacob Pullen. Hairston registered for Galatasaray in the third quarter with a jumper in the paint, but Barcelona responded through Joey Dorsey with a lay-up and a dunk from a rebound free throw. Navarro continued Barca´s resurgence with a free throw to put the home team ahead 41-37. The Spanish club continued to dominate the third frame as Navarro and Erazem Lobrek combined to extend the lead to six points in reply to a Zoran Erceg two pointer for Gala (45-39). Barcelona continued to press and in the last minutes of the third made it a 10 point game (56-46) courtesy of a Tomic insider. There was enough time left in the period for Arslan and Oleson to exchange three point efforts to make the score 59-49 after 30 minutes of play.

Fourth quarter
Oleson with a triple and Tomic with two all but killed the game in the earlier seconds of the fourth, making the score 63-49. That 14 point advantage was extended further when Oleson turned up the heat with two triples that sandwiched a Navarro free throw. It was now a twenty point game with the hosts leading 70-49, and Arroyo´s loss for Galatasaray was evident as the team struggled to move the ball confidently in offense. Barcelona gave the fans inside Palau Blaugrana plenty to cheer about as the team closed out a commanding victory.

Nachbar led the charge for the winning team with 19 points and was followed by Juan Carlos Navarro with 12 points, Pullen and Olseon with 11 each, and Ante Tomic with 10. Barcelona turned around a poor first half and Dorsey was a key part of that with his 11 rebounds shoring up the defense in the third and fourth quarters.

Arroyo played less than half the game, but his importance to Galatasaray was evident. Indeed, the point guard topped the scoring for the Turkish team and finished as the only double digit scorer in the roster, with 14 points.