FCBARCELONA.CAT

16.06.2010 12:35

Almost perfect

Carles Cascante

Regal FC Barcelona have exceeded all initial expectations by taking four of the five titles on offer this season, including the coveted Euroleague.

The defeat in the ACB final is a cruel blow but it should not prevent the fans from celebrating what has been an almost perfect season. The players have produced some excellent basketball, acclaimed by both friend and foe alike both in Spain and around Europe.

Top dogs in Catalonia

The first trophy of the season was the Lliga Catalana, the most important competition at the level of Catalonia. It gave the fans a chance to see the new signings, in particular Ricky Rubio, who finished up being named MVP of the final against Joventut (38-62). It was just a taste of things to come.

The Super Cup

Next up was the ACB Super Cup against Real Madrid in the Canary Islands. A hotly disputed game finally went in Barca’s favour by a narrow margin of four points (86-82). That was the first deadly blow to a Real Madrid team that ended up having nightmares about Regal Barca!

Kings Cup in Bilbao

The next excuse for celebration came in February in Bilbao, where the final of the Kings Cup was held. Regal Barca beat Cajasol in the quarterfinals (77-72), Power Electrónicos Valencia in the semi finales (64-72) and then faced Real Madrid in the final. An impeccable performance from Regal Barca brought the third trophy of the season home to Barcelona.

Euroleague success

But the crowning moment of the season came in Paris where Barca swept away some of Europe’s finest sides to lift the Euroleague with a display of character, ambition and superb basketball. They defeated CSKA (64-54) in the semis before taking on Olympiakos in the final. Once again they produced a superb performance to treat the fans to one of the best ever Euroleague finals (86-68). And just to put the icing on the cake, Navarro was named MVP.