Basketball Barcelona suffered, this Saturday, the worst defeat ever at home in the ACB League: 77-102 against Valencia Basket, at the Palau Blaugrana. The 25-point defeat surpasses the previous negative records as hosts in the competition: the -22 against Gran Canaria in 1998 (85-107) and the -22 last season against Unicaja (59-81).
At the final whistle, intense whistling was heard and white handkerchiefs were seen on the stands, in a clear manifestation of discontent among Blaugrana fans. In a press conference, Xavi Pascual did not hide his frustration: "We played, by far, our worst game in the ACB this season. We looked ridiculous, it was a horrible game in all aspects."
The result has a direct impact on the table: Barça loses 3rd place in the Regular League and falls to 5th, losing its field advantage in the quarterfinals cross with UCAM Murcia. "We have to go step by step. From now on, every game is a final. We had a great period, with a balance of 22 to 6 since the beginning of this stage, a very good number, although it was not enough to be seeded. Now it's time to get up and compete with everything", added the Catalan coach.
If they get past the quarter-finals, Barcelona will face off in the semi-finals, also without home advantage, with the winner of the tie between Real Madrid and La Laguna Tenerife.
The dark night in Palau leaves Barcelona with the obligation to react in the playoffs, after a performance that will go down in history due to the setback and the strong protest from the fans.