EuroLeague Final 2003: Barcelona breaks its curse thanks to the Bodiroga & Fucka duo

Despite the tight final result of the second semi-final, the fact remains that CSKA never seemed to be able to eliminate Barcelona. The Catalans always controlled the tempo of the match thanks to a very vertical Fucka facing the hoop and the good work of Bodiroga. They had problems defending an active Holden and surpassing the intense inner play of the Khryapa, Songaila and Alexander trio, but Barcelona’s final victory was never in special danger.

FC Barcelona finally broke the curse that haunted them in the European Cup, after eight Final Four contests and five lost finals, and won their first title in the top continental competition (now Euroleague). Hand in hand with a brilliant Dejan Bodiroga (MVP of the final) and a decisive Gregor Fučka, the azulgrana left behind all their ghosts and made real the dreams of the thousands of fans who crowded the Palau Sant Jordi.

The beginnings of the match were somewhat doubtful, with two teams that seemed to be under the effects of the tremendous tension of the final. The pressure hit Barcelona the hardest because of their home status, and key players such as Navarro, Jasikevičius or Dueñas seemed especially stiff. The Benetton managed to impose its devilish offensive rhythm, although Fučka maintained the type for the azulgrana, surpassing Garbajosa in their individual duel. The Italian squad, under the direction of ex-NBA base Tyus Edney, scored with ease, and managed to gain a slight advantage (19-22, min. 8) coinciding with the second personal foul of the Italo-Slovenian player of Barça. At that time Bodiroga appeared to take over the scorer of his teammate Fučka, and after achieving four consecutive points returned the equality to the scoreboard. Even so, Benetton managed to leave at the end of the first quarter with an advantage (23-25).

The Pešić smart in the second quarter, to understand that the previous exchange of baskets did not suit him, since, despite his incredible success scorer (75% in field shots), ended the first quarter losing. The azulgrana tightened the nuts in defense, and after a partial of 13-1 in five minutes achieved a comfortable advantage of ten points (36-26). Edney, Garbajosa and Nicola, who had scored fluently in the first set, suffered in their wrists the weight of pressure generated by the Palau Sant Jordi and began to miss three pointers and free kicks. Hand in hand with an inspired Bodiroga, Barça achieved their maximum advantage throughout the game (42-30), although Bulleri allowed Benetton to withdraw at half time with certain hopes (42-34).

The Italian team came out full at the beginning of the third quarter, and with a partial of 2-6 in the first minute dangerously reduced the differences in the scoreboard (44-40). The Barça seemed to get stuck in attack, with only three points scored in seven minutes, a circumstance that Benetton used to equal the contest (47-47, min. 27). A new scorer style of the azulgrana allowed them to recover the advantage and reach the end of the third quarter with a more reassuring 55-48.

The beginning of the last quarter was similar to the previous one, with a Benetton that again came out strong and managed to narrow the differences (55-52, min. 31). In that moment Jasikevičius and Navarro appeared, very grey in the previous minutes, to score two savior triples that shot Barcelona again in the scoreboard (61-54, min. 33). The Trevisos tried to react, but a vital triple from Bodiroga stopped their aspirations (66-58, min. 37). The minutes passed and the attempts of the Benetton to reduce differences were more and more desperate, with precipitated shots that ended almost always in the hands of the defenders blaugrana, very effective in the rebound. The Barça knew to play with the advantage that it had until the end of the party, with long possessions and forcing personal faults. In the midst of an endless series of throws from the personal line, the match ended and finally the fans who filled the Palau Sant Jordi could unleash their joy and end so many years of frustration in the European Cup.