“We weren’t so bad before, nor are we going to win everything now”… This phrase so repeated by professionals from the world of sports in interviews or press conferences fits Unicaja’s current situation like a glove, which just three weeks ago was criticized by a good part of its own fans, after three consecutive defeats ( Casademont Zaragoza, Valencia Basket and Dreamland Gran Canaria), and now it is once again the object of praise and congratulations, after three consecutive wins (Joventut, Baskonia and Breogán). A radical change in the opinion of the environment, which once again believes in this team. And it has gone from darkness to light in just 21 days. Those that go from October 8 to this past Saturday.
Little patience
The truth is that it is strange that the same squad (except for the departure of Darío Brizuela and the entry of Kameron Taylor) and the same coach, Ibon Navarro, who last season won the Copa del Rey, came third in the Endesa League and They made it to the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League, had so little credit from a sector of their fans on matchday 4, in the month of October, even though the balance at that time was 1-3 in the standings.
A quick dive into the social networks of those days reveals the “problems” that were attributed to this green and purple project: planning error when renewing all the players, coach accommodated by a multi-year contract, bad vibes between the players, ego fight…
Partial analysis
No trace in all those criticisms of the injury problems that existed at that time, of the analysis of a preseason marked by the absence of the two point guards and the three centers or of the very tough schedule at the start of the season… It was requested from within patience for the results to arrive. And they are here, with the team fourth in the table, after playing the first seven league games.
radical turn
Nor should we be surprised by this swing of emotions from that part of the green and purple fans most active on social networks with their criticism. In sport you go from disappointment to euphoria with some ease. In this case it has only been three weeks. The same people who asked for changes 21 days ago now dream of Unicaja playing the Cup as the top seed. If they beat Obradoiro and Girona, in the next two days, the expectation will grow to start asking for the league lead. If they lose against Obradoiro and in Girona, it is very likely that the ghosts and doubts will return. I hope there is no option for the latter…