Partizan Put Up a Fight, but You Can't "Take a Bicycle Against Russia"

Judging by five EuroLeague fixtures and two regional league games, Partizan assembled a more than solid roster this summer. Carlik Jones has established himself as the undisputed floor general and Joan Peñarroya's primary offensive weapon, supported by Luca Vildoza, Alessandro Pajola, and Kyle Allman serving as energetic secondary playmakers and defensive pit bulls. Add Ethan Thompson as a perimeter threat with plenty more to offer, a core of domestic players who truly understand the club's weight, Joffrey Lauvergne, Willis, Tonye Jekiri, and Hayes manning the frontcourt, plus unmatched grit and fighting spirit connecting the whole group. When all those pieces align and everyone operates on the same wavelength with complete commitment, the outcome is three consecutive victories to open the EuroLeague campaign.

However, that run was followed by a tough road trip against Real Madrid (an 86-76 defeat) and then Željko Obradović arriving in Belgrade with his mighty Panathinaikos side (another loss, 55-72). The reality quickly set in: Partizan's engine runs well, but bringing a bicycle to a tank battle rarely ends well.

The local expression "taking a bicycle against Russia" is used to describe matchups lost before they even start, highlighting an insurmountable gulf in class between competitors. In this case, Panathinaikos is Russia, while the bicycle represents not only Partizan, but at least fifteen other EuroLeague outfits. On paper, Panathinaikos's superteam can currently only be rivaled by Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, and perhaps Real Madrid and Dubai. Everyone else, in terms of sheer star power and individual pedigree, remains miles behind the Greens.

In that sense, Partizan's home defeat to Panathinaikos comes as no real surprise. Željko Obradović can rely on the likes of Nigel Hayes-Davis, Mathias Lessort, Guerschon Yabusele, Sylvain Francisco, Isaac Bonga, Jerian Grant, and Juancho Hernangomez—with Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas still out through injury. Rosters rarely get much deeper than that.

Looked at from that perspective, Partizan actually delivered a commendable performance, and this setback should not rattle the confidence of Peñarroya and his squad. From the opening tip, Partizan's defensive intensity and commitment were right where they needed to be, epitomized by two sequences where Arijan Lakić dove headfirst to keep loose balls in play. The fact that the hosts conceded just 35 points in the first 20 minutes speaks volumes about their early defensive discipline.

Offensively, however, things failed to click. The black-and-whites missed a flurry of attempts in the first half—most notably open looks from Kyle Allman and Luca Vildoza—coughed up cheap turnovers, and let several rebounds slip away after seemingly securing them.

Early in the second half, Panathinaikos inevitably found their rhythm. The Greens knocked down three identical three-pointers—first Yabusele, followed by Rogkavopoulos and Grant after Fall collapsed the defense and delivered two pinpoint kick-out passes. That pushed PAO's lead to 16, making it apparent that despite their best efforts, the hosts lacked the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Panathinaikos over the long haul.

Partizan generated some momentum early in the fourth quarter, but three straight missed triples following two offensive rebounds completely derailed their comeback bid. Panathinaikos, on the other hand, calmly controlled their double-digit cushion down the stretch. Ultimately, Panathinaikos boast far superior roster depth and too many scoring options to contain.

Nevertheless, Partizan cannot afford to let this defeat weigh them down. It is only round five, their record remains in the positive at 3-2, and another heavyweight showdown against Fenerbahce is just around the corner.

CABARET #1 Željko Obradović is back – it's going to be wild!