BADALONA (Spain) - A few weeks ago, Asisa Joventut were facing Hiopos Lleida in the ACB.
It was a tough environment, a Catalan derby, an intense battle on the court that Joventut escaped only thanks to Cameron Hunt's late-game dagger with 22 seconds to play.
During a timeout, Ricky Rubio replaced head coach Dani Miret and took the opportunity to raise his voice.
"When things get tough, we've got to do this. Everybody is in their own head, and we can't allow that. This is intense. It's what we gotta face. We've got to get better," he loudly expressed.
Talking about intense atmospheres, a few days later, they visited SUNEL Arena in Athens for Game 1 of their Quarter-Final series against AEK BC in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
Despite not having Ante Tomic and Simon Birgander on board, they went inches away from an upset victory on the road in the Greek capital. Ricky Rubio gave his all, ready to go to war in Game 2.
His no-look pass in transition to Jabari Parker in the first quarter on Tuesday night was only the beginning of a mastermind performance to raise Joventut's spirit and hope to keep contending in Season X.
Looking at the boxscore in an 88-66 win, he finished with 13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
But the 35-year-old playmaker's impact against the Queen went way beyond his final numbers. He was pretty much everywhere; the 8,974 Joventut fans who enjoyed his show couldn't locate him on the floor.
His masterful ability to read the defense and find open teammates, linked with a wide range of scoring options, was what Joventut wished they would have received upon his return to Badalona.
Ricky set the tone early and then made a statement in the third with eight points in one minute.
When things get intense, once again, Ricky delivers. And he does it uniquely.
With the series moving back to Greece, but hoping to return to Badalona with a ticket for the BCL Final Four at home, Joventut's heart and soul will be there to raise his voice again.
His young self would have dreamed of nights like these twenty years ago, when he started wearing the black-and-green samarreta.
There's a whole city that stands behind him. Ricky Rubio's leadership is a joy to watch.