The inertia of this Real Madrid 2.0 by Chus Mateo is such that it is worth putting it in perspective. This Thursday in Istanbul they face their 24th official game of the season (in just a couple of months) and have only lost one (they even allowed Doncic's Mavericks the luxury of defeat). On Tuesday, without giving too much importance, he fleeced Maccabi by almost 30 points. And now, without respite, he challenges Fenerbahçe (6:45 p.m.) to continue his immaculate streak in the Euroleague.

It would be, if consummated, the eleventh career victory. If we add the five from the end of last year with which they ended up taking the title in Kaunas (three from the quarter-final series against Partizan and the two from the Final Four), the whites have accumulated 15 wins in the top continental competition: They have not lost since April 27, that night of unfortunate memory that ended with the unfortunate pitched battle in the WiZink against the Serbs.

Along the way there were victories of all colors, from the now legendary final with Llull's basket to the last one, the beating of a Maccabi of circumstances, exiled in Belgrade. “This game in Tel Aviv would have been different, without a doubt,” confessed the always honest Chus Mateo, although just a few days before, in the same Pionir Room, Barça won only thanks to Laprovittola's final basket (90-92).

The night in Belgrade broke from dawn, with 36 white points in the first act (15 from Tavares in eight minutes). After the timid Hebrew approach in the third act, Madrid broke the game. But, far from relaxing, he left a tremendous play for the gallery. After a frenetic movement of the ball, Poirier and Sergio Rodríguez, two guys who understand each other with their eyes, combined for the highlight. The Frenchman passed through the Canary's legs, which he returned in the form of an alley oop, culminating brutally.. “The whole team is very united and was very happy, because it was a bit of a way to signify a collective game. It was a very nice play. Sergio Rodríguez is magical in finding those situations with the centers,” celebrated the coach, who preferred, however, another statistical aspect of the duel: “I prefer the 29 assists and the seven turnovers.”

On Tuesday, Real Madrid had breakfast in the capital of Spain, ate in Belgrade and had dinner in Istanbul after beating Maccabi. He did it without the injured Gerschon Yabusele or Fabien Causeur, who is expecting his second child. With just three minutes of Sergio Llull and the continental debut of Hugo González at 17 years old. With that accumulated fatigue from a double day due to obligation (they made up the postponed match on the day), Madrid will face Dimitris Itoudis's Fenerbahçe this Thursday at the Ulker Sports Arena, another of the Final Four contenders, although their The start is not entirely positive (five wins and five losses).

“We are playing against a team with a very good squad that has not lost at home,” warns Mateo, who highlights “Wilbekin, Tyler Dorsey, Nick Calathes, Marko Guduric, Pierre…. “They are a great team”. “We have 10 consecutive victories in the Euroleague and they are candidates to try to take away our unbeaten record,” says Rudy Fernández. Because Madrid has the best start in its history in the top continental competition within reach. In the 2013/2014 season he started 13-0. It was CSKA Moscow, already in February and in the old Top 16 format, that broke the streak of Pablo Laso's then team (in total, they were 31 unbeaten games at the beginning of that season), however, they would end up losing the final unexpectedly against Maccabi precisely. It was at the Mediolanum in Milan and Rudy Fernández, Sergio Llull and Chacho remain from that team.

With the current competition format, four years ago, Laso's Madrid also achieved an 8-0 start. Olympiacos defeated them on matchday nine and, in the Final Four in Vitoria, they lost to CSKA in the semifinals.