Yesterday, we once again saw the true face of Sergio Rodr?guez, the same unpredictable point guard that drove defenses crazy in the European Junior Championships last summer in Zaragoza, and one of the brightest pure basketball talents in all of Europe.

For his team, Adecco Estudiantes, this game was a matter of life or death. The team practically needed to win every one of their four games left until the end of the qualifying round in order to advance to the next stage of the Euroleague competition, starting with today?s match against Cibona Zagreb. Unfortunately for them (or so they thought), their starting point guard, Nacho Azofra, was due to miss his first game in a long time.

Into this tense situation enters Sergio Rodr?guez, with all the responsibilities of the playmaking role resting in his hands, and only the inconsistent combo guard Andr?s Miso to give him some rest from time to time.

You can bet that he didn?t disappoint. In fact, he was more focused and confident than ever. He shot the ball very well, drove to the basket at will, successfully played the transition game, assisted, took advantage of pick and roll situations, and generally took the steering wheel for his team for a big part of the game. He finished with 22 points (7/11 from the field, netting all 3 treys he shot), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and also 4 turnovers in 31 minutes of playing time. The 9 minutes he spent on the bench were fatal for Estudiantes, especially those in the second half, cutting the momentum of the game, and finally resulting in a defeat for the Spanish team, with some questionable calls made by the refs included.