Olympiakos: Better and more… thirsty after Belgrade

After his experience Belgrade and after a year where he was even better in the regular season, o Olympic qualified to the 12th Final Four in its historyclaiming his fourth Euroleague in Kaunas.

By George Bartzokas to maintain his very good trunk of last year and making certain additions-touches. With their opponents deifying them and speaking the best words about them in every game this year, the “red and whites” produced the best regular season of a Greek team in the top European inter-club competition and the aim is to drink the… water, having once again reached the source.

How he made it to the Final 4

This year was a record for Olympiakos. Determined to return to the Final Four, after the “bitter” elimination in last year’s semi-final by Efes, the “red and white” came in more determined than ever. They finished the regular season first and best. Their record was 24-10, while for the first time in their history they finished the regular season with ten away wins. From then on, despite the fact that they had the privilege of the top and the home advantage, the crossover in the playoffs was anything but favorable. Their opponent was Fenerbahce. After a sensational series that required a fifth match, the Piraeus won 84-72 in the “fiery” SEF and qualified for the Final Four. A series of playoffs that was largely decided by the terrible buzzer beater three-pointer of Kostas Sloukas, for the break in the City, in the third match.

Most Valuable Player: Although the “one man show” is not common in modern basketball, Olympiacos had a player who stood out like a fly in the ointment throughout the Euroleague. This is none other than Sasha Vezenkov. The Bulgarian forward had the best season of his career. This is confirmed both by his numbers and by the opponents who treated him with admiration in their statements. Already, Vezhenkov emerged as the top scorer of this year’s event, receiving the “Alphonso Ford” award, while he is the absolute favorite and the MVP award of the season. In 38 Euroleague matches, the Bulgarian was the top scorer with an average of 17.2 points and first in the ranking with 21.2 points, while at the same time second rebounder in the competition with 6.8 per game.

Unseen hero: His name may not appear high in the statistical categories, like other Olympiacos teammates. Like, that is, Sasha Vezenkov, Kostas Slukas and Thomas Walkup. However, Kostas Papanikolaou is the unsung hero of the Piraeus team. In his first season as captain, after the departure of the “legendary totems”, Vassilis Spanoulis initially and Giorgos Printezis last year, “Pap” showed that he can cope with this role as well. Throughout the season, Papanikolaou has been the man of the hour. Where Olympiacos needed his energy, his body (which always sacrifices especially in defense), the leader was there. In the critical moments, he came out ahead. Last example, Game 5 with Fenerbahce…

Advantages: According to the general opinion of its opponents, Olympiacos is the best team in this year’s Euroleague, playing the best basketball. Something that the numbers of the “red and white” also say. Best in assists and steals, while second with a very small difference in the ranking behind Real Madrid. Especially, the last category confirms the team spirit of Giorgos Bartzokas’ team. Its big advantage is clearly the preservation of the main core, but also of course the experience of last year’s Final Four that had key players, who in Belgrade were… rookies in such a demanding process.

Disadvantages: When a team finishes first and best in the regular season, it stands to reason that their handicaps will be few to minimal. The “arsenal” of Giorgos Bartzokas’ team is full and can adapt and cope with all styles of a match. Thus, the biggest drawback of Olympiakos is its… bad self. The Piraeus just have to play the basketball they have been playing throughout the season and so they won’t have to… fear anything.

The Olympiakos roster

0. Thomas Walkup (1.93m, 31 years) Guard

3. Isaiah Kanan (1.83m, 32 years old) Guard

4. Michalis Lountzis (1.95m, 25 years old) Guard

5. Giannoulis Larentzakis (1.96, 30 years) Guard

9. George Papas (1.96m, 25 years old) Guard

10. Mustafa Fal (2.18m, 31 years old) Center

11. Kostas Sloukas (1.90m, 32 years old) Guard

14. Sasha Vezenkov (2.06m, 28 years) Forward

16. Kostas Papanikolaou (2.04m, 33 years) Forward

19. Panagiotis Tsamis (2.04m, 21 years) Forward

21. Joel Boloboi (2.04m, 29 years old) Center

25. Alec Peters (2.06m, 28 years) Forward

28. Tarik Black (2.06m, 32 years old) Center

77. Shaquille McKissick (1.96, 33 years) Guard

81. Benjamin Abosi (1.94m, 17 years) Forward