Hayes: “Olympiacos was lucky with Sluka’s shot, we should have taken the series 3-1”

It was fate that sent him Olympic in last year’s Final Four of the Euroleague, according to his words Nigel Hayes.

The American forward stated that based on the image of the two teams in the playoff series, the Fenerbahce played better than the “red and white”, but much of the series was determined from the buzzer beater three-pointer by Kostas Sloukasin the third game that took place in Istanbul and gave the Piraeus team the break.

“To be honest, Olympiacos was a great opponent. Although they were such a good team that they could have taken the Euroleague, they were lucky with Sluka’s shot. The buzzer beater three-pointer specifically. In that match we played better than Olympiakos. In that series we should have won three in a row and gone to the Final Four. We lost the first game of the series and then were better than Olympiakos in the next three games, so we should have taken the playoff series 3-1“, were the words of the American in the podcast “EuroLeague’in The Crossover”.

For Sarunas Yasikeviciuswith whom he worked in Zalgiris and Barcelona: “I will always say that: Saras is one of the smartest people I have ever met. What I really appreciate about Saras is that while he wasn’t a good defender as a player, he managed to make me a good defender. I have told him that. His basketball intelligence is very high, as is his tactical knowledge».

Sluka’s three-pointer that made it 71-72 in the third match of the series:

THAT JUST HAPPENED?? @kos_slou with the buzzer-beater for @Olympiacos_BC to take Game 3!

WHAT an ending??#7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/gULfvgcPhm

— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 3, 2023