Olympiacos dismantle dismal Real Madrid in Game 1

Olympiacos took charge of Game 1 early and effectively ended by halftime. Real Madrid kept trying, they just didn’t realise they had already lost. With Los Blancos a shambles for the bulk of this Euroleague playoff opener, the Reds looked intimidatingly calm.

Real Madrid, the source of nightmares for opposing fans across Europe, looked utterly toothless in Piraeus. Great as Olympiacos were in taking victory in Game 1 of the Euroleague playoffs, and they were quite impressive, Los Blancos were a disjointed mess with no semblance of coherence.

Unleashing frustration

The idea that Olympiacos would be somewhat motivated for this game wasn’t exactly a secret. The Reds lost in the Euroleague Final Four to Real Madrid last year, having lost the championship game to them 12 months prior. There were some frustrations to get out.

What we got in the opening minutes was a bludgeoning. Olympiacos were ruthlessly efficient on the inside while also limiting Los Blancos to largely poor scoring opportunities. The breakaway score from Mario Hezonja for Real was reminiscent of a similar bucket he scored in London as a teenager in 2013. On that occasion, his FC Barcelona side got pounded by Joventut Badalona in the old NIJT final.

In the opening 10 minutes of this encounter, it really looked like it could be a repeat performance. The Reds slacked somewhat towards the end of the opener but it was non-stop haymakers from the top seeds for most of the first quarter. This was a side with anger that wanted to take it out on the primary source of it.

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Ingo’s Bingo

On 26 June, 1959, Ingemar Johansson stepped into the ring with Floyd Patterson, the reigning heavyweight champion of the world. For the first two rounds, the Swede peppered Patterson with left-hand jabs. The American’s peek-a-boo style allowed him to provide a limited response but it was clear who was ahead. That was Olympiacos through the game’s opening 18 minutes. They didn’t have to accelerate matters as they built up and maintained a solid lead.

In the third round, Patterson thought he had an opening. He landed a jab but that was all the opening Johansson needed. A quick left, then a crushing right. Patterson was on the floor. That was Moustapha Fall’s dunk. It was a very Fall dunk, with both hands and perfectly centred.

Patterson got up but clearly had no idea where he was. Johansson wasted no time. A battering left hook to the champion’s face, with Patterson not even looking the right way, was followed by a right. The champ was down again. That was the Alec Peters three to give Olympiacos a well-earned 18 point lead at the half. Real Madrid, the Euroleague title record holders, looked more than rocked. Here’s a link to the fight [https://youtu.be/VsVajIK_UUc?si=RvHDLwgpVNG9z6gN] because you know I’m not leaving you hanging.

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Oh Real

Look, I’ve had a lot of thoughts on Real Madrid this season. Most of them have not been good. Yet even I didn’t count them out. Few things spoke to their issues quite like Chus Mateo being ejected 46 seconds into the second half. Fortunately for him it’s a rather short walk in the SEF as it took about as long in real time for Sasha Vezenkov to give OIympiacos a 20 point lead for the first time on the night.

Granted, the final score was much kinder. Olympiacos dropped the intensity except for when it was really needed. That was, in truth, only when Real briefly cut the lead to 11 points. Evan Fournier took care of business quickly and the whiff of a comeback was gone.

Sergio Llull hit some wonderful mandarinas, yet at no point did they feel like something Oly feared. This was a Real side playing some of the greatest hits with the result already in the bag for their opponent. It wasn’t what you expect from Los Blancos most of the time in Euroleague. It’s all too familiar with this season’s edition.

Built with depth

While Vezenkov was the obvious star for Olympiacos in Game 1, this game also showed the exquisite depth of the Reds this season. Giannoulis Larentzakis was the only player on the roster not to score on Wednesday night, and he only played 1:28 in total.

Saben Lee, an in-season addition, Thomas Walkup, playing for the first time in 3 months, looked like luxuries out there as Fall, Peters, Fournier, Nikola Militunov, and Shaq McKissic all helped to impose the will of the Reds.

The most outstanding statline to highlight that is the game of Kostas Papanikolaou. He played almost 20 minutes yet took just 3 shots, making 2 of them, as he gladly took on a supporting role at both ends. Ballers who are capable of being game changers for any side in Euroleague, including a top contender, were out there being glue guys and it worked.

Remember, remember, the comeback of Siena

This is the point where it’s worth remembering that this is only Game 1. Olympiacos fans remember all too well what happened in 2011. The Reds had a record-setting night against Montepaschi Siena in the opener of that series, only to lose three on the bounce.

This is a different era in Euroleague, and an opponent in a very different situation, but it also harks back to Johansson and Patterson. The fight ended in the third after a slew of other knockdowns by the Swede. Yet Floyd came back to reclaim his crown and then take the edge in the trilogy in their final meeting.

A wounded Real Madrid is always a beast to be wary of. Los Blancos have all the bulletin board material they could dream of heading into Friday. Georgios Bartzokas knows only two well. He’ll surely lean on how Oly let up in the second half to stir his troops ahead of the next meeting. The Reds should be ready for an ambush. The advantage lies with them, now is not the time to waste it.

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