What Olympiacos Proved in Beating Real Madrid

It was a classic, a mess, and the height of drama. Yet we learned one important thing as Olympiacos ended the Euroleague season of Real Madrid: Georgios Bartzokas and his side can find a way when it matter

It’s rare that a game gets both instant classic and clear hot mess status. The Game 4 battle between Real Madrid and Olympiacos more than fit the criteria for both. We had drama and mind-numbing mistakes followed by make-ups and it all came down to the final shot. When the dust settles, Georgios Bartzokas should smile. In utterly chaotic circumstances, his side showed it can find a way. That will stand to them at the Euroleague Final Four.

Tis but a scratch
The first 20 minutes should have belonged to Real Madrid. Los Blancos were by all reasonable measures the better side. Yet at the interval, having landed what looked like all of their best shots on Olympiacos, they only led by 5 points.

The easy excuse to point to here is the free throw disparity. The Reds got to the line more than Real in the first half, a lot more. That may come as a surprise for a road team but, in truth, they played that element of the game smarter as a whole.

The root cause was far more simple. Even when things weren’t going right for them, and many things didn’t in those opening 20 minutes, Olympiacos never lost their heads. They played like a team expecting to take a few shots. Come the interval, they were little the worse for it. That’s the mettle and guile required to go all the way in Euroleague.

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This is why they signed Evan Fournier

For all the FIBA Fournier references by our buddies on the other side of the Atlantic, Evan Fournier did not need to come back to Europe. He could have easily caught on with a NBA team and cruised along on the bench. There was enough interest there. That the Reds signed him almost on a whim, seemingly because he said he’d like the change of scenery, really feels secondary.

Fournier came to Europe, to Euroleague, because he wants to play basketball where he matters. The Frenchman undoubtedly proved that against Real Madrid on Thursday night. He was a foul drawing machine out there, with 7 committed by men in white and most of them lured by the Frenchman into making the mistake. That resulted in a whopping 13 free throws, of which he made 10.

Life is a lot easier when you can just stand at the line and shoot uncontested. Granted, his ball security was rotten with 5 turnovers but that very much felt a by-product of him trying to get Los Blancos to come at him. This was a high IQ, if not necessarily the highest efficiency, performance. It kept the Reds in the contest during the rough patch and set the table for what was to come as Georgios Bartzokas got his guys to step up after the break.

Here comes Papa

I am 99.9 per cent sure that nobody, other than his kids, has ever used the nickname Papa for Kostas Papanikolaou yet he had a Daddy’s home moment or four in this one. The Olympiacos leader pushed his men forward in an onslaught that seemed to put the game to bed.

This golden phase through the third and front side of the fourth quarter was seeing what we all know this team can do. Georgios Bartzokas has a deep roster that is designed to push harder as the game goes on and act relentlessly when in front.

When it all went right, it looked oh so good. The Reds looked the absolute class of Euroleague in this moment. You’d have been forgiven for thinking this was a home game, such was the confidence on display. It was bullying stuff. Olympiacos had shaken off Real’s barrage and unleashed their own with greater fury. That seemed to be that.

Success needs luck

Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story. This game wouldn’t have been either a classic or a hot mess if we didn’t get the end. Real Madrid reminded us just why they haunt the nightmares of Euroleague fans everywhere. Los Blancos have this tendency to just find a way.

Much will be made of the last shot, that it was Alberto Abalde getting the ball in hand rather than Sergio Llull. Don’t bother. Abalde was best positioned from the movement and the clock wasn’t exactly giving Los Blancos an alternative. Teams built to win big competitions find a way to even have the shots the other team takes go their way.

Georgios Bartzokas no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when Abalde missed. Olympiacos punched their ticket to Abu Dhabi as a result. Yet it also showed us the capability of this side to weather the storm. It will also, undoubtedly, give Bartzokas the balance he wants as well. He comes out of this series with a team that believes in itself and knows it can be better. More importantly, it still has a shot at the Euroleague championship.

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