It will be a shock if Olympiacos don’t win their series with Real Madrid. Still, the Euroleague top seeds have a chance to make a statement on the road. Complete the sweep and set the table. Emmet Ryan on the need for the Reds to rise in confidence.
The Reds took care of business at home last week. Now, against a wounded Real Madrid, there’s an opportunity to strike hard. Completing a sweep in the Euroleague playoffs is about more than just revenge or redemption for Olympiacos. This is an opportunity to send a statement to the people that matter most, themselves.
A whole lot of hoodoo
Take your pick. It could be the 2014 playoff series loss or any of their last three Euroleague Final Four match-ups, in 2015, 2023, and 2024. Every time since London in 2013, when Olympiacos have faced Real Madrid it’s Los Blancos who either advanced or lifted the trophy.
Olympiacos have a chance on Tuesday night to put to bed more than a decade of nightmares. The only one of those losses, it should be noted, that was truly an upset was 2023. The Reds haven’t contended with a glass ceiling rather than a white one. Real Madrid have had their number when it matters.
For Georgios Bartzokas, the weight of history matters. More importantly, he knows how important it is to show that it need not matter. This is a chance for the talk about Olympiacos and their recent past with Real Madrid to end early. That’s important because of what lies ahead.
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Dominant depth
The sooner Olympiacos can be done with Real Madrid, the sooner Georgios Bartzokas can focus on this season’s entire purpose. This is, easily, one of the deepest rosters ever constructed in Euroleague. The Reds have gone all out to make it as injury-resistant as possible.
Several players capable of playing real minutes for Olympiacos and contributing significantly won’t play in this series. They also won’t play in the Final Four, assuming Olympiacos get there. That’s not because of personal issues or off-court problems. Injuries don’t even factor into it.
There just simply isn’t enough space. The Reds have loaded up to such a degree that they have guys in street clothes on the bench that have nothing wrong with them. More importantly, Olympiacos has managed to do this without creating any kind of noticeable problems. The focus on the title is such that nobody is moaning about minutes.
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Knowing their roles
It’s what I didn’t notice in Game 1 until the end that stood out to me the most. Kostas Papanikolau, a proper dude, played almost 20 minutes yet barely touched the ball. A man who is the heart and soul of Olympiacos was leading by example by being willing to defer throughout his time on the floor.
This has been the norm for Olympiacos all season. Everyone is willing to work with those around them. It always helps when you’ve got a superstar like Sasha Vezenkov, whose entire game is built around not needing all that many touches.
That has in turn fuelled some remarkably emotional outpourings at the end of games. Throughout the season, every check mark on the list has been treated as a cause for exuberant joy. This is a good thing as it fuels the hunger for more.
So, the sweep?
This all brings us back to Tuesday. Olympiacos really could benefit from ending the series at the first attempt. While I don’t see any way that Real Madrid turn the series around entirely, this stage of the season is about two types of energy.
The first is the physical type. Georgios Bartzokas will never say no to his guys getting an extra couple of nights in their own beds. Avoiding Thursday does that. It also enables Oly to start tailoring the plan for the Euroleague Final Four sooner. Every minute managed matters.
That also goes for emotional energy. Even the greatest athletes have a limit on this and a drawn-out series could drag it out of them. Take care of Los Blancos on Tuesday and they get their big moment. Then they get to recharge on the road to Abu Dhabi. It’s simple but it works. That’s what a sweep offers. Now we’ll see if Oly can go out there and take it.
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