There are different kinds of problems in basketball, or really sport, or actually life in general. These can be divided into bad problems and good problems. Emmet Ryan believes Olympiacos have good problems. Their win over Partizan showed that. In Euroleague, even good problems can cause headaches
Despite the sterling efforts of the commentators, Olympiacos always looked comfortable in their win over Partizan on Friday night. Right now, they are the best basketball team on the continent. It being only early March is the first of a few good problems that Georgios Bartzokas has to manage. The months to come are fraught with challenges.
Never in doubt
Considering the alternative was switching over to Alba Berlin vs Barcelona, be grateful to the commentators. Throughout this one-sided clash, they kept insisting there was a route back for Partizan.
Given how painful the alternative would be to watch, they should be commended. Still, this was quite the effortless display by Olympiacos. While Partizan were far from their best, it’s difficult to say if they were actually bad. The Reds were so good it felt like few basketball teams on the planet could live with them on this night in SEF.
Consider this. At half-time, Olympiacos led 46-32. Yet their top scorer, Sasha Vezenkov, only had 9 points. This was like watching a team play Euroleague on easy mode. Georgios Bartzokas certainly sounded bored right before the game resumed. At no point did it seem like they would need to go beyond third gear. It was a team with everything working as it needs to.
It’s 7 March
We literally haven’t even hit the Ides of March. While it’s great to have a team gelling just as spring hits, leaving room for growth is always nice. A little bit of doubt always helps, especially given how obsessed sports teams are with being disrespected. Indeed, it has long felt like the worst thing you could tell an athlete is that their team is universally respected.
For Georgios Bartzokas, challenging his players to find that untapped irksomeness is vital. The Reds are well on course to take the top overall seed in the playoffs. As is repeated ad nauseam, no top seed has ever won Euroleague in the new format.
While superstition has its place in basketball, the rationale here is a little skewed. It’s not so much that being top seed is bad, it’s that peaking too early is. Coaches will always say peaking is over rated but it’s a simple matter of physiological reality. Being at your absolute best, the billionth of a per cent different from what you can otherwise hold, has a time limit. For Olympiacos, the goal is to ensure that sliver remains to achieve.
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The other good problem
Thomas Walkup is hurt and Keenan Evans isn’t back yet. In the not too distant future, Olympiacos will be able to count on both of these men to play for them. Added to this mix is Saben Lee, who made his much heralded debut tonight for the Reds.
Granted, it’s better to have too much to work with than too little. Still, ensuring he can optimise the usage of all three of these players when all are healthy is the biggest challenge for Georgios Bartzokas. As a man who loves pints and whiskey, believe me that you can have too much of a good thing.
All three are men who love having the basketball in their hand. That’s a different challenge in this sport than running a three man platoon at the 5, like Olympiacos did back in 2017. Being blinded by options, and there are so many rotation options here, is all too easy. Many a Euroleague favourite has been undone by such an issue in the past.
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Be grateful for Ataman
Panathinaikos may well have done Olympiacos a great favour last month. Ergin Ataman’s charges won the Greek Cup over the Reds, reminding Georgios Bartzokas that his men can still have off nights against their greatest foe.
More than any loss to a Fenerbahce or AS Monaco, this can instill focus within Olympiacos. They don’t need to look beyond any other opponent when it comes to the Greens. Every game of basketball between now and their next clash with PAO is a test on the journey. The need to pass these lies within.
Of course, given the extraordinary ability of these sides to somehow not face each other in Euroleague post-season play, it may not even come to pass. Seriously, the last playoff or Final Four Greek derby was in 2009. There have been seven seasons since where both made the playoffs, albeit only two where both made the final four. Chance seems to not favour them meeting in a Euroleague knockout game.
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