Barça fell clearly (92-58) against Olympiacos this Thursday in the fourth game of their Euroleague playoff, failing to seal their pass to the ‘Final Four’ to entrust themselves to Palau and local favoritism according to the story.
No one has ever won a fifth away game and Roger Grimau’s men will have their trump card next week at home. However, the Barça team missed the option of not giving more emotion or life to an Olympiacos that intimidated in its way of making it 2-2.
The Greeks set the pace from the second quarter (32-14) and did not lift their foot until a 25-point lead in the third (72-47). The Peace and Friendship Stadium even experienced the outcome calmly, Barça threw in the towel, very far from the controversy and the victory suffered by Grimau’s team on Tuesday in extra time.
The locals took a chance and responded, first with Moustapha Fall under the basket. The center kept his team on a better start than Barça and the fourth ended up being Greek also with Shaquielle McKissic. The culé team’s aim failed early, first from the free kick, and without a doubt they needed points.
Barça easily fell out of the exchange and Olympiacos came out on top, along with their fans, to score a devastating fourth. An unsportsmanlike triple by Larentzakis, McKissic, a big difference in the rebound, the Greeks were leaving their rival behind. Jabari Parker, with 10 points, was the best Barça player at halftime.
The time in the locker room did not revitalize the faith of a Barça team that doubted its options and was annihilated. The strength of Williams-Goss on the hardwood and the streak of Papanikolaou broke the match in the third quarter, and Grimau sat his starters thinking about the fifth game while Olympiacos increased his advantage.
The beating, similar to the one they suffered on Sunday in the Endesa League against MoraBanc Andorra, gives a lot of faith to the Greeks and forces Barça to not only entrust itself to history and the Palau. Satoransky, Laprovittola, Kalinic, Parker, Willy Hernangómez, Vesely or anyone who wears Barça will have to step forward to meet Real Madrid in the Berlin semi-finals and reach their fourth straight Final Four.
