Olympiacos was seven-hearted, took the “dog fight” with Barça where it wanted (63-59) and booked a place in F4 against Real for… revenge!
Victory “red and white” in Barcelona. Olympiacos, in a game for strong nerves, brought out its soul, played strong defense mostly in the fourth quarter and defeated Barcelona 63-59 in Game 5 of the series.
Giorgos Bartzokas’ team – together with Fenerbahçe – broke the negative tradition of Game 5 of the play-offs for the visiting teams, they sealed the qualification to the 13th of the Final-4 and they are going to take revenge on Real in the west -final round. for last year’s final loss.
The game does not claim quality laurels because the low score reflects the outcome of the game. Errors, failures and anxiety dominated with the Blaugrana counting 4/26ft. at the same time 13 errors for 17 assists. On the other side, Giorgos Bartzokas’ players did not enter the game well, they made several mistakes in the first half, while they finished the game with one more mistake than an assist (16-15) at the same time 6/ 23ft.
The X-factor of the game is Nikola Milutinov. The Serbian center provided valuable solutions with his size, proved that he fits the game with “Barça” and finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kostas Papanikolaou was decisive in the final, with the red and white captain making 2 big three-pointers in the 4th period, scoring 11 points with a 3/6ft.
The first scorer for the red and white is the great Shaquille McKissick for another game with 12 points, valuable support in scoring and Goss with 8 points and 4 assists.
On the other side, Laprovitola finished the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, with Abrines adding 13 points. The rest of the Grimmow players stayed in single digits with Hernangometh adding 9 points.
A bad first quarter with failures and many “red and white” mistakes, a small lead for Barcelona
With his classic five, Olympiacos lined up at the start of the game, with the red and whites very confused in the first minutes, a sign of their anxiety. Giorgos Bartzokas’ players were scoreless for more than 3′, but Barcelona did not take advantage of it (2-0 in 3′). The “red and white” measured 1/9s. and 3 mistakes, with Laprovitola from the opposite bank taking the lead and with 2/2ft. write 8-2 in 6′. Papanikolaou responded with three points for 8-5, but the score was low for the game’s time standards (8′). Goss with his entrance counted 3 quick mistakes, with the Spanish team getting air 5s. (12-7 at 9′). Milutinov did a good job rebounding (4 points) with Goss cutting it to 12-9 late in the first quarter.
oh Milutinov gave size to the Olympiakos racket, Barca got away, but the “red and white”
“Barca” went into a frenzy at the beginning of the second period and with a 6-0 run it increased the difference to +9 for the first time (18-9 at 12′). Milutinov gave important solutions in the paint (3p. 5p. 2as.), with Peters reducing to 5p. (20-15 at 15′). Laprovitola with 3/3b. again the difference increased to +8 (25-17 at 15′), but Olympiacos responded with its own 6-0 run, reducing to a basket (25-23 at 18′), after moving to take the game at that time. The end of the first part found the team of Giorgos Bartzokas at -2 (27-25), with the Piraeus counting 8 mistakes for 8 helpers.
A fair quarter with plenty of failures and mistakes
Both teams started the second half with mistakes on both sides, with Satoranski leading 29-25 and Kanaan reducing the score to 29-28 with a field goal at 23′. The failure of both was great, with Olympiakos measuring 1/12 sq. and “Barrca” 2/18!. The “red and white” stayed within a distance of three points (-3, 33-30 at 25′), but Laprovitola and Abrines scored 38-30 at 26′. Walkup answered with three points for 38-33, while Petrusev cut it to the basket (38-36 at 27′) with Grimmow players still scoreless for about 2″. Parker scored to make it 40-36, with Olympiakos tying the score at 40-40 after Papanikolaou’s 3-pointer. Piraeus missed many chances to go ahead for the first time in the game, with the third quarter ending in full balance (40-40).
Olympiacos played strong defense, turned the game around and qualified for the Final-4 for the third year in a row
With Ricky Rubio’s basket, Barcelona entered the 4ththe period, with Milutinov tying it at 42-42. Hernangomet with three consecutive points made it 45-42, with Olympiacos able to find a rhythm in the attack by missing consecutive shots. Laprovitola with 2/2b. air gave 5 p. in his team (47-42 at 34′), with the red and whites improving their defense and reducing to 47-46 at 35′. McKissick put his team ahead for the first time in the game with three points (47-49 at 36′). Grimmow players were held scoreless for over 2′, with Abrines tying the game at 49-49 at 37′. The match was on a razor’s edge and it was the details that would make the difference and decide the winner. McKissick wrote with a personal series 5-0 49-54 at 38, with the Piraeus gaining momentum in the game and Papanikolaou writing 49-57 to give the victory to the red and white. Barcelona responded immediately, cutting it to 54-57 with a 5-0 run as Olympiakos lost concentration at a crucial moment. The red and white people lost in their continuous attacks, Barcelona then made a mistake and Milutinov overcame it for 54-59 17″ before the final. Abrines reduced it with two very quick points to 56-59 with 15 ” left to go. Kanaan got the foul shot and hit both shots to make it 56-61, with the Blaugrana then fighting with Papanikolaou making it 56-63 with 2 / 2b.
The Quarters: 12-9, 27-25, 40-40, 59-63.
Source: sdna
