Euroleague: Olympiacos returns to a final after its devastating reaction to the Monaco rebellion | euroleague 2022

A historic 27-2 run in the third quarter turned off Sasha Obradovic’s rookie team, which had surprised in the first half. The Greeks will look for their fourth Euroleague on Sunday

Six years later, Olympiacos will return to a Euroleague final, the prize for its wonderful season, even if it had to undergo a radical transformation at the Zalgirio Arena. Because the Final Four does not forgive naps. A partial record of 27-2 in the third quarter raised those of Giorgios Bartzonas against debutant Monaco. [76-62: Narracin y estadsticas]

It was as difficult to believe the Greek resurrection after passing through the changing rooms as it had been its gray staging, when they, the Sloukas, Papanikolau, Vezenkov and company, experience at these levels is assumed. But his reaction, leaving him stiff Mike James and without the ability to respond to the Roca Team, it left no room for doubt: on Sunday they await Real Madrid or Barcelona in the final, in search of their fourth continental crown 10 years after the last.

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The audacity of the rookie, a wild group based on talent and physique, was unleashed in a first part of astonishment. were those of Sasha Obradovic those who felt comfortable on a stage that had never been on as a club. Neither did most of its stars. If the stands, completely red and white, looked like Piraeus -as the streets of Kaunas looked like Athens all day-, Monaco advanced on the field as if it were in the coquettish Salle Gaston Medecin. So dangerously that he stood at half-time with an undreamed of distance.

Vezenkov and Sloukas

The attack was the problem of Olympiacos. The specialist John Brown He had held MVP Vezenkov and each point was a drama for the Greeks while Monaco’s outside trio began to warm up, with Mike James as the leader. An exchange at the end of the first act and a small reaction at the beginning of the second relieved those of Bartzokas, although their big problem was yet to come. Jordan Loyd, Okobo and James set off the alarms. Without pressure, with a lot of success and nerves in the rival (9 of 18 in free throws in Olympiacos) and a 29-41 score.

But the determined teams erase their affronts with a stroke of the pen. Rest was the Greek spring. In the blink of an eye he had overturned the Monaco, totally paralyzed. The Zalgirio Arenas roars before the party on the park, commanded by a wild Vezenkov, well escorted by Papanikolau and the immensity of Fall. The Monaco’s possessions were running out before the Athenian aggressiveness. Just a basket, a dunk from Okobo in transition, in a third act that was his grave. An absolute disaster, a rookie mistake: it was the worst scoring mark in a quarter in Final Four history.

Because Olympiacos was no longer going to doubt, aware, now I know, of the historic opportunity before it. Mike James was long gone and Sloukas was lord and master of everything that happened on the track.