Friday, May 24, 2024 | Updated 05/25/2024 01:52h.
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Real Madrid not only defeated Olympiacos to book a place in the Euroleague final, the white team’s third in a row, but also sent a clear message to their Greek compatriots Panathinaikos, Fenerbahçe’s executioner and the last obstacle to a second crown unprecedented consecutive since 1968. The first assault of the best team in the regular league was a true declaration of intentions, it left the victory on track after two first quarters of scandal, and although the Helena reaction after the break was praiseworthy, the tremendous arsenal that Chus wields Mateo once again marked the differences.
As in the Kaunas final in 2023, but in a much looser way, the European basketball classic between Madrid and Olympiacos was white. The semi-final was dyed that color from the beginning. Although the microwave Canaan and Peters played fine from the perimeter, Hezonja soon responded, extra motivated due to that constant buzz about his future and a pending renewal with a lot of money at stake. Also Musa, his favorite partner. Excellent staging by the ‘brates’, who punished one of the best defenses on the Old Continent with three-pointers.
The successes of three with a Balkan flavor, up to five out of six, made Madrid take off, also driven by the power of Tavares in painting and the reading of Campazzo, always the smartest in the class. The European champion dominated on the outside, as expected, but also on the inside, collecting rebounds despite Olympiacos’ generous interior roster. The only thing missing was Yabusele, reserved from the start by Chus Mateo and who appeared to shoot his team on the scoreboard.
Real Madrid
Campazzo (3), Musa (20), Hezonja (12), Ndiaye (-) and Tavares (9) – the starting quintet. Causeur (4), Rudy Fernandez (-), Abalde (-), Sergio Rodriguez (8), Poirier (11), Llull (9) and Yabusele (11).
87
–
76
Olympiakos
Walkup (4), Canaan (7), Papanikolau (3), Peters (23) y Fall (2) -quinteto inicial-. Williams-Goss (15), Wright (-), Petrusev (5), Milutinov (-) y McKissic (17).
Partials: 28-10, 28-27, 15-21 and 16-18.
Referees: Radovic (Croatia), Javor (Slovenia) and Mogulkoc (Türkiye). Eliminated: Tavares.
Incidents: Second semi-final of the 2023-24 Euroleague, played at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
After getting the game back on track with the heavyweights, the step forward of a second luxury unit that makes the difference lowered any expectation of Helena recovery. The eternal Sergio Rodríguez declared the state of happiness in Madrid with a Globetrotters exhibition. The Canary punished from a distance and had fun with that classic unlimited partnership with Poirier that makes the Frenchman fly.
As it was, Olympiacos did not know how to stop a gale that was going over twenty distances, seriously threatening to resolve the semifinal on the fast track. Madrid tripled its rival in catches and also doubled Greek assists. They brought their devastating advantage up to 25 points (54-29) with a scandalous rating of 77 at half-time, while the team from Piraeus clung to the success of the volcanic McKissic to reduce the disadvantage to below twenty before heading the way to the changing rooms.
Hellenic pride
Olympiacos, a three-time European champion with plenty of pride, had not said its last word. A former Madrid fan, Williams-Goss, inflamed the spirits of the red and white fans. Bartzokas’s troop approached, little by little, slowly but surely, although Musa tried to resist the attack based on character. It is inevitable to remember that comeback in the 2012 final against CSKA, when Spanoulis and company raised a difference of up to 19 points.
Between Peters and Williams-Goss they broke down that psychological barrier of ten points with six minutes remaining. The alarm went off for Madrid, who woke up in time, gritted their teeth in defense and stopped the constant flow of points that Olympiacos needed for the feat. Solid management of the last minutes of the European champion, who with Musa as a stiletto was one step away from revalidating his status.
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2024-05-24 23:52:41
#Madrid #shows #resists #Olympiacos
