BarcelonaIncomplete feat. A Barça with more character than energy overcame a 17-point deficit, but was unable to win against an Olympiacos with many more resources (87-75). Benefiting from a very permissive refereeing criterion, the Greek team took advantage of an extraordinary defensive level that exhausted the team.
“We competed until the end. We failed some actions, but we were very close to winning”, analyzed Xavi Pascual. The coach brought back Will Clyburn, who played limited minutes. The American wing scored 13 points and forced 7 personal fouls. The player ruled out was Myles Cale. Among the locals, Tyrique Jones shone, adding 16 points and 8 rebounds.
The night started in the worst way for Barça. Overpowered by the opponent’s energy and physical intensity, the Blaugrana team accumulated a 17-point deficit in a three-and-out (27-10). Olympiacos troubled a Catalan team that made many mistakes in the first part of the match. This turned into constant counter-attacks. When they were having it worse, the visitors clung to Pascual’s tactical order to avoid the storm. Darío Brizuela scored 12 points in a few minutes, but the scene continued to invite pessimism (46-37).
Barça used a partial 0-11 to tie the game (46-46). Buoyed by the production of Punter and Clyburn, the Barcelona team completed a brilliant third quarter. In attack, few mistakes and more discipline. In defense, more forcefulness. The Culer team reached the last ten minutes with a 5-point lead (59-64).
Local reaction
Pascual used all the resources he had, which are far fewer than those of an Olympiacos that has been signing players for weeks, but fatigue began to take its toll. Barça went more than five minutes without scoring, which left them with no options for victory against an opponent that regained confidence. A basket by Jan Vesely on the horn allowed the Catalan team to keep one basket-average favorable.
