Olympiacos scored one of his biggest, if not his biggest, wins in the EuroLeague that year, beating Anantolou Efes 87-85. Kostas Sloukas’ buzzer-beater sent him to seventh heaven and kept him in the playoffs. And he showed the metal of the team.

The “Red-Whites” played one of the most important games of the season and lost Thomas Wookup before the game. They did not play a stealth war against the ό nuclear weapons that Anadolu Efes has in the region. They approached the game at their own pace, adjusting where necessary, doing what was necessary. In the end, they saw the two players who defined the whole game, Mustafa Fal in defense and Costas Sloukas in attack, to bring victory. But we’ll get there too. The question is how Olympiacos got to this point.

The different rotation due to Wookup and the 2nd period

With Wokap out of the game just before the Yambol, George Bartzokas had to change the rotation. The first step was logic: he passed Kostas Sloukas in the top five. It was a decision and it brought some expected results.

Olympiacos built their entire first-half game on Kostas Sloukas’ ability to create for his teammates. He came in with a bang, read the game correctly, saw the National Guard beat Timbor Plays in pick and roll and either scored after a dribble or passed at the right moment with Olympiakos making a difference. The trouble would come later, however, when he passed on the bench.

In Olympiacos’ regular rotation, Sloukas is the one who comes off the bench first and holds the team during the second period. From the moment he started as a key player, he was on the bench in the second half. This meant that Olympiacos changed his approach and lost an important part of his creation. George Bartzokas mostly gave the ball to Sakil McKissick’s hands, while Printezis was fed quite often at the post. Both gave solutions and retained Olympiakos. The “Red-Whites”, on the other hand, became predictable, Efes found a rhythm and the game got down to business again.

The “feeding” of Plais, Mitsic and Sloukas

Anadolu Efes is a team that has the tremendous luxury of often competing with three creators/performers on stage due to the presence of Mitsic, Larkin, Simon, Boboa and Bryant. To think that it is easy to stop the Turkish team in pick and roll situations is utopian. It can limit it. And Olympiacos did a relatively good job. But he couldn’t stop them all.

Efes wanted to tag Fal. But not in the traditional way. She wanted to get him out of the basket. To a degree he did, especially in the third period thanks to Mitsic’s class and Timber Plays’ ability in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations. The Serb was the one who launched most of the attacks, but Plais was often the recipient of his assists. As a result, the German Olympiakos ‘hurt’ with a mid-range shot in pick-and-pop situations, but also hit every miss on substitutions through his huge body. However, this did not bother Olympiacos to the full extent. Because as long as Plais was shooting, it meant that the Efes guardsmen weren’t shooting – and couldn’t find a rhythm.

While Olympiakos struggled in defence, Sloukas was the one who carried him in attack with companion Sasha Vezenkov. Sloukas finished the game with 23 points, but the difference was evident in another number: his assists offered Olympiakos another 19 points. In total, the international guard was responsible for 42 points for the Piraeus team. He was the one who leveled things out when Mitsic (12 points, 13 assists) suffered a loss.

The role of Dorsey and the “Rock” Fal

With the game going into overtime, Sloukas was tired. But then it became clear how valuable it is to be on the team of a player who has the ability to create your own shot. In other words, the value of Dorsey (19 points) was seen, coming out before a critical point in overtime and giving points with personal actions.

According to InStat Scout, Dorsey offered a total of 8 points (on 7 possessions) in pick and roll situations in which he shot, 4 points (on 4 possessions) in handoff situations, and 2 points (on 1 possession). Catch-and-drive situations (where he was released and attempted after a dribble). That’s 14 points from personal action, which is gold when a match goes to the point.

At the same time, none of that would have mattered if Mustafa Fal hadn’t covered the basket on the other side. According to InStat Scout, the French center has been called 8 times to tag Anantolo Efes’ rival guards (one at a time) in isolation situations. In these professions he received a total of 2 (!) points. Six of those possessions came at the end of the fourth period and overtime when the Efes guard took aim at him.

Here is the graphic showing the shots Fal had to take in one-on-one situations in the game:

Somehow we reach the final cast.

The last defense and what makes Sloukas truly unique

At 84-85, Efes had the attack. Mitzic “counted” Fal, played one-on-one with him, went all the way into the basket and missed. In the development phase, Sloukas took the ball, ran in the transition phase and passed to McKissick. The American faked and eventually had to return the ball to Sloukas, who first made an excuse and then shot, giving Olympiakos the win.

Fal’s role in the final basket and his one-on-one skills have already been analyzed. Now it’s time to shed some light on one of Slouka’s finely tuned traits, despite being one of the best players in Europe, if not the best. What is that? The way he moves once he passes the ball. So those tenths of a second in which Sloukas’ defender relaxes because the ball has just left his hands. And it’s in those tenths of a second that Sloukas has the instinct, class and basketball experience to break free, to get the ball back.

Most people love Sloukas’ shot after a dribble, that he has an extremely good view of the field, that he’s not afraid to make the big throw. All of this applies. However, it is questionable whether there are more than 2-3 players in Europe who can “give and go” better than him to ask the ball immediately for execution. It is this skill that helps him lose his balance with his personal opponent so he can either rush to the basket or shoot straight. And that ability and instinct helped him to be in the right place at the right time (following his own pass) after creating an imbalance in Efes’ defense in the final attack in front of goal.

A great win

Olympiacos has achieved a great victory. He’s back forever. He endured the absence of Wookup, who came to the worst possible game due to Efes’ conditions and squad. And he showed that he has character.

The “red and white” made a belly when they appeared after the coronavirus cases. Now, however, they seem to be feeling the pressure. Automation. Cooperation is better, defense is more coordinated, concentration is back. If they keep going like this, only good things can happen.

Costas Sloukas spoke in front of the Sportish camera about the big hit against Anantolou Efes and Olympiakos’ first goal of the season: