There is an old motto that applies everywhere: Nothing is given away, everything is conquered. Even with a contingency team like AEK against him, the flow of the game made him realize that he should play basketball at some point. Panathinaikos’ experience in the first semi-final was similar, even losing by 13 points to Prometheus.

We have a Final Four, in words, no one has ever won. And Olympiacos, who were under heavy pressure from AEK for a half and scored just 30 points after falling into the traps of their opponents’ rhythm and belt, realized they had to find at least one period to play after its quality.

He did so in the third period when he scored a double-digit difference and essentially secured qualification for the finals, where he will meet Panathinaikos for the 10th time in the institution’s 47-year history. The “Red-Whites” have only won twice, who obviously have the right to return from Heraklion with the first title of the year and to devote themselves fully to the Euroleague.

We’ll agree with George Bartzokas that the difficulties he encountered with the very flawed AEK will make his team much more cautious and focused. After all, the final requires something like that, if the “Red-Whites” want to win the cup for the 10th time in their history, they will try to win the cup for the 19th time.

We have a Final Four, the slightest oligarchy is paid, even if Olympiacos never really felt a big threat from the “Union”. However, he stumbled into the match plan of AEK, who, lacking alternative solutions (mainly in the periphery), knew he had to play… late, attacking slowly, using lots of contacts and playing cautiously like never before.

Olympiacos was trapped, his men admitted after the game. The “Red-Whites” are a team that relies on their energy, fast and good ball control, long-range shots and surprising endgames. All of that was missing in the first part. Olympiakos had 13/36 shots (4/15tr), he seemed irritated, he even lost a layup because his players changed their decision at the last minute and played a wrong pass.

One would expect Bartzokas’ team to exert unbearable pressure, mainly on the two guards who dropped the ball for AEK (Flionis, Kolom), obviously this was not considered appropriate, perhaps for a saving of forces in view of the finale (and the in-game sequel). Euroleague), but that’s how the game went at first, according to the measurements of Dedas and his players.

Rather than play, Piraeus let AEK take control of the rhythm, hence the very small result in the opening twenty minutes (32p) and short head in the difference in their favor (+3). Without Costas Papanikolaou, who was constantly correcting mistakes, completing phases and being almost everywhere, the record might have been very different.

Which he didn’t do

Everything was judged and tipped in favor of Olympiakos in the third leg, starting with the way it was avoided in the first part. Three quick passes and a free three by Sasha Vezenkov. They dominated rebounds, had good circulation (7 of the 20 assists they gave came in those ten minutes) and 9/17 shots (5/5d, 4/12t) and together the +14 which is essentially the result of the game judged .

Olympiakos hit +18 before pulling the parking brake, remembering the little things from the first part and seeing AEK struggle to even reduce the difference to 10΄΄ before the end.

Ok, she wouldn’t have won the match, but she did very well, acknowledging both the institution and her participation in it, even with nearly half her team absent. It’s up to the substitutes to be active, not to lose defence, to make the right pass, to be focused.

Not everyone had it, not everyone played. Bartzokas used ten of the twelve at his disposal after another crucial game saw two foreigners Quincy Aisi and Jean-Charles Livio all four ten minutes from the bench. Having two foreigners parked on the bench looks more like a controversy than a luxury unless things change drastically in the next couple of games. Difficult…

Sasha Vezenkov got going in the second half, so did Sloukas, the two big Fal and Martin did what they had to do up until then. In general, Olympiakos had a performance “as much as”. As much as it took to achieve victory and reach the goal of qualifying for the finals.

Because this trophy has value

Of course, the year doesn’t end on Sunday, it’s very big, only now is the final straight in the Euroleague beginning, while the championship finals are still late. Still, it’s a defining moment of the year and the trophy has its own value and meaning. Apart from the prestige that conquering this year’s cup has any title, it favors the entire continuation of the year.

Sunday’s victory brings calm, eliminates introversion and allows the team to give their all to reach the Euroleague playoffs.

Olympiakos has in the third duel of the year with Panathinaikos (stand 1: 1) among other things the need for titles. OAKA achieved his last 6 years ago when Vassilis Spanoulis signed the title conquest with a three-pointer in front of Dimitris Diamantidis. He won the last cup in 2011 (74-68 against Panathinaikos in Elliniko). He has no trophies left to be on fire and without the absolute concentration from the first second, which he didn’t have in the semifinals anyway. He won’t have a season from Olympiacos against PAO, the whole organization knows that from now on

The cup, ie a victorious final against the eternal opponent, will make his life easier. Failing that, everything will be transferred to the opposition camp, with the Piraeus side finding the climb they experienced in March even more painful and dangerous to ‘fall’…