Panathinaikos – Olympiacos: The pair of Larentzakis – McKissick, the assists of Slukas and the defense of Mandzoukas

In a great derby, Olympiacos managed to beat Panathinaikos 76-74 in the final at OAKA, securing home advantage in the Basket League playoffs.

The game was unsuccessful, both teams gave their all and in the end everything was decided – as in the first round game – with possession of the ball, a sign that things could have turned out differently. This also happens when a game is decided by a penalty shootout.

The Sportish Analysis using InStat Scout the victory of Olympiakos over Panathinaikos.

A balanced first quarter

The first quarter was informative. Olympiacos played their own basketball while trying to adapt to the new Panathinaikos they found in front of them. The change of coach has – quite logically – brought the expected changes to the “Greens”, in that coach Serelis has brought more movement into attack, with continuous handoffs, i.e. hand-to-hand passes.

Panathinaikos started the game with a desire to take Mustafa Fal out of the game. Arturas Gudaitis should be used there, because the Lithuanian should wear the French down, take balls with his back to the basket.

For this, coach Serelis was initially willing to risk points defensively, because it is clear that the Williams-Gudaitis duo scores points at the back of the floor. The risk was immediately apparent when Fal was charged with two quick fouls and went to the bench.

Olympiacos injured Panathinaikos in the first half with their constant movement and shields off the ball. But the “Greens” persevered thanks to inspirations from Lee, who withstood pressure from Olympiakos (and his attempt to send him to his right-hand man).

The good five from Olympiakos and Boloboi

The second period was the one that hit Olympiacos. The second rotation of “Red and White” is more balanced on both sides of the floor and this was clearly evident at this point.

The quintet of Slukas, Larentzakis, McKissick, Peters, Boloboi had +13 on the +/- system, by far the best of the two teams. And there was a reason for that. On the one hand, the trio of Slukas (6 assists, including Olympiacos 16 points), Larentzakis (13 points) and McKissick (12 points) combine creation and execution. On the other hand, Panathinaikos lined up with formations that often had either two average or poor shooters on the ground (two by Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Bohorides and Walters) or at least two goals in defense (in the formations with two by Grigonis, Speck , Walters).

The combination of these two facts helped Olympiacos evade scoring, as while they scored comfortably in attack, they were also able to play more closely together in defense – and thus not let the ball go close to the basket in defence. Changes . At the same time Joel Boloboi (6 points, 7 rebounds). proven valuable.

+15 on the +/- system (best among his teammates) says enough. The 11 points he indirectly contributed (6 on assists and 5 from his screens), too. But the fact that Panathinaikos had 13/31 shots with him on court (and 12/27 when Fal played) says even more. The athletic center supported the defense with changes, kept in front of the “green” periphery and blocked passing corners, which was crucial for the game.

The Manzoukas factor and the Grigonis helping Bacon

Panathinaikos looked for an opportunity to react and coach Serelis made an important decision in the second half, starting with Grigonis, Mandzouka in the five instead of Walters and Williams.

The veteran coach wished for more height and distance on the ground from the touchline (Grigonis) and more defensive consistency near the basket (Manzoukas). And he was justified.

Lefteris Mantzoukas proved crucial in Panathinaikos’ defense. The 20-year-old forward chased Vezhenkov (and Peters) behind the screens but also came out strong at every contact.

Olympiacos wanted to sign him. But Manzoukas was more than constant. According to InStat Scout, the international striker was the main defender in Olympiakos’ 10 possessions and conceded just 2 points (Vezhenkov fired after a foul on a post-up by the Bulgarian striker).

At the same time, the presence of Grigonis (13 points and 3 assists, from which Panathinaikos received 9 points) gave Panathinaikos something different. The Lithuanian is a threat – even on an average day – as he can threaten with or without the ball, while also being able to create.

His presence opened the field for Panathinaikos (and) for Bacon. The Lithuanian had +6 in the +/- system, the best among his teammates. The former CSKA player was on the floor in 5 of the 6 “green” fives that had a positive sign. This is no coincidence.

It’s clear that Trainer Serelis is trying to win Grigonis back. The trust he puts in him, the games he made for him in a derby, the initiatives he asks of him, everything is done for that reason. It is clear that there is a way to do this, but the first seeds in this relationship have been planted.

In shootout matches, emotions depend…on the outcome

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos offered the world another derby. Panathinaikos took the game where it wanted to go. Slow down the pace. His movement in attack (with the many hand-to-hand passes) provided variety. He practically eliminated Vezenkov and Fall, limited the creation of walkup.

However, he was unable to stop the creation of Sluka, McKissick, Larentzakis and the execution of Kanan, while being unable to take advantage of the misses near the basket due to Olympiakos’ pressure on his guards – and the inability to find a player who would play “Step” to get the pass – it didn’t leave much room.

Olympiacos, for their part, struggled with Panathinaikos’ ball pressure. The fact that, with the exception of McKissick and Larentzakis, no player could be found who played perpendicular to the basket and created an imbalance, the many late attacks that kept the ball in hand and the hasty decisions all took their toll.

But his defense was where it should be, the pressure on the ball was exemplary. The marking of the weak links of the “Greens” in defense (Grigonis, Gudaitis, Williams) was … surgical.

In the end it was actually a tough game. A game decided in possession of the ball. In such games, personality and luck play a role in the end, although you also make it yourself. Olympiacos, for example, didn’t want Bacon and Lee to get the ball in the final attack and they succeeded.

Panathinaikos extended the advantage and saw one of their best players on the catch-and-drive offensive (where someone gets the ball on the edge and drives towards the basket), Derrick Williams, making the winning shot. But the shot didn’t go in because Fal was under the basket.

After such a match, the feelings of the teams depend on the result. Could the result be different? Certainly. But coaches and players of both teams should consider that before the next game.