Olympiacos went from boxers to punching bags and are looking for a deal with Villeurbanne

The repeated beatings Olympiakos received at Monaco’s Gaston Hedesen Hall left him looking… a stunned boxer. And yet just days earlier he had knocked out both Panathinaikos in a deafening fashion shortly after the away win against Zalgiris.

Do these occur? And they will, I would say, be produced in this year’s (and last or next) EuroLeague. That’s the organization and we don’t have to repeat it every time.

Olympiakos in general and due to its record (17-9) has avoided falling and rising all the time, but it remains an earthly team with specific pluses and minuses that play with 100% self-focus and intensity in every appearance to win .

Evenings came like in Monaco. When everything went wrong after the first ten minutes, like Olympiacos did when the Monegasques increased the pressure and rhythm, they were behind. With no wits in his head, with significantly less power, as if the evil fairy tale witch had shown up and done her own thing.

The 26-4 he wrote at the moment of the second third was enough for the team of the … Russo-Ukrainian Alliance, which, masterfully led by Mike James and with the leverage Paris Lee, had thrown the “reds and whites” on the canvas Olympiacos tried to avoid a knockout but the way it played was impossible.

Ground gears were already stuck. Dorsey is always a victim of first shot psychology, Sloukas with two fouls before he even warms up, Martin with a stopper and then zero psychology like everything has been judged, Hassan recalled the past few months, Wokap seasick, Vezenkov , the Vogel had flown very early.

All that was left was the amazing Fal while on the ground (18p with 8/9d -6p) to fight everyone alone. No matter how well he’s playing this year, the Olympiacos great isn’t Samponis.

Of course, after a great win like the one against Panathinaikos, where a lot of energy was expended and there was general euphoria, it makes sense to follow everything we’ve seen in the Principality. A low-intensity team, without much, surrendered to the appetite of Monaco, which, by the way, goes into qualification in full.

She may have been deprived of three wins against Russian teams, but with a record of 12-13 and two of the three home games (Basconia, Alba, away at Armani in Milan) she can certainly reach 14 wins and reach the playoffs.

The statements and reactions of Giorgos Bartzokas during the game, who took two time-outs, are also important. They also show how his team handled the game, perhaps his own surprise for his style of play as he saw the opposition running and scoring easily for most of the game, mostly three-pointers (11/21).

The first, when Monaco increased the difference to 20 points: “We have to remember to play in defense and not try to score alone. Remember Motum is a good shot? Remember we play changes in defense?“

And the second towards the end of the game when the hosts put on a show and lead by +27 points: “Guys, we play for Olympiakos and that means we have to fight until the last second. Losing a basket is not a problem. But not to go back on defense and face the opponent, they say. For all of us. It is not possible to select games that we will not play. Basketball without a pass is not ours. It’s what you want“.

Comments are superfluous because the coach knows (and sees) his team better off the bench and on the floor. Of course, he himself always has to prepare them mainly mentally for what is to come, so that Hexapin doesn’t get caught. But there are also nights when everything is turned upside down, as happened overall at Olympiakos on Tuesday night…

The reaction in Lyons

However, the EuroLeague goes on, there is no time for regrets, but the reaction is paramount. And Olympiakos, if anything characterizes him, are the right reactions he had the year he suffered a similar defeat. The fact that the next game actually takes place on Friday is probably positive, so that apart from the win against Villeurbanne there is not much left on the hearts of the “Red-Whites”.

The odd Villeurbanne is not an easy opponent, capable of the best but also the worst, he eventually deflated, he didn’t have the same stamina as Monaco but he wants a win against Olympiakos.

However, in order to have home field advantage in the playoffs, Olympiakos must pass Astrobal. Last year he had escaped in overtime thanks to Sloukas’ three-pointer, which he equalized 86-86 at the end of the game. In the ’90s he fought big battles with ASVEL, owned by Tony Parker for eight years.

After surviving the cold in Monaco, Olympiakos travels to Lyon to regain his blood but also his hopes that a win over Barcelona at the SEF in April will see them at least 4th in the final standings and home advantage in the playoffs .

Landing in reality is often good, albeit abruptly. Olympiacos have had a great year of tournaments this year, there’s no denying that, you have to be paranoid to ignore it. On the other hand, it is not possible to develop into a superpower in one year that just wins in such an event with consecutive games and mainly good opponents.

His recent victories have inspired too much optimism, not within the team but by everyone outside. Screenplays were even written for first place. For God, not wrongly, based on mathematics and probability, there were certain thoughts. But above the numbers and stats, the truth of the field comes into play.

Olympiacos is a good team in this year’s Euroleague, with weaknesses given, but to cover them they have to fight each fight individually, not to be fooled into suddenly being awarded the title when they have to play in the last four for five years and in the playoffs for three years.

It takes patience, strength and energy in every stadium that is entered. So in the astrobal. In the astrobal…