This year’s Olympiakos Piraeus are the last thirty seconds of the game in Bologna

It took 36 minutes for Sengelia to score his first basket. It took 37 minutes for Virtus to take the lead for the first time. Hackett had to make one of the best minutes of his career at the end of the game with a basket and two defenses. And just like that, Bologna defeated Olympiakos.

The Greek team was good enough to lose. But where once the games came to an end and everyone fell into the fire as to who would win them, today no one swears by the “Red and Whites”. The final phase of play on both sides of the field is all Olympiacos has to offer so far this year.

What happened in half a minute is Olympiacos. The Italians attack. Shut up, Fal. Another attack, the Frenchman taps again. The hosts squandered their chance against the super defense of the red bogeyman.

And suddenly the Piraeus have a surprise with 2:1. Walkap took the ball from Larentzakis. He saw an (!) opponent in front of him and stopped. He passed it back to Larry, who also braked for a three-pointer. They didn’t put Hackett in the middle. Walkup didn’t even come at him, perhaps because he had previously committed an offensive foul. Olympiakos made a threesome with Larry and lost it.

He also lost the game and it was probably the bitterest of all defeats. The excellent first part was replaced by the boring second part for the “Red and Whites”. I understand that there are players who are not ready (e.g. Petrushev), but on the other hand, if your two are big, they have smashed the opponent when their big weapon is silenced when you attack low have lowered , you can’t make alumpes at the most critical moment of the game.

It goes without saying that every time their team loses, every Olympian thinks about what would happen if there was an offensive weapon with a “kill and don’t pay” motto. And I share that. But the story is over. Decisions were made in the summer that will affect the team throughout the entire season.

Therefore, the only concern should be what this set will achieve after the additions made. She deserves a thumbs up in Bologna that wasn’t noticeable until last year, but this year not only is she high up in the standings, but she has also proven that she has the passion and tenacity to win races in which they represent is not the best…

To the beasts!

“Dad, do you play basketball?” is the classic question (bordering on the graphic) when we see a spritzer or a young man with enough alcohol. And that’s simply true, because sport needs big children. And the bigger you are, the better you can be. We say now…

Well, Bartzokas made it easy. He passed the ball to the taller of his boys and they pinned their opponents. The old Dunston can no longer follow (time is a dishonorable thing), Keikok thought twice when taking the ball in the paint, and none of the big Bolognese could limit the action of Fal and Milutinov. And when your height is that good, the opponent is forced to close their defense.

To tighten towards the basket to limit their effect. Simple things. That’s what Banky did, but he wasn’t spared. Why didn’t the threes go in from the red hands, but the ball moved easily and there was always a way for Olympiacos to score points?

Bologna didn’t make many mistakes in the first half that lost their footing. And shoot the three-pointer better. But the Italians went to the dressing room with the tragic 5/25 from two points, something even an amateur team can avoid. They played wildly, shot poorly and dropped 12 rebounds…

Good performance but with a stiff yoke

The terrible numbers you read were lost in the second part. Kanan improved his performance, but in the end they preferred to stay out and Olympiacos had Larentzakis as their only threat. Over time, Bologna found some solutions.

Dobrich helped a lot, but at the same time the Italians made up the difference in rebounds and finished the game with only 9 errors. Hackett’s defense was terrible, forcing Walkup into difficult passing lanes. The platform came into play and Bartzokas saw that his players could no longer comfortably feed the big boys. Fal was fouled, Milutinov had his best game since his return and aside from McKissick, those who played gave something.

Fal said the right thing. Olympiacos should have won the game earlier. When Virtus started to apply pressure, it was difficult. In fact, from the moment he found the lead, it was certain that he would have the first say, as the sand in the hourglass was running out and there was no longer any recovery time for the “Red and Whites”. The Piraeus team’s performance was very good.

She played well, found free throws, had an appetite and was dominant on both ends of the court. But the Italians decided to play defense of his life. About to commit a foul? Yes. Hard; Yes. But that’s basketball. Play too. Bologna punished Olympiacos and it remains to be seen whether it… drowned him in uncertainty. This will be seen later.

France in search of trust

The Italians became Olympiacos in the final quarter and won the game. They enjoyed it, celebrated it and showed their character. The “Red and Whites” are on the lookout. They travel to Lyon on Friday for the game against Villeurbanne. The Bartzokas team is looking for self-confidence and calm. In sports, victories and only victories provide these things.

The squad has come together, there is no homogeneity, but it is there. Olympiacos always reacts after a bad defeat. He did it again. After the mess against Valencia, they had the image that they would get through Bologna. They failed and continue. This year’s Euroleague is tough…