The Olympiacos guard returned to the scene of an infamous incident, but this time won the game
Isaiah Canaan said he’d be back – and he delivered
Article
3 Mins read
It was back on December 22, 2021, when an Isaiah Canaan gesture would prove to be the springboard for an unlikely FC Barcelona comeback. After drilling one from deep to extend UNICS Kazan’s lead to 69-84 with 6 minutes left on the clock, the then-UNICS Kazan guard shushed the Palau Blaugrana crowd, who reacted with a chorus of whistles. Barcelona would go on to rally and send the game to overtime before overcoming UNICS 111-109 in one of the most entertaining duels of the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
When that game was over, Canaan promised himself he’ll be back to exact some revenge – and that’s exactly what he did on Wednesday evening. In Game 1 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs, the 32-year-old inspired Olympiacos Piraeus to a 75-77 victory at Palau Blaugrana.
“If you want to know something, at halftime my girl told me that they showed that clip from UNICS,” Canaan exclusively told EuroLeague.net’s Panos Kostopoulos after the game. “I was like, ‘Why would they show that?’ But I remember that moment and every time I would look at the crowd tonight, they reminded me of that, and I just used that as motivation. I told them I’d be back; that game with UNICS, I didn’t let it hurt me. I said I’d be back, I don’t know when, but I’d be back. It just felt good to get a win tonight.”
Canaan finished Wednesday’s game on 14 points, more than any Barca player, while hitting 3 big triples as he essentially silenced the crowd again. In fact, this was the first time in his career in Piraeus that the Olympiacos guard had led the team in minutes, staying on the floor for 31:25 despite having to leave the game early after a crunching screen from Barca's Jan Vesely dropped Canaan to the floor for a full minute in the first quarter.
“It’s all fun,” he continued. “I use those types of things as motivation, and everybody knows I love playing in crazy crowds. When the crowd is against me it’s all fun, it's all part of the game. It always feels good to be on the floor. I love the game of basketball and I just love competing at the highest level and big games. Anytime I’m on the floor, it means a lot and I prepare myself for those moments.”
Williams-Goss made up for Walkup’s foul trouble
With 7:12 remaining in the third quarter, Thomas Walkup picked up his third foul and that was quickly followed by a technical. With his main playmaker in foul trouble, head coach Georgios Bartzokas called the number of Nigel Williams-Goss, who stepped up and ended the contest with a game-high 15 points.
“That’s why you have a deep roster in times like this because you never know who you’re gonna count on,” Williams-Goss explained to EuroLeague.net. “It’s a tough place to play. Obviously they’ve got great fans here and they’re a very experienced team. We knew Game 1 was going to be super difficult, but we were up for the challenge and now we’ve just got to get ready for Game 2.”
Olympiacos now has an early advantage in the series, with Game 2 taking place at Palau Blaugrana on Friday night. Canaan certainly has the experience to know that this is just the first in Olympiacos’s bid to clinch Final Four qualification for the third season in a row.
“It’s just Game 1,” Canaan added. “We’re very fortunate and thankful to get a win in Game 1, but we know that the games that are coming are even more important. We just have to regroup tomorrow at practice, watch film, get some rest, take care of our bodies and get ready for another test on Friday. But like I said, you can never take away from winning. To get a win against a good team with a good home [fan] base feels good.”
Game 2 tips off on Friday, April 26, at 21:00 CEST and Canaan will have another opportunity to do what he enjoys most: silence a fervent home crowd.