The men from Piraeus will be sitting atop the standings for at least another fortnight
Olympiacos sitting pretty after dramatic win in Barcelona
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FC Barcelona versus Olympiacos Piraeus in the final game before the February break always looked like it would deliver a thrilling Friday night, and the Round 26 Rivalry Series showdown at Palau Blaugrana did not disappoint.
Right from the opening exchanges, there was nothing to choose between these two perennial title contenders. Sasha Vezenkov predictably opened the scoring…Youssoupha Fall hit straight back; Evan Fournier struck a triple… Joel Parra did the same; Vezenkov netted from mid-range…so too did Jabari Parker.
Six scores, three ties, and the stage had been appropriately set for an intriguingly close encounter that ended up producing 17 lead changes and a seemingly limitless supply of momentum changes.
With neither team able to establish a double-digit lead at any time, and both showing firm resolve to keep on fighting back and landing strong counter-punches whenever the opponent seemed to be getting on top, the outcome was in the balance right until the final possession.
In the end, it all came down to a tied game, 88-88, with 18 seconds remaining and Olympiacos possessing the basketball. It could have gone either way, but Fournier had nothing in his mind other than a road victory as he produced one of the moments of the season, scooping and scoring his team to a statement-making triumph.
The timing – of both the shot and the victory – could not have been better, coming as it did on the eve of a mid-season break that will pause action in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague until the last week of February.
With an 18-7 record, it is Olympiacos that can sit pretty and enjoy its status as league leader during that break, and the comments of its head coach and star player after the game made it clear just how highly they valued the victory.
Vezenkov, who led the scoring with 24 points, could not stop smiling as he faced the EuroLeague.TV cameras to exclaim: “It was a really tough game, with real energy. Congratulations to Barca for giving us this fight. But congratulations to my team because we fought until the end.
“Barca is a really talented team, a really good team, especially in their homecourt. It’s a really important win because we want to stay first, so we’re really happy about it.”
"The ‘refuse to lose’ mentality that we have gave us one more win today."
Coach Georgios Bartzokas admitted the victory was even sweeter as it came just two days after another hard-earned road win at Paris Basketball, and revealed that his team was forced to overcome physical problems to achieve those successes in the season’s penultimate double round week.
“It was a really tough game for us, but also for Barca. Both teams are fighting for the best possible position in the rankings,” he said.
“And for us, before we started traveling on this specific trip we had a lot of small injuries with Fournier, with [Moustapha] Fall, and with Vezenkov after the game in Paris, and without two point guards, Thomas Walkup and Luca Vildoza.
“We thought that having one win from those two games would be okay. But obviously the ‘refuse to lose’ mentality that we have gave us one more win today against a team that gave everything.”
Bartzokas’s delight is understandable. Olympiacos has come very close to title glory in recent seasons, reaching three consecutive Final Fours for the first time in club history, but missing out on the ultimate prize by finishing fourth, second and third.
But wins like Friday’s in Barcelona make it clear that this year could be different, and the Reds are ready to go all the way.