Coach Mateo’s rotation turned the tide for Los Blancos
Real Madrid’s second unit shifted the momentum in fourth quarter of Game 3
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The playoffs are a marathon in which roster depth plays an important role. Coming off the bench, players aim to provide their team with an injection of energy and hustle that could prove crucial in the game. And that’s precisely what Real Madrid’s second unit managed in the second half against Olympiacos Piraeus in Game 3 on Tuesday night.
The guests went on a 2-13 run to end the first half, taking a 38-44 lead into the second. Walter Tavares managed to tie it at 56-56 from the line with 1 minute remaining, which is when Chus Mateo’s rotation turned the tide for the hosts.
Sergio Llull netted a bucket for a 58-56 lead after 30 minutes and despite Luca Vildoza tying things up with a floater early in the fourth quarter, Los Blancos went on a 9-2 run that served as a blow to Olympiacos’s morale. Real Madrid’s five on the floor throughout that surge consisted of Llull, Alberto Abalde, Andres Feliz, Usman Garuba and Serge Ibaka, all of whom chipped in on both ends to secure a 67-60 cushion.
A three-point play by Garuba was followed by steals from Llull and the former, before Ibaka nailed a basket. Feliz missed a triple, but Ibaka collected the offensive rebound, with Garuba adding 2 more points to his tally for a 65-60 cushion. Then, a steal from Feliz led to an Abalde bucket that gave Los Blancos a seven-point advantage. Sasha Vezenkov responded from inside, but Abalde hit a triple and Ibaka connected again to make it 72-62.
“They know that we need to play as a team and someone can score, another player can rebound, another can play defense,” Coach Mateo told EuroLeague TV after the game. “We need to use the players that we need at any moment. Garuba played great defense in the fourth quarter, Andres managed the team very well, Sergio Llull put pressure on the ball. Alberto Abalde made a great game, too, and Serge Ibaka, of course. It’s very important for us to recognize that we are not only four or three players. We are a team.”
After the game, Georgios Bartzokas praised his Real Madrid counterpart for the trick with the second unit that allowed the hosts to gain momentum.
“It was obvious that [Real Madrid’s second unit] would put lots of pressure, taking advantage of the crowd, the atmosphere,” Bartzokas said in the post-game press conference. “They played really physically defending the ball, creating a game with a lot of contact. So, it was a good and smart decision by Coach Chus.”
Walter Tavares, Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja may have combined for 42 of Real Madrid’s 80 points in Game 3, but it was the second unit that stepped up when it mattered most. Should they do that in Game 4 as well, Los Blancos can take the series back to Piraeus and put even more pressure on the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season leader.