Tarik Black emerged from the shadows to shine for Olympiacos
Olympiacos Piraeus has been able to call upon an array of dazzling performances from its superstars this season, with Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas particularly impressing and the likes of Moustapha Fall, Thomas Walkup, Kostas Papanikolaou and Giannoulis Larentzakis also chipping in with major contributions.
One player who has been rather quiet, however, is Tarik Black. The veteran center headed into Friday’s crunch clash with fellow title candidate Real Madrid with averages of just 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 8:09 minutes over the course of 13 appearances, generally struggling to play anything more than a background supporting role during his first season in Piraeus.
But that changed in the fourth quarter of Olympiacos's showdown with Real, as his powerhouse performance was a major factor in ensuring that the Reds climbed to a share of first place – and claimed the head-to-head advantage over the Spanish giant – with a 73-60 win. Given the tough task of going up against arguably the league’s best big man, Walter Tavares, Black rose to the challenge and delivered 10 minutes of top-quality play.
He started off by grabbing 4 rebounds in the opening two minutes of that final quarter, including 1 at the offensive end which allowed Kostas Sloukas to give Olympiacos a 12-point lead. After snaring another offensive board, Black netted his first points of the night with a power layup, and then pressured Tavares into committing a turnover with a double-dribble.
Inside the final three minutes, he followed another defensive board with a tough finish over Gabriel Deck, whose foul allowed Black to complete a three-point play to make it a 15-point game and remove any doubt over the outcome. He still had time for a couple more offensive rebounds and an assist to Sasha Vezenkov, before remaining on the floor until the end of the game as Olympiacos celebrated a big win.
Black ended up with 5 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 fouls drawn, with everything but 1 rebound coming in the final quarter. He tallied a PIR of 12 over the last 10 minutes, typifying his team’s immense physical effort and showing that the Reds have yet another powerful weapon capable of playing a decisive role in the crucial moments.
Game Videos
- 02:21
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Evan Fournier: 'The fans are showing me so much love'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
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Great reverse slam from McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
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Fall with a big two-hander! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
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McKissic with a huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:09
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Dzanan Musa: 'We are one of the top three teams in the EuroLeague'
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Real Madrid-AS Monaco | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:30
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Campazzo's magic pass! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
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Campazzo's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Garuba stops James! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:34
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'We are a great team and we need to prove it every week'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Milutinov with a huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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A big dunk from Vezenkov! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:15
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Walter Tavares: 'For me, Paris is the best team in the league right now'
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Paris Basketball-Real Madrid | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
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Tavares rejects Hayes! Motorola Magic Moment
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Real Madrid-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:14
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Tavares's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Paris Basketball | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
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Reds go stealing and dunking! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:43
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Shaq McKissic: 'I appreciate Coach for allowing me to play through my mistakes'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7e18fc91-7b10-458b-ac54-e73b637e0544.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Real Madrid | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Gabriel Deck with a fine dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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FC Barcelona-Real Madrid | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
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Tavares blocks with authority! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Hezonja with the up and under! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Campazzo magic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:07
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Facu Campazzo: 'When we play good defense, on offense we are really good'
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Real Madrid-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:15
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Evan Fournier: 'It's a privilege and a pleasure to play in front of these fans’
- 01:07
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'We are more than happy'
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Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
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Hezonja dunks over the entire defense! Motorola Magic Moment
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv–Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 10 highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
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Mario Hezonja: 'We started to take care of business'
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Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:00
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Nikola Milutinov: 'This is why the EuroLeague is so strong'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
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Tavares says no! Motorola Magic Moment
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Straight from the court: Fournier and Vezenkov analyze Greek derby outcome | Post-game show
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:23
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'I missed this derby so much'
- 01:42
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Shaq McKissic relives his best Greek derby plays
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Real Madrid | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
