Madrid asks for time after opening win over Olympiacos

Madrid won the Undécima in Kaunas and the next two games against Olympiacos, in Piraeus in the first match and now at the WiZink Center (90-85). on the pulse with many conditions and some very powerful roller coaster swings. Because White won the first half and eventually asked for time in the second in full display from Papanikolaou (25 points), usually a guy who can do everything, but in this case in a block with and without losses fives. In the Merengue ranks, Campazzo was the first to change the pace (12 goals, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, also 5 defeats), Hezonja and Dec showed good chances (and breaks), and Musa started, fell behind and finished strong. victory with eloquent gestures. One in which Real saw them cut a 21-of-24-point lead in the final 15 minutes (from 62-38 to 86-83).

. What a crazy game.

The Euroleague burns miles, and wear and tear takes its toll in different ways. It’s no surprise then that in two Final Four-level clashes, between the first three in Kaunas and separated by just six days, the same team, in this case Real Madrid, went from a 24-point loss in Monaco (98– 74) beat Olympiacos by 22 (52-30) at halftime and found themselves in trouble in the final seconds. A wild contrast for our reasons and those of others. The Whites reacted to the failure in the Principality even without Tavares or Llull, and this time also without Yabusele (discomfort in the knee). Facing a very damaged opponent who is desperately looking for a center on the market after losing two of their giants to injury, Mustafa Fall and Milyutinov, who just had 20 points and 20 rebounds. And Williams-Goss was also absent, giving the runner-up a very fair shot.

Bartozkas’ team performed strongly (4-7). Mirage is less than three minutes, which is how long it took Campazzo (initially watched by Canaan, who the Argentine was drying on the other side of the track) to fire up the bike and turn one of the great European classics on its head. The point guard broke the Greek defense as he wanted and made contact with everyone, with the very involved Musa (as in the first match in Piraeus), with Poirier… Meanwhile, Abalde collected his best minutes in this Euroleague. The Galician closely followed Walkap, an excellent Hellenic player without Sloukas, and made two threes and a basket. Dec, who looked better after his reappearance, made two more threes. With just seconds left in the first quarter, the score was a stunning 30-11 after a 26-4 run to make it 47-1.

And from there to +24, 60-36 and 62-38 in 25 minutes.. Given the circumstances, it is difficult to imagine that Olympiacos were going to break out of the hole to liven up the result. It’s enough to make the fans pull their faces and anger Chus Mateo with his team’s performance. In the first part of the guests’ reaction, the coach chose to put Poirier, who was disabled at the back, and return Ndiaye to the field. In that Ollieonly Petrusev as five and another disappointing performance from the Serbian. And despite this, his team responded and dominated the rebounds in the second half after falling under the boards in the first half (13:2 in the first quarter).

Luke Sikma’s mobility and intelligence (10 deflections, 7 attacks) made up for the lack of inches. And Papanikolaou, who acted as a false center, achieved the record of his life, his record, 25 points (23 in the second half with 6 of 7 in threes then).. Their shots, several from corners, and the verticality of Mitrou-Long (7 passes) allowed them to reduce the gap to 7 (68-61), withstanding the onslaught of Hezonja with passer Rudy. (80-66 and Bellingham celebrating in the stands)

and return the result on time: 82-78 (20-40 partial). There were two minutes left, and Musa shouted: “Here I am.” Superb penetration from the left and counter attack, breaking through Papanikolaou with his perfect strike. euro step (European step); in the middle is a colossal block from Poirier to McKissick.. The Frenchman returned energetic. The Greek striker did extend the lead to 86-83 in the final minute and Campazzo, despite some ups and downs and a technical error, ended his good night by smashing Walkup. Offer.