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With the momentum at his side, the Olympiacos, which is in excellent condition, travels to Barcelona for a great battle against Barcelona. No fear and a lot of passion for the red and whites. Can they return to Piraeus with the big double?
Enjoyable Olympiacos at the beginning of this season. It presents a team that exudes health and produces very good basketball. The most important thing is that the team of George Bartzokas seems to have significant room for improvement (October is still, after all). The red and whites bent Real in Faliro last week playing an excellent defense. It is a given that in Barcelona they will need something more (efficiency in the productive part) to leave with the double against perhaps the best team of this year's event.
No fear, a lot of attention
The Palau Blaugrana will face the most effective attack (Barcelona) with the best defense of the tournament (Olympiacos), at the beginning of the season. They have "run" few matches of course in the regular season so far, but it is obvious that both teams have great potential in these areas.
Olympiakos "choked" Baskonia in the premiere while in the second game it imposed its defense law, significantly lowering the productive indices of Real Madrid. He is very strong in the back and brings out a freshness which in combination with his defensive readiness gives him extra points in the open field.
The red and whites roll early. The role players are in good shape and seem to perfectly support the experienced leadership of the ensemble. In Barcelona, Piraeus will give their first away game of the year in the tournament. Filtering a little on the quality of-undefeated in 6 matches of ACB- Barcelona, it is easily understood that the Greek team will need to play even better than in previous matches, to beat the hosts.
The excellent condition and high morale of Bartzokas players at this stage, ensure that Olympiacos will appear on the field to impose its own game and continue its winning streak. There is no fear, only confidence in the possibilities of this ensemble. But it also needs a lot of attention.
The quality depth of the Catalans is huge. The duo of Laprovitola-Yokoumbaitis, who flanked Nick Kalathis in position "1", works exceptionally well at the beginning of the season and has given freshness to the profile of the Catalans. The young Lithuanian guard is the next star of the tournament and next to Sarah he learns how to make the best possible decisions at border points, automating his thinking.
Rokas Jokubaitis: 6+ points at 1.60 at Stoiximan
What to look out for
The Catalans will aim to hit Olympiakos in the heart of the racket with all their weapons. They know how to move a defense and how to hit at the right time either with a close out-attack or with an extra pass. They have athletes with one-on-one skills who can hit the opponent in different ways. Davis, Mirotic, Higgins. Scorers who know how to make their way to the basket and frequently visit the staff line.
The duo of the Americans is in good condition and will lift a lot of weight regarding the part of the executions, aiming at the same time to weaken the Greek defense. Davis has the ability to get out of the basket by threatening, putting the ball on the floor, going to the foul line or hitting with his favorite "backstage" in the basket.
Saras will also try to wear out Vezenkov by playing early on with Mirotic to get him out of the equation. At the same time, he will prepare Haze and Smith to defend against the main scorer of George Bartzokas. Returning to the offensive part, it should be noted that the tendency of the home team to hit the racket, aspires to put pressure and change the arrangement of the red and white defense so that Barcelona can find good peripheral shots from players like the specialist Kyle Keworth. Olympiakos has good off ball-defenders to chase him around the screens (Wookup is excellent, Larentzakis-Papanikolaou is quite capable) but the American wing is a "killer" and needs special attention.
Kyle Kuric: 2+ accurate three-pointers at 1.60 at Stoiximan
Kyle Kuric: 7+ points at 1.62 at Stoiximan
Where will Olympiacos hit
The red and whites naturally have their own weapons. It is a fact that their attack in the first two matches did not shine as much as their performance in the back, but this does not mean that there are no possibilities there either.
The Slouka-Martin combination troubled the Catalan defense a lot last year (Saras defends in a similar way at the beginning of the season). The American center is a very effective finisher, able to finish every ball that reaches his hands near the basket. Note that the Greek guard "wrote" 15 final passes in last year's two matches against Barcelona. Their cooperation can create problems for the Catalans, especially if the red and whites shoot decently from the periphery to create the right framework for their attack.
Of course, the heavy paper of the Greek attack is in the name of Alexander Vezenkov. The 26-year-old star now from Piraeus is going through a form period. It is clear that he is one of the most effective scorers of the tournament but at the same time he is one of the top rebounders in the forward positions.
Sasha Vezenkov: 5+ rebounds at 1.40 at Stoiximan
Barcelona will focus defensively on him but also on the creative action of Slouka-Wokap, gambling some peripheral shots in order to shield its "painted". The hands of athletes such as Papanikolaou, Larentzakis or Makisik (also excellent matches last year against the Catalans) must be ready. These are the shots, which together with the defensive rebound (second chances in attack with the quality of the Catalans are forbidden), will largely determine the context in which the match will be played.
Olympiacos has the specifications to put the Catalans in a difficult position. If his attack works properly, without haste, he will do it. Barcelona is still building the communication part and is very prone to error. This tendency can spoil her thinking. Methodically, the Greek defense can push it there, taking the reins of the match early. Let's hope he does.
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Hoopfellas.gr for the Stoiximan Blog
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