Olympiacos did it! They defeated Real Madrid 92-85 and broke the curse of first place by winning the fourth European trophy in their history!

As it turned out, reaching a final is no easy feat and despite the absences and special circumstances, history, experience and personalities come to the fore in those crucial moments with the “red and white” team experiencing magical moments at the Telekom Center Athens.

Olympiacos – Real Madrid: The development of the match
Hezonya opened the scoring, while Olympiacos missed its first two attacks, starting numb. Lyles made it 0-4 for Real in the first minute of the match. The “queen” played a dog-like defense at the beginning of the match and with five unanswered points from Lyles, they led 1-9 at 2:33. Milutinov scored 3-9, but Lyles hit another three-pointer for 3-12, with Abalde following, giving Real a double-digit lead with six minutes left in the first period (3-15). Vezenkov’s foul goal and Walkap’s three-pointer unblocked Olympiacos (9-15), with the “red and whites” going on a 9-0 run for 12-15. Lyles ended Olympiacos’ run and reached 13 points for 12-18. Piraeus struggled to keep the lead close to five points with Hall, but Real seemed to have the upper hand in the first quarter (19-26).

Abalde hurt Olympiacos again from the perimeter for 19-29, but Piraeus responded with six unanswered points and reduced the lead to 25-29 at 12:40, with the help of Peters. With a three-pointer from Ward, Olympiacos came close to three (28-31), but Feliz did not let the “red and white” get any closer (28-33 at 15’).

Fournier with excessive ease from the corner made it 31-33, but Yul with his famous “tangerine” made it 31-35 at 16’. Fournier’s goal-foul threw the difference into the basket and Peters tied it at 36-36. Fournier was the one who put Olympiacos ahead 38-36, with 2:21 left in the half. Lyles with a three-pointer gave Real the lead again, but Fournier answered with the same coin for 41-39. The… icing on the cake came from Peters, but Lyles was there again in this… rain of three-pointers for 44-42. Campazzo brought the match to a draw, but with a basket from Peters, Olympiacos went to the locker room with the lead (46-44).

After the break, Olympiacos came in with a… knife in the teeth with a three-pointer from the usual… suspect in these matches McKissick (49-44). Hezonia and Abalde, however, tied the game at 49-49 at 22:10. With just his second three-pointer, Walkup made it 52-49, but with individual 1-11, Real took the lead at 54-60 in the 26th minute of the match. McKissick broke the Spanish streak and Walkup and Milutinov followed to bring the difference to the point (59-60). The shots of Hezonia and Malendon had given Real a 6-point lead (59-65), with Milutinov making it 61-65 at the end of the third period.

The last quarter started with a three-pointer from the top by Evan Fournier for 64-65 with Joseph also hitting it from 6.25, but Malenton in cold blood had his answer for 67-68 with 07:38 remaining in the final. The game was on the edge of the razor with the two teams going hand in hand in scoring. Vezenkov at the crucial moment found his way to the basket, but so did Hezonia (70-71, at 35:30). Vezenkov hit a three-pointer for 73-70 and excited the red and white fans who had flooded the T-Center. and with Fournier’s personal actions, Olympiacos remained ahead (76-73 with 3:27 remaining). Xezonia hurt Olympiacos with two minutes left in the finale, tying it at 80-80, but Jones’ dunk put Piraeus back in the lead (82-80). Walkup hit two crucial shots for 84-80, followed by Fournier’s for 86-80 with a minute left, but Real did not give up their efforts with Lyles coming back strongly and with him Campazzo from the shooting line (after a foul on a three-pointer) 88-85, turning the match into… a thriller. Peters in turn did his duty with 2/2 shots and 11 seconds on the clock, Lyles was ejected with his fifth foul and history was written. Olympiacos is the European champion, prevailing with 92-85.

Quarters: 19-26, 46-44, 61-65, 92-85

The MVP… Evan Fournier with 18 points, 3/7 three-pointers, 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
The best of the losers… Mario Hezonia with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
The statistic that stood out… The 22 points that Olympiacos got from Real’s mistakes.