The Reds’ captain nailed some important triples when his team needed him most
Red-hot Kostas Papanikolaou turned the tide for Olympiacos in closeout Game 4
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Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier might be the two superstars who have been stealing the limelight game in, game out, but Kostas Papanikolaou showed on Thursday night why he is the true leader of Olympiacos Piraeus.
The veteran forward struggled to rediscover his form in the first three games of the series, recording 4, 0 and 2 points, respectively. He made all his 3 attempts from inside but went 0 for 4 from beyond the arc and registered 4 turnovers, not being able to contribute on either side of the floor.
But then the moment came when Papanikolaou demonstrated his captain's credentials – and it was when Olympiacos needed him most.
Real Madrid led throughout the first two quarters, taking a 47-42 cushion into the second half. Yet, Olympiacos kicked off the third quarter with a 2-11 run that gave them a 49-53 edge.
Papanikolaou made his first triple of the series for a 51-58 cushion but, boosted by the crowd, Real Madrid fought back and trimmed the deficit to 65-68 heading into the fourth. The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season leader was just 10 minutes away from securing the victory, and Papanikolaou did not seem willing to miss out on the opportunity of sealing his eighth Final Four appearance.
The Greek international stepped up big time, netting two three-pointers as the Reds went on a 0-11 surge to start the closing quarter. Dzanan Musa hit a couple of free throws in his bid to end Olympiacos’s momentum, but Papanikolaou drilled yet another three, this time in front of Musa, who fouled his Olympiacos counterpart.
“A huge performance from [Papanikolaou],” Georgios Bartzokas said in the postgame press conference. “Apart from the last one that was a three-pointer and foul, the other three shots that he made were a very good decision after ball movement, good execution and finding the open man. He’s really the leader of the team. He made this step-up in the third quarter to help the team come back and believe in ourselves more.”
Papanikolaou’s last triple gave the guests a 67-82 cushion and despite Real Madrid’s late comeback attempt, the visitors managed to secure a hard-fought victory at Movistar Arena.
Fournier netted a game-high 23 points and Vezenkov nailed a triple from way downtown in crunch time to offer his team a huge boost in morale, but it was Olympiacos’s captain general who blew the horn to summon the troopers for the last charge.
The war against an unyielding Real Madrid was won, with Papanikolaou making sure that he played a key role in the last battle.