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Olympiacos Piraeus: Return of the red wave

Olympiacos Piraeus: Return of the red wave

Final Four

10 May 20221 Min read

Olympiacos Piraeus: Return of the red wave

After falling short of the playoffs in the 2020-21 season, Olympiacos Piraeus restocked its roster by adding Turkish Airlines EuroLeague experience in the backcourt with Thomas Walkup and Tyler Dorsey, while power in the paint was provided by the arrival of Moustapha Fall.

But the majority of the roster was kept in place, and that sense of continuity contributed to a strong start to the season with successive home wins over Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Real Madrid. The Reds suffered their first defeat on the road in Round 3, but even that was a source of optimism as head coach Georgios Bartzokas's men pushed his former team, FC Barcelona, all the way, losing 79-78 on the last shot of the game.

The sense that Olympiacos was heading in the right direction was strengthened by four wins in the next five games, with each of those victories coming at home. Especially memorable was a 67-65 home victory over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 7 that Kostas Sloukas decided with the game-winning basket with just 2 seconds on the clock.

The team's away form remained a worry as the Reds lost their first four road games, before finally getting that monkey off their back in impressive fashion with back-to-back victories at fellow high-fliers AX Armani Exchange Milan and UNICS Kazan in Rounds 12 and 13, respectively.

More momentum was built with a fabulous finish to 2021. Comprehensive home victories over FC Bayern Munich (83-60) and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (89-54) proved that Olympiacos's famous smothering defense could be complemented by explosive offense, but fans were made even happier by a thumping road win over local rival Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (65-84).

Olympiacos hit their worst form of the season early in 2022, losing four consecutive games to threaten their place in the playoffs. But a Round 25 away victory at Baskonia allowed Bartzokas's squad to get back on track. Thus began a run of four straight wins – including a thrilling 87-85 home triumph over reigning champ Anadolu Efes Istanbul that was settled by another Sloukas game-winner – during which all-action forward Sasha Vezenkov become the EuroLeague MVP for February.

That positive run sealed Olympiacos's place in the playoffs, and another series of victories – including a wildly celebrated 101-73 downing of Panathinaikos – let the Reds finish the regular season in second place with a 19-9 record.

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus
Tyler Dorsey, Olympiacos Piraeus
Michael Lountzis, Olympiacos Piraeus
Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos Piraeus
Mousthapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus
Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos Piraeus
Hassan Martin, Olympiacos Piraeus
Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus
Georgios Printezis, Olympiacos Piraeus
Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus
Livio Jean-Charles, Olympiacos Piraeus
Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos Piraeus
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus celebrates

The playoffs series against AS Monaco started with a defensively dominant 71-54 home win for Olympiacos. But any thoughts of an easy passage through the playoffs were obliterated when the men from the principality showed their offensive power by bouncing back to win 72-96 in Game 2.

Heading to Monaco needing a road win to keep the series alive, the Reds immediately achieved that aim by claiming Game 3, 83-87, behind 21 points from Sloukas and 17 from Vezenkov, before Monaco edged Game 4 to send the series back to Piraeus for a decider. A blistering second quarter from Shaquielle McKissic (16 points in 7 minutes) allowed Olympiacos to withstand the visiting team's explosive offense before Sloukas finished the job in the final quarter to seal a 94-88 victory.

The Reds' return to the Final Four for the first time since 2017 comes with an advisory: only one other club has ever posted a better record (8-2) or had a longer winning streak (five and counting) in the semifinals than Olympiacos, whose absence has only made the hearts of its fans grow fonder of their team's legacy at European basketball's signature showcase.