It might not be a reason to raise a banner, it is not a position that will guarantee success in the playoffs or potentially at the EuroLeague Final Four. But Olympiacos Piraeus players and head coach Georgios Bartzokas were right to feel that they achieved something special by ending the regular season in first place with the best record in the competition.
"It is not a small accomplishment", Bartzokas proudly stated after Thursday's wire-to-wire 86-78 win over visiting Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. "It is the most competitive EuroLeague ever, and we end up first. We were really stable the whole season."
The Reds were the first team to reach the playoffs this season, then first to secure home-court advantage. After doing all that, Olympiacos set itself a goal of clinching first place, and the team achieved that goal, too.