By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The rematch of the 2015 Euroleague Final took place in Barclayad center in Madrid, where Real clashed swords with Olympiacos. It goes without saying that Euroleague chose this showdown as the “Game Of The Week”. One that in the end Real Madrid manage to win quite easily 84 – 72 thanks to solid inside game and the magnificence of Sergio Llull.
Olympiacos was good on the initial plan of touching the ball inside the paint and on the hands of its center, but it was Real that scored first for a 4 -0. Through their quick passing, or fast breaks, the hosts managed to find easy baskets, making it 8 – 3. Their opponents answered back, making their shots after strong defenses, especially since the low paced rhythm favored their desired style of performance. It was a curious thing that Real Madrid hadn’t even attempted a 3 point shot after 2 minutes, while Olympiacos didn’t hesitate to execute from long range. This served the Reds giving them the first lead in the game 14 – 15. Oly kept controlling the tempo and preserved thei lead being calm in most choices made.
The two teams remained close in the first minutes of the second quarter exchanging buckets, either by combinations (Real Madrid) or individual efforts (Olympiacos). Even tough the Madridistas got a lead of 4, their opponents quickly responded to even get ahead of the score 29 – 33 thanks to an open 3 point shot by Daniel Hackett who was doing lots of valuable work for his team. But one timeout was enough for Real to answer 5-0 and force coach Sfairopoulos to gather his players to the bench for some tips. Gustavo Ayon and Felipe Reyes were once again a combining force to be reckoned with, and the main factor, together with the bad choices by Olympiacos, that sent the two teams to the locker rooms with score being 41 – 35.
Preserving the lead was obviously not enough for Real Madrid, yet they and Olympiacos were stuck in a loop of nervous choices for the 3-4 minutes of the third period. But that was until Sergio Rodriguez banged consecutive 3point shots, one from particularly long range, for his team’s first double digit lead in the match, 51 – 40. That started an “all hands on deck” assault from Real Madrid that was completed with 13 unanswered points, until Ioannis Papapetrou slammed the ball for the 56 – 42. But generally that didn’t break the hold that the Madridistas had in the game.
Some dynamic plays by Papapetrou on both ends of court came as a breath of air to Olympiacos, but Real Madrid was still in total control. Without the necessary rebounding, that would perhaps help Oly break its offensive stalemate a bit, the Reds were unable to push back their opponents, since they could not excel on offense as well. Moreover the qualitative craziness of Sergio Llull started to appear with two almost insane and huge 3pointers that brought Real Madrid at a quite safe distance of 19 points, 74 – 55 with less than 5 minutes to go. The only thing that Olympiacos could do, was fight in order to decrease the point differential. Even though two free throws by Matt Lojeski made it 81 – 72, the sublime Lllull put his signature mark in the end of the game with a basket foul for the final, 84 – 72.
As you probably guessed, Sergio Lllull was the first scorer for Real Madrid with 22 points, while he also dished 7 assists. Othello Hunter and Daniel Hackett had 14 points each for Olympiacos.