By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With Joey Dorsey rejuvenating the team in any possible aspect, Barcelona turned what initially appeared to be a difficult game against Olympiacos, into a blowout. Thanks to a victory by 16 points (82 – 66), the Catalans didn’t only completely overpowered their opponents, but also took an important tie-breaking point difference.
The American center sealed his return in Barcelona, by being the undeniable protagonist for his team. His numbers (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists, 2 blocks) were impressive since it was his first Euroleague game in the season, but still don’t do justice to how outstanding his presence was for Barcelona on both ends of court.
It was Olympiacos that moved to a pole position in the game’s beginning. Many successful drives by Vassilis Spanoulis bore 6 out of the 10 points that his team has scored in the first 4 minutes of the game, against Barcelona’s 3. Observing the many and quite obvious problems that his squad had in stopping Oly’s usual pick n’ roll game, Xavi Pascual sent Joey Dorsey in. And the American center did what it was needed from him, massively strengthening the Catalans’ defense while also positively affecting his team’s offense. Barcelona quickly balanced the scales and the first quarter ended 19 – 19.
The hosts didn’t took long to get ahead of the score, making it 26 – 23. With Carlos Arroyo and Pau Ribas checking in, Barcelona’s offense became more imaginative, but the key difference took place at the other side of court, where Joey Dorsey kept disrupting the attacking efforts of Olympiacos. Him and Samardo Samuels also cooperated remarkably when the time came for some buckets to be made. The Catalans have started to build up a momentum and were making the best out of it, while their opponents were running out of fuel and making one mistake after the other, falling behind 45 – 31 at halftime.
Barcelona players took it from where they left it, now starting to maim Olympiacos from long range as well. Three consecutive “triples” increased the lead of the hosts, with Stratos Perperoglou skyrocketing the point differential to 23 points (!) throwing the lance from downtown for the 58 – 35. Apart from some personal plays by Daniel Hackett, who looked like he was practically fighting all alone, nothing worked in Olympiacos on offense. Not even the free throws since the Reds had 5/14 at some point. Scoring efficiency was not an issue at all for Barcelona that expanded the difference to 25 points a little before the end of the third quarter.
The rest was history, as they say. Olympiacos’s efforts to reduce the deficit enough to at least salvage something from this game were futile and Barcelona took a grand victory, from any way you might look at it.