Olympiacos – Panathinaikos: The indestructible Milutinov and the unrecognizable Nan: Five points – Articles – Christos Roupolis – Olympiacos Basketball – Panathinaikos Actor

the Olympic They are one win away from winning a third straight double after making it 2-0 Panathinaikos. The finals series was not spared from toxins, dietetics and more that threaten to hurt the national team and take the conversation away from basketball. But this is what we will focus on here, in search of the reasons for the “red and white” reaching the championship point, but also why the “green” are called upon – for the thousandth time this year – to react with their backs to the wall and there is no room for error.

Olympiacos’ offensive improvement and increased possession

Olympiacos…a different team than the ones we’ve seen all season offensively. The Reds, who averaged just 114.9 points per 100 possessions during the EuroLeague season, saw their production in the first two Finals jump to 130.2 points per 100 possessions. They score 90.5 points per game, and it’s due to more than one reason, but mainly this: They have high shooting percentages on two-pointers (54.7%, 40/73) and three-pointers (38.2%, 18/47). But perhaps more importantly, they are averaging 19.5 points per game from their secondary. Giorgos Barzoukas’ side won a third of the available offensive rebounds (33.3%), which is a very large number, as with the use of these extra possessions, Piraeus has 11 more possessions than Panathinaikos in their first two games.

Milutinov… indestructible base

Mustapha Fall’s injury has already proven beneficial for Olympiacos. Nikola Milutinov reminded everyone that he easily belongs in the top three in Europe, as he not only tallied 14.5 points with 69.2% 2-point shooting (9/13) and 11 rebounds (including 3.5 offensive), but also 2.5 assists in 30:27 per Average. On the ground. In almost 61 minutes played by the “Red and White”, they reached +19, and are the pillar of Piraeus in defense and attack. Although Milo works hard enough on the ground to be effective in many areas, Panathinaikos has not been sure to tire him out. He participated in over 3/4 of the first two finals and only made two fouls to win a 13 streak! This is due to Panathinaikos’ reluctance to attack the Serb (despite not being a good foul defender) and Milutinov’s ability to protect against wear (he has only 1.8 fouls per game in 227 Euroleague games).

Panathinaikos’ defence…relaxed

Panathinaikos has had a springboard all season in its defence, culminating in the Final Four where it kept Fenerbahce to 57 and Real to 80. But in the first two final matches, the ‘Greens’ were not as effective, which can also be attributed to ’emptiness, energy and spirit’ “Which came after winning the Euroleague. Not only were the ‘Greens’ hurt by their opponent’s extra possession shown above, but they also conceded 33 points per game inside the ‘drawing board’, with Olympiacos getting goals from close range not only from their height, and not only from their players. He gets away from the ball but from McKissick’s shots and Goss’ posts. Because it is not only the protection of the racket that is responsible, it is clear that Ergin Ataman’s team does not apply enough pressure on the ball, resulting in the opponent committing only 10.5 errors per game in the first two finals (only 15.1% of Olympiacos’ errors). Properties).

Naan is not… naan

Kendrick Nunn is a far cry from the player who beat Panathinaikos in the first two finals. It is clear that the entire Olympiacos defence, first and foremost the Cape, has adapted to him and the 28-year-old has not responded to the level he knows and is capable of, either due to a lack of energy, or due to irritation at the whistles he requests and does not receive. The American has 17 points per game, but with only 44.4% from two-pointers (8/18) and 31.6% from three-pointers (6/19), while he only takes four mid-range shots, which is his strong point. By missing it, it allows the opponent’s defense to move closer to the inside. In addition, Nunn takes advantage of the dribble as evidenced by 30.3% of possessions he manages (usage), while despite providing 9.5 points with 4 assists per game, he commits 3 turnovers on average. At the same time, he becomes a “target” in defense, where rivals monitor him for loss of energy and mistakes, and this translates into a very poor indicator of 136.8 points per 100 possessions that Olympiacos has while at the top. five.

X factors are “red and white” not “green”

In the first two finals, Olympiacos managed to get things from many different players unlike Panathinaikos. The “Red and White” had 6 double-digit scorers in the first final and 5 in the second final, and only Milutinov, Gus and Papanikolaou had more than 10 points in both matches. The ‘Greens’ were held to double digits in the first two finals by the usual suspects Nan, Sloka and Lessor, while Grant and Huatso narrowly reached double digits in the second final (with three pointers… desperation in the final seconds). Giorgos Bartzokas, with a nine-man rotation, got things from all the players he brought on, even with Giannoulis Larentzakis missing the first two Finals games, as he averaged an impressive figure of just 100 points per 100 negative possessions for his team in 10 minutes. Who plays in every match. On the contrary, Ergin Ataman’s twelve-man squad has taken a few things from players who were valuable in the qualifiers and Final 4, such as Mitoglou, Grant, Grigonis, Papapetrou and Kalitsakis.

PS1: It is unreasonable not to be with those who have been slandered. Brzokas, Slokas, everyone… Even when their (human) reactions are fueled by hatred towards them from people who have turned their team’s victory into a major issue in their lives, you can’t help but be on the side of those who are victims but with the aggressors..

PS2: Our condolences to the family of Paris, the unsung hero of Panathinaikos’ daily life. His young son will grow up learning how much his father is loved by everyone in a place where that is rarely the case. Such tragic stories make you think about the futility of people who “slaughter” groups, curse families, and wish for death…

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