Olympiacos: Petrusev and Barzuca's tricks in Barcelona

the Olympic He did his homework in the first game of the series with Barcelona. The Red and Whites reached the coveted 'break' at home to the Catalan team and secured home advantage in the qualifiers. EuroLeague. For this to happen, Giorgos Barzoukas had to dig deep in his hat to uncover some “tricks.” “Tricks” that made a big difference by confusing Roger Grimaud and his colleagues.

Now, the Greek coach is being asked to do something similar in the second match. But this time with a question mark that could play a decisive role in the outcome of the match. That the participation of Philip Petrusev. The Piraeus plan will depend largely on whether the Serbian long strides hit the ground running. If so, a lot will be judged by the balls he gets. If not, the others will be called upon to be… the aces in Barzooka's quiver.

Question mark with Petrusev

Petrusev's case is sensitive. The good news is that the magnet was clean. However, from the moment he did not train, the Olympiacos coaching staff was in question. The decision is expected to be made at the last minute. One thing is for sure, the red and white would like him to be available more than anything else. The Serbian has shown several times since his arrival that he is one of the most talented and capable players in the Euroleague.

In the first match he played a decisive role. He scored 12 points and had his net rating (the difference between points for and against per 100 possessions) of +17.9, while shouldering a lot of responsibility, as he was the main spokesman for 28% of Berrios' attacks while he was on the court. The court. At the same time, he “cleared” 20% of the total available rebounds, also while inside the four lines. Thus helping in an area where the Greek team was not at its best tonight. Therefore, his eventual absence will deprive Olympiacos of some of its momentum.

The others… Bartzukas' tricks

Since the start of the series, Giorgos Barzoukas has shown that he will make the most of Kostas Papanikolaou's absence. It was an opportunity to try something that Roger Grimaud never expected. Many thought Brazdeikis would start in Game 1. Instead, the Greek coach chose to use Luke Sikmas in the “4” and Peters in the “3”. The former Alba player performed very well and provided two assists.

So if Petrusev doesn't compete, we may see more 'shenanigans'. One possibility is to see Moses Wright get time at the '4'. The American can partly fill the gap for the Serbs, because he has the necessary agility and, under certain conditions, a long-range shot. The potential use of Wright at '4' opens the way for more minutes for Nikola Milutinov. The experienced center took some time and had a positive presence.

Of course what is not considered a trick is for Peters to appear again in “4”. Given this, the differentiation will be made at '3'. Bartzukas showed that he trusts several formations with three goalkeepers. So, if Walkup was in better shape (remember he played injection) he would get many minutes, because he only played 18 minutes in the first game. Gosh was very good, and Kanaan, who had written more than anyone else, was the main choice. Three players who are likely to spend a lot of time together. Naturally, Brazdeikis, who only played 8 minutes, is also still in the team.

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