Olympiakos is the new Euroleague champion, after beating surprisingly strong Real Madrid 92-85 in the trophy game of the Final Four in Athens on Sunday. It has now got a collecton of four Euroleague trophies in its cabinet.
This was the first European cup for Olympiakos since 2013, when it also had coach Giorgos Bartzokas and captain Kostas Papanikolaou in its roster.
The Spanish were not expected to pose such a stiff challenge to the Greeks, having entered not just the final but the entire Final Four as underdogs, given their reduced roster due to injuries. However, that club’s history – crowned European champion a record 11 times – drove them very close to yet another triumph.
Olympiakos, on the other hand, bore the burden of the favorite, having also finished the regular season at the top of the table, as well as the huge boost from the 18,000 or so fans who turned Telekom Center Athens red.
Real Madrid dominated the first 17 minutes of the final, leading by up to 12 at the start (15-3), as the Reds appeared to be nervous from the outset.
