Olimpia Milano played fantastic… but only for 15 minutes
I was sure that after the horrible loss against Anadolu Efes when they scored only 51 points, Olimpia Armani Milano will enter the court with another mentality vs. Fenerbahce. Playing so badly it was not possible again and again, Milano had to respond with motivation and strength even if they faced the best team in the competition. And they did it!
If you take a look at the first 15 minutes of the encounter, you said wow, this team is completely changed. Olimpia Milano started very well and in the second quarter boosted a 16 points lead. I could not believe that the same squad that 2 days ago scored only 51 points in the entire game, now is able to score 35 points in 15 minutes. Actually, I was not so surprised because it is exactly what I hoped: to see Milano playing quality basketball.
Unfortunately, the Milano didn’t have the resources to finish the game on the same note. The problem with the missing players appeared and the short rotation of the Italian team influenced the final result. Kevin Pangos’s injury during the game sentenced Olimpia Milano to lose without any chance.
I didn’t understand why such an experienced player like Brandon Davies, so much wanted by Milano this summer didn’t enter the court at all. Then, I saw players like Voigtman and Ricci being scared to finish some good opportunities to score. Also, Pangos and Hines were overwhelmed by the situation and couldn’t offer an answer to Fenerbahce’s aggressiveness.
The only good thing for Milano is that Cabarot, Hall and Mitrou-Long started to be the scorers which Olimpia Milano is needing so much.
The article was written by Gratian Cormos, a Romanian journalist, book writer, life coach and mentor currently living in Barcelona, Spain.
If you are interested in collaborating with his website brainbasketball.net, in order to publish articles, interviews or other features related to basketball, feel free to contact Gratian Cormos by Whatsapp or Telegram at this Spanish number: +34 612414486
Photo credit: EuroLeague
