Olympiacos with the second chance at Valencia Basket
There are challenging times for the Greek club, one of the most famous in European basketball history. Since 2010 they have been in 5 Euroleague finals, winning 2 titles, but in the last years, they slowed down the pace. Economic issues together with ageing of some key-players like Spanoulis, Printezis are affecting the performances of the club who signed a couple of average Americans to complete their roster.
The departure of David Blatt replaced by Kestutis Kemzura also influenced a bit the things and now the club is in a crucial moment ready to make more changes. The lack of discipline of Will Cherry put him out of Olympiacos and I am not sure if other foreigners will continue with the team because some of them had very mediocre games.
That’s why today Valencia Basket, one of the nicest surprises of this Euroleague edition will have the 1st chance to win the battle. They are a disciplined squad, making many good games so far this season. In the beginning, nobody expected them to be so close to the playoff, but here they are, fighting for a historical spot. This game is very important, especially because due to all the Olympiacos’ problems, Valencia Basket will have an easier job. The absence of Nikola Milutinov will be as well an important factor. The Serbian big man travelled with Olympiacos, but it looks like he cannot play. Even if he will enter, I don’t think he will be in great shape.
I see Valencia Basket able to hammer the visitor team, even if with the Greek squads you never know. They always find some extra energy and motivation to overturn the wheel. Olympiacos has won during recent history dozens of games, including Final Four ones, when nobody would have given them a chance.
Photo: Euroleague
Gratian Cormos
