Olympiacos: The hot Fournier, the pivotal role of Vildosa and the +10 of the five that turned the match

THE Olympic endured in Belgrade against Maccabi and skyrocketed his performance in the second half took the victory with 91-94 for the 10th game of the EuroLeague.

That SPORT24 analyzes with the help of Hudl Instat the victory of the “Red Whites”.

The five that turned the game and the hot Fournier

Olympiacos entered the park playing basketball for (offensive) training in the first period. The quintet of Walkup, Vildosa, Fournier, Vezenkov and Fal produced a Hudl Instat +14 in 10 minutes and 9 seconds. But the key five was different and appeared in the middle of the third period, putting Olympiakos in front of the score.

Olympiacos was looking for a spark. But he also wanted more options in attack. The passage of Williams-Goss and Nikola Milutinov on the floor provided these elements. The “red and whites” did not lose in size with these two additions and had better reads/threats in the attack.

Of course, Evan Fournier played a key role in this. The Frenchman made important shots, carried Olympiacos in an important part of the game in the third period. In the end, he was again the one who scored important baskets. Although the truth is that both Williams-Goss and Milutinov hit big shots in the final.

*With a circle the well-targeted shots, with “x” the wrong ones

The pivotal role of Vildosa

Luka Vildosa had one of his best performances with the Reds, finishing the game with 10 points on 4/9 shooting (2/7 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, 4 assists (which added another 10 points) and 2 steals. in 32 minutes of participation. The fast pace he imposed helped a lot.

In reality, of course, most of his work came on defense, since – according to Hudl Instat – Olympiacos conceded just 0.86 points per possession when he was on the floor. That was 3rd best on the team behind Williams-Goss (0.8 points per possession) and Mustafa Fal (0.73 per possession – but the Frenchman played just 12 minutes).

Vildosa energized the defense. How important he was, however, was shown by two defenses that were not credited with a steal, which were consecutive, in the finale of the third period. Here’s the first one:

Randolph prepares to play Pick and Pop with Sorkin. Vildosa is ready to lend a helping hand to Sorkin’s Pop Out.

Randolph passes to Sorkin, with Vildosa running at him to stop him from shooting.

Sorkin sees Vildosa and wants to pass to DiBartolomeo, but Vildosa blocks the pass. At the same time, the Argentine gives Milutinov enough time to get on top of Sorkin, who decides to go inside.

Sorkin tangles in the bodies, with Vildoza once again lending a helping hand. Sorkin drops the ball.

The possession was finally left to Maccabi, who had a new attack. But again it was Vildosa who changed the facts. Here it is:

Randolph plays Pick and Roll with Sorkin. Vildosa is waiting to help.

Randolph remembers what happened in the previous phase and instead of passing to Sorkin, he passes to DiBartolomeo. Vildosa has read this though and blocks the corner pass.

DiBartolomeo takes the ball with Vildosa clinging to him and makes a mistake.

Vildosa was not credited with a steal in either phase. But he was pivotal in getting the defense out. Olympiakos had trouble with Sorkin almost all night, since the Israeli can just as easily Pop Out or roll to the basket after the screen.

The weak side player (in this case Vildosa) must be active and give proper help. Vildoza did it on both occasions, in two different situations and in fact completely correct. This is the main reason why he played 32 minutes, since he understood exactly what Olympiacos was asking for.

Another important victory

Olympiacos now counts five consecutive victories in the EuroLeague and second away from the SEF. The most important thing, however, is that – after his bad image against Villeurbanne a few days earlier, despite the victory that came – he showed again to raise the level of intensity and concentration. Equally important, this win came with the team’s big guns (Vezenkov, Fournier) scoring and Milutinov showing improvement, but also thanks to Vildosa’s touches.

In a team with as much depth as Olympiacos, it is important that this shows in every game. Having the possibility to appear alongside the two clear stars of the team (Vezenkov, Fournier) players who will give something different, either in attack or in defense. This time it was Vildosa, Milutinov and Williams-Goss, in another match it was McKissick, in another Fal, in another Walkup, in another it might be Peters, Papanikolaou, Dorsey.

Olympiacos seems to be finding a rhythm. Roles. Gradually everything falls into place. The even more positive thing is that it seems that there is still a lot of room for improvement.