Olympiacos - Real Madrid

OLY dominates one team after another with their dynamic playing style, achieving large point differentials, and their players are in impressive physical form. The trio of Real's center forwards will be unable to play today due to injuries, giving OLY a significant quality advantage. Lyles will most likely have to fill in at the number 5 position, allowing OLY to capitalize on points in the paint and create open spaces from the perimeter. Let us also add the fact that the Greek club will be playing at home and the arena will be loud.

Even though Madrid is playing without their key players, such a handicap seems a bit too big for a final and for a royal club that has a lot of experience, it should not be underestimated. As it is usual for finals, we should expect a difficult match against Ghana, where such advantages are particularly great. In such a situation, playing a series against Real would not have many chances, but in a single match final, anything can happen.

Before the defensive battle, Olympiacos might score more points than Fenerbahce, but Real Madrid has no other option than to play a fast game and use a lot of 3-pointers because playing without centers in the paint won't do much in positional basketball. A logical score would be around 90 points for Olympiacos and at least 80 points for Real Madrid. For example, in the 2012/2013 season, there was a final with a similar scenario and Olympiacos scored 100 points while Real Madrid scored 88. I expect a similar outcome this year.

Real Madrid without a normal front line, therefore it is likely that Olympiacos will try to take advantage of this. The counter to Real's weakness would be players like Milutinov playing at a faster pace, and even though it may sound dangerous, in my eyes Real's weapon in tonight's match is just a good offense. Olympiacos has weapons, but their defense did not shine against Fenerbahce, they would just throw the ball towards the basket instead of towards their opponents. The total score is not high, and even though it is the final, the circumstances have slightly changed.

Real without a normal front line, so it is likely that Olympiacos will try to take advantage of this. An obstacle for Real would be players like Milutinov playing at a fast pace and although it may sound dangerous, in my eyes, Real's weapon in tonight's game is only good offense. Olympiacos has weapons, but their defense has not been shining and against Fenerbahce, they simply aimed for the basket, not the opponent. The total score is not high and although the circumstances have changed a bit, the final is still in sight. Real, in both basketball and football, is capable of creating miracles at times, but today Olympiacos is clearly the stronger team. In the first half, playing in front of their own fans, Olympiacos could give Real a hard time.

He is not afraid to shoot Lyles' 3-pointers. In the semifinals, he made 3 shots in Valencia's basket. In the previous meetings with Oly, he finished with 1 and 6 accurate shots. Today the periods are foggy, so the shooter who is expected to play for about 25 minutes and has a 44% accuracy should at least make some shots.

Olympiacos defenders will have the opportunity to take advantage of the penalty area today and Fournier can definitely use that as he has a good height, which can create an advantage against Real's matchups. There is not much trust in the Frenchman, he likes to show off his shots, and he can reach such a total with just 3PTs. Real's attention should not be small for Vezenkov, so Fournier will have a chance here.

The average for the season is 21 two-pointers, but knowing the current situation of Peru Olympics and how they will have a hard time with their shots, there is no point in them trying to shoot 3-pointers. They will calmly play in the free throw area and score points. During the season, they usually make an average of 35 shots and are the most accurate in the entire EuroLeague with 59%.