BarcelonaA few hours before playing against Barça, Georgios Bartzokas told an anecdote that sums up Evan Fournier‘s perfectionist mentality. “He is able to call my assistant coach at two in the morning to solve doubts about how to defend a play,” said the Greek coach. The French star, an ex-NBA player eager to make his mark in the Euroleague, was key in Olympiacos‘ victory over the Blaugrana team (95-74).
With no success from the three-point line, Barça suffered their second defeat of the season in Europe. “They have played better than us and we have run out of energy”, analyzed Joan Peñarroya, coach of the Culer team.
The first eight minutes of Barça were of great authority (13-17), but Olympiacos knew how to tighten their defense to limit the offensive production of the Blaugrana team. Also, the home team attacked the offensive rebound well to secure good second chances. The Catalan team could only score 36 points in the first 20 minutes (44-36).
Playing on impulse, Barça struggled to keep up with an Olympiacos team that knew how to take advantage of Evan Fournier’s leadership. The French player chained 10 points to open an important gap in the scoreboard (65-50). The match was broken and, worn out by three consecutive trips, the Blaugrana team did not have the energy to attempt a comeback. The Catalan team let themselves go in a few cruel last minutes with their proposal. “It hasn’t been easy because Barça has talent, but we imposed our plan,” summarized Bartzokas.
