It is the third home game for the SAP Garden – and the challenge is just as big as during the Grand Opening against last year's finalist Real Madrid and against EuroCup winner Paris (who, according to FCBB CEO Marko Pesic, is "currently playing the best basketball"): The star-studded Olympiacos Piraeus team, featuring Sasha Vezenkov, will face the German champions on Friday evening in the completely sold-out Olympiapark Arena. After two away losses, both in Istanbul, the Greek title favorites have been warned and are unexpectedly tied with Munich (2:2 wins).
Sunday: Derby at BMW Park against Würzburg with “DIKKA”
For Bayern, it’s the start of a series of four games in nine days: On Sunday (4:30 p.m.), BBL rival Würzburg comes for the derby at the REWE Music meets Basketball for Kids feat. DIKKA. This will be followed by away games in Bologna (Tuesday), Lyon (Friday), and Braunschweig (Sunday).
Regarding the EuroLeague highlight against Olympiacos: Greece has had a hot summer, as after the triumph of arch-rival Panathinaikos, both clubs outdid each other with spectacular signings. Challenger Piraeus responded with Tyler Dorsey (from Fener), the still-injured point guard Keenan Evans (Kaunas), Luca Vildoza (Pana), and NBA pro Evan Fournier (most recently with New York and Detroit) – and then announced the long-awaited homecoming of the 2022/2023 MVP from Sacramento on a five-year deal: Vezenkov, 29.
After a season in the NBA, Aleksandar Vezenkov returned to Olympiacos in the EuroLeague.
Tarlac: "The ambitions are clear"
"The rivalry between these two great traditional clubs has a significant influence in Greece, but also far beyond. And it is enduring, which is great for our sport and the EuroLeague," says FCBB Sports Director Dragan Tarlac, who played for Olympiacos for eight years and won the European crown with them in 1997. "Olympiakos is undoubtedly a Final Four contender. Their system remains intact, even when new players come in; that's their identity. And when you can also sign one of the best players in Europe (Vezenkov), it’s clear what the ambitions are. We have great respect for Olympiacos, they have a fantastic team. But we want to prove that it’s difficult to win on our home court."
A very physical defense and aggressive rebounding are part of the core identity of Olympiacos under long-time coach Georgios Bartzokas. Vezenkov, after his year in the NBA, has immediately picked up where he left off in the red jersey (16.5 PPG, 7 RPG). Other double-digit scorers so far include Frenchman Fournier (11.2 PPG) and US guard Shaquille McKissic (13 PPG in just around 16 minutes), who has an impressive 58.3 percent three-point shooting after four games. With Williams-Goss, Fall, Peters, Papanikolaou, Milutinov, and Walkup, the team is well-established and has been together for years.
In the Greek league, everything is also pointing towards a showdown between the rivals, who already faced each other at the start of the season in the Supercup (which Piraeus won this time). Defending champion Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are the only undefeated teams after three rounds.