There are many different ways to win a final, and Real Madrid started slowly on their big night in Madrid. If some fans were concerned that the team was going to blow another big chance, they shouldn’t have worried. The team from the host city of the 2015 Final Four were merely finding their feet and once they got up to the speed of the game, there was only going to be one winner.
The 78-59 final score suggests that Real Madrid were on top form throughout the game but Olympiacos will be looking back at the strong start they made and perhaps slightly rueing the fact that they could not hold on. It is very difficult to dominate an opponent for an entire game; especially a team like Madrid playing in their own city but the Greek side knew that their best chance of winning the game was being bigger and stronger than Real Madrid. They gave it a good go, but ultimately fell short in the end.
Real Madrid 78 – Olympiacos Piraeus 59
No one would have been panicking in Madrid at the first quarter score line of 15-19 but there was a need for the host city team to come back into it strongly. And did they ever? By half-time, Real Madrid were leading 35-28, totally outscoring their Greek opponents and pushing on to open up a gap. In the third quarter, both teams grabbed 18 points each, leading many to think that the Greek side would be the dominant in the final quarter, putting the hosts under pressure.
As it was, Real Madrid were in complete control, their 25 points to the 13 points of Olympiacos offering almost double the return and long before the end of the game, there was no doubt that Real Madrid were going to be the champions of Europe again. When you have to wait twenty years to be the champions of Europe, you never want to celebrate too early, but this was a night when things fell into place for the host team of the Final Four. You won’t get great odds on Alba Berlin achieving the same triumph next year, you probably won’t even see Alba Berlin in the Final Four, but when a host team gets to triumph in their city, there is an invitation to party that everyone is welcomed at.
Jaycee Caroll led the way for the winners
Jaycee Carroll led the way for the winners with 16 points while Andres Nocioni provided 12 points and 7 rebounds. Sergio Llull was able to offer up 12 points and Sergio Rodriguez offered up 11 points for the winners. Matt Lojeski provided 17 points for Olympiacos while Georgios Printezis offered 11 points. Othello Hunter and Kostas Sloukas provided 10 points each. One of the most disappointing aspects of the evening for the Greek side, aside from the actual result itself, was the fact that Vassilis Spanoulis was only able to provide 3 points.
The King of Spain, Felipe VI, was on hand to present the trophy to the Real Madrid captain Felipe Reyes, kicking off an evening of celebration. It is likely that you will still have plenty of Real Madrid fans celebrating around the city today, and when you have waited twenty years to pick up a trophy, why shouldn’t you celebrate it for as long as you can?
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