Olympiakos beats Real Madrid to win EuroLeague title

Olympiacos’ Evan Fournier drives to the basket against Real Madrid’s Andres Feliz [AP Photo]

Olympiakos 92, Real M 85

Olympiakos clinched the EuroLeague basketball title yesterday [Macau time], beating Real Madrid 92-85 despite a late stretch of mistakes.

Alec Peters hit the final free throw as Olympiakos secured its fourth continental crown, sparking wild celebrations at the Telekom Center in Athens and across the Greek capital.

“Blessed is the only word I have,” the American-born Peters said. “After four years of blood, sweat and tears with this group … it’s hard to describe how I feel.”

Playing in front of a home crowd, Olympiakos overcame a sluggish start. It fell behind 15-3 in the opening four minutes before rallying to take a 46-44 lead at halftime. Evan Fournier sparked the comeback with an 11-point burst in the second quarter.

Olympiakos later struggled with turnovers and briefly fell behind a more composed Real Madrid side. NBA veteran Trey Lyles led the injury-hit Spanish club with 24 points, while Fournier paced Olympiakos with 20.

“We suffered tonight with Real Madrid, they played an excellent game,” Olympiakos coach Georgios Bartzokas said. “I think we deserved it after the way we played all year.”

Real coach Sergio Scariolo said Real came close to an upset late in the game.

“In the last seconds we missed a chance to tie the game, unfortunately,” he said. “We fought against a very, very great team – a powerhouse. I give them credit but I’m very, very proud of how we played. And we’ll be back.”

Greek NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched the game.

Olympiakos reached the final after a 79-61 semifinal win over defending champion Fenerbahçe on Friday, while Real Madrid advanced with a 105-90 victory over Valencia.

As celebrations broke out in Athens and at the nearby port of Piraeus, where Olympiakos is based, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated the winners.

“The top of the EuroLeague has been painted in red and white,” he wrote in an online post, referring to the team’s colors. “Warm congratulations to Olympiakos on this great achievement.”

Thousands of fans packed into the main square at the port of Piraeus, with crowds dancing in celebration and holding up red flags and flares.

“The feeling is even better than I imagined,” Fournier said. “The celebrations will go on beyond tonight, that’s for sure.” MDT/AP