“We have played very comfortably at the Palau throughout the season (at home, in the Euroleague, Barça is 15-2 in wins-losses). It is an incentive to have people on our side, we have earned having the court factor in our favor and I hope we can execute it perfectly,” said Roger Grimau, Barça coach, yesterday on the eve of his team’s debut in the quarter-final against Olympiacos (9 p.m.).
The Euroleague now enters a new dimension, with the Final Four just a stone’s throw away, and finds Barça in correct conditions, with the full squad and in a “physically good” state after winning seven of its last eight games , and with a Ricky Rubio who is rolling, more reliable every day.
“Olympiacos has a very solid five-on-five team, with very physical players who collapse the paint very well. “It is the team that passes the ball best and has a lot of patience to play until the last seconds and find the best option,” said Grimau, in whose opinion, his Barça’s two wins against the Greeks, in the regular phase, have no no value.
The two hypothetical absences in Bartzokas’ team have more value: forward Kostas Papanikolau is ill and Thomas Walkup, the soul of Olympiacos, is a doubt due to his back problems.
The playoffs opened yesterday with Real Madrid’s victory over Baskonia to go 1-0 and Maccabi’s victory over Panathinaikos away from home.