Olimpia won Game 1 of the championship series against Venezia, scoring 100 points—despite several missed foul shots, eight of 17—thanks to 28 assists, demonstrating selflessness and a knack for creating the best possible looks. This translates into incredibly high shooting percentages, 58 percent from two and 61.1 percent from three. “But we have to be prepared to win even without shooting so well,” Coach Peppe Poeta warned post-game, emphasizing how Venezia has consistently responded to the heavy losses suffered in Tortona in Game 4 and in Bologna in Game 2. The defense, therefore, was crucial again, holding Reyer to 13 of 33 from the field and 35 points overall in the first half despite an unreal performance from Amedeo Tessitori, who was expected to be in great shape but was actually devastating in Game 1. It’s a bit like Ousmane Diop, who perfectly interpreted his role in roll and short-roll situations. Diop had three dunks, went six of six from the field, and dished out four assists from that position. It was a tremendous performance, kicked off by an early charge taken, a classic in his repertoire. However, the big game played in Game 1 needs another one to protect home court advantage in the best-of-five series.
Game 2 is going to be played on Saturday, June 13th, at the Unipol Forum at 20:00.
COACH PEPPE POETA – “They will comeback and respond as they did during the playoffs after losses. Because of it, we’ll need to defend hard on their creative players and stay physical througout the game. Offensively, it will crucial to share the ball and take care of every possession as we did in Game 1, turning the ball over just six times while running the floor as much as possible.”
DEFENSE – Olimpia held Reyer not so much to 80 points as to a very low two-point shooting percentage, 41.3 percent despite Tessitori’s 7-of-9 night. Another significant portion of the work was done on the perimeter: Reyer’s two top shooters, Jordan Parks and Kyle Wiltjer, shot 1-of-6 from the arc, 2-of-10 with Ky Bowman, and 2-of-12 adding Denzel Valentine, too. But it’s true that in the second half, when Reyer attempted to get back into the game and Olimpia’s intensity decreased a little, Venezia scored 25 points with four three-pointers, coming back to within 13 on three times. And there, it was Olimpia’s offense that kept Reyer from getting any closer.
BATTLE OF CENTERS – It’s a game within the game. Reyer’s two centers produced 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field, but Olimpia’s centers responded with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting and were more effective in rebounding, 12 to 8. Tessitori, for example, grabbed his rebounds on offense (four of five): this is one of the areas that needs improvement, as Poeta noted after the game.
THREE-POINT SHOOTING – Olimpia’s 61.1% three-point shooting percentage in Game 1 is a season-high. In the playoffs, Olimpia’s shot above 38 percent four times and won each game, but it has also managed to win while shooting below 30 percent, except in Game 2 in Brescia. Naturally, Nico Mannion’s 4-for-4 shooting had a devastating impact. Moreover, his first three-pointers started the run late in the first quarter that was never truly threatened.
ASSIST AND TURNOVERS – Olimpia’s 28 assists are also a season high (and a record for a Finals game), but the figure increases of values when adding the 4.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. Olimpia moved the ball not only with ball handlers like Quinn Ellis, Nico Mannion, and Marko Guduric, but also with big men like Ousmane Diop (four assists from the middle of the lane).
GAME NOTES – Shavon Shields has become the player with the most minutes played in Italian Championship Finals games. After the 18 minutes spent on the court in Game 1, he’s now played 1,052 minutes, compared to Mike D’Antoni’s 1,041. The latter had accumulated minutes in nine Finals games and 27 games played (only his last three Finals were best-of-five; the others were all best-of-three). D’Antoni’s average was a now unsustainable 38.5 minutes per game. Shields has played 34 Finals games so far.
🇮🇹Shavon Shields è diventato il giocatore con più minuti giocati nella storia della finale del campionato italiano con 1052, 11 in più di quanti ne abbia giocati in nove finali Mike D'Antoni. Da una leggenda all'altra
— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) June 12, 2026
🇬🇧Shavon Shields became the player with the most minutes… pic.twitter.com/18LQV0zFkn
