Two days later, another increasingly difficult game for Olimpia: after the Italian champions of Virtus, Real Madrid is coming to Milan, ahead of the European champion of Fenerbahce and the derby against Cantù (this one on the road): that means playing four games in seven days. The schedule is generally unforgiving, but it becomes even more so considering the roster has been shortened by injuries and various illnesses. In the EuroLeague, Bryant Dunston can be available, but center is not the position where support is needed the most. Olimpia faces Real Madrid while in good shape: in the EuroLeague, it has won six of their last eight games; in the Italian league, it has won the last two, but did so by using every ounce of energy, then losing Leandro Bolmaro in the process. Real Madrid, for its part, is riding a four-game winning streak: they’ve managed narrow wins against Zalgiris and Hapoel, and larger ones against Efes and Baskonia. With this streak Real Madrid climbed the standings after a slow start due to the many changes made to the roster. Statistics show that Real Madrid’s rebounding prowess is evident not only because the presence of Edy Tavares, but also of Trey Lyles, Usman Garuba, and Chuma Okeke. In fact, this is the team that allows the fewest offensive rebounds to their opponents and against which they generally grab the fewest rebounds. This match-up will require a tremendous effort from Olimpia’s four big men—Josh Nebo, Devin Booker, Zach LeDay, and Pippo Ricci. On the perimeter, Real Madrid’s strength lies in their depth, with the experience of Campazzo and Llull combined with the scoring ability of the emerging Theo Maledon and the versatility of Mario Hezonja. It will be a game for the brave against one of the title contenders, coached by Sergio Scariolo, and with its wealth of history. It will also be the first game at the Allianz Cloud for Olimpia since 2019, another element that adds uncertainty but also romance to a matchup steeped in tradition.
NOTES – Olimpia Milano-Real Madrid is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, December 16that Allianz Cloud in Milan, at 20:30.
REFEREES – Emin Mogulkoc (Turkey), Saulius Racys (Sweden), Saso Petek (Slovenia)
COACH PEPPE POETA- “We face a Real Madrid coming off four consecutive wins, so they are in great shape, with a lot of talent, depth and well coached by Sergio Scariolo. For us, gathering all the mental and physical energy back after the Italian league battle with Bologna will be the first goal. Playing with the right flow and having some good pace offensively will help us to play a game that will need to be a courageous one.”
REAL MADRID OUTLOOK – Sergio Scariolo is coaching Real Madrid for a second stint in his career, following a long run with the Spanish National Team and some excursions into the club competitions, the most relevant one with Virtus Bologna that included two Italian league championship series lost to Olimpia. His current team is a mix between veterans (Facundo Campazzo, Sergio Llull, Alberto Abalde, Mario Hezonja, Gabriel Deck and Edy Tavares), emerging players (Andres Feliz, Theo Maledon, David Kramer, Gabriele Procida, Izan Almansa, even Usman Garuba) and former NBA players with big names landed in Europe to build a second career here (Trey Lyles, Alex Len and Chuma Okeke). Consequently, the roster is very long, deep, with no apparent weaknesses. Campazzo, an incredibly experienced Argentine point guard, plays nearly 24 minutes per game, averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 assists. Veteran Sergio Llull has never started but provides 11.2 quality minutes. Andres Feliz, a Puerto Rican who grew up in Spain, produces 5.7 points per game. Frenchman Theo Maledon, who played 177 NBA games, returned to Europe last year to play for Villeurbanne and is now averaging 12.3 points per game and 3.3 assists, mostly coming off the bench. Alberto Abalde, a frequent starter, plays 15.5 minutes per game and is shooting excellently from three, averaging 47.8%. German David Kramer, in his first year in Madrid, can also get minutes at perimeter positions. Gabriele Procida, in his first season in Madrid, so far has not seen many minutes. Among the wings, Gabriel Deck is in his eighth year in Madrid with 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds on average, shooting 77.1% from two. Mario Hezonja, a Croatian with 330 NBA appearances, averages 12.9 points per game in under 20 minutes, grabbing 3.6 rebounds. At power forward, Scariolo’s starting five is Trey Lyles, who plays 21.5 minutes, averages 13.9 points, and 5.1 rebounds per game. Lyles is a versatile offensive player with ten NBA seasons under his belt, averaging 650 appearances. Usman Garuba, who developed his career at Real Madrid and returned to the base after a brief NBA stint, is one of the competition’s most solid defenders (averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds). Another former NBA player is Chuma Okeke (198 appearances), making his European debut. He is currently averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds, shooting 64.7% from two and 50.0% from three. The centers are the great Edy Tavares, the leading shot-blocker of all time in the EuroLeague, always in the starting five, spending 22.2 minutes on the court with 8.4 points (65.7% from the field) and 6.2 rebounds per game, in addition to 2.0 blocks. The alternative is Alex Len, a 32-year-old Ukrainian, who spent his entire career in America, 690 appearances in 12 years in the NBA, arriving after the season had already begun, currently averaging 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds.
THE REAL MADRID CONNECTION – Sergio Scariolo coached Olimpia between 2011 and 2013 with an Italian league championship series lost to Siena in 2012. Current Real Madrid sporting director, Sergio Rodriguez, is an Olimpia Hall of Famer.
ZACH LEDAY @ 1.000 – In the game against Panathinaikos, Zach LeDay became the fifth player in Olimpia history to score at least 1,000 points in the EuroLeague, and the fourth to do so in the modern version of the competition. Olimpia’s EuroLeague points record holder is Shavon Shields: interestingly, Shields reached 1,000 points in his 78th game for the club. LeDay did the same, reaching 1,000 points in his 78th game with Olimpia.
GAME NOTES – Armoni Brooks’ 26 points, 25 of personal rating, and eight three-pointers against Panathinaikos are all personal highs in the EuroLeague. Armoni Brooks’ eight three-pointers tie the club record for most three-pointers made in a game, held by Linas Kleiza since December 18, 2014, in Turow. Kleiza scored 29 points on 8-of-13 three-pointers… Zach LeDay is five three-pointers away from becoming the seventh Olimpia player with at least 100 three-pointers in the EuroLeague. Armoni Brooks is eight three-pointers away from the same milestone. Only one player has made more than 200 three-pointers, Shavon Shields with 240.
