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By Stefan Acevski \/\u00a0info@eurohoops.net<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Olympiacos<\/a> and Fenerbahce<\/a> will play the first game of this year\u2019s EuroLeague Final Four in Athens at 17:00 CET.<\/p>\n After winning their series against Monaco in three games and against Zalgiris<\/a> in four, the two European powerhouses will face off in the battle for the Final.<\/p>\n The teams met twice during the season, and the home side won both games, and quite convincingly at that. Still, it\u2019s clear that things will likely be much more dramatic in the OAKA Arena.<\/p>\n Here are the five key battles in the first Semifinal of the Final Four.<\/p>\n The duel of the fans in the Arena<\/strong><\/p>\n With Panathinaikos<\/a> absent, despite their arena hosting the final tournament, the biggest support over the three days will go to Olympiacos<\/a> and Fenerbahce<\/a>.<\/p>\n On one side is Oly, who can safely be called the de facto host and will certainly have the largest backing in the stands, and on the other is Fenerbahce, who will be followed by several thousand fans traveling from Istanbul to Athens.<\/p>\n Both clubs have phenomenal fan bases, their teams feed off that energy, and a real spectacle is expected in the stands of the OAKA Arena. Whoever wins the battle in the stands could also emerge as the winner on the court.<\/p>\n Fifth straight Final Four vs. reigning champion<\/strong><\/p>\n It seems Olympiacos<\/a> will be the team under the most pressure at the tournament. First, they finished the regular season in first place, they had by far the easiest Quarterfinal series win, and combined with the fact that the Final Four is being played in Athens, that surely puts huge pressure on Bartzokas\u2019 squad.<\/p>\n This will be the fifth consecutive Final Four for the Piraeus giant, and in the previous four they reached only one Final, which they lost to Real Madrid<\/a>. Often the Reds lacked a bit of luck as well \u2013 Sergio Llull hit a very difficult game-winner in Kaunas, and a similar fate befell them in Belgrade in 2022, when Vasilije Micic knocked Olympiacos<\/a> out in the Semifinal at the buzzer.<\/p>\n On the other hand, after years of searching, both for Fenerbahce and for their coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who couldn\u2019t quite take the final step, the Turkish team finally claimed the title in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n That could bring additional pressure, as they are the defending champions, but it could also free them from it \u2013 in a EuroLeague field like this, winning one title in two seasons is certainly not a failure.<\/p>\n Whoever manages to stay cool and keep nerves of steel will emerge as the winner of this fantastic Semifinal.<\/p>\n Olympiacos\u2019 offense or Fenerbahce\u2019s defense?<\/strong><\/p>\n Throughout the season, Olympiacos have been one of the best offensive teams in Europe. They have by far the best two-point shooting percentages, they are the best team in assists per 40 minutes, and in quite a few games they\u2019ve scored more than 100 points.<\/p>\n However, on the other side now stands one of the best defenses in Europe. Fenerbahce is physically very powerful, ready with Khem Birch and Nicolo Melli<\/a>, the EuroLeague\u2019s second-best defender, to switch everything and slow down opposing offenses that way.<\/p>\n Both teams will certainly try to impose their rhythm, and on Friday we\u2019ll see who comes out on top in this duel.<\/p>\n Can Olympiacos force Fener<\/a>\u2018s turnovers?<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite being part of the Final Four, Fenerbahce is one of the weakest teams this season when it comes to turnovers \u2013 they had 13.5 per 40 minutes, making them the fourth worst in the EuroLeague.<\/p>\n It is precisely the turnovers that made the main difference in the duels between these two teams this season. In the first game, Fener<\/a> controlled this statistical parameter, performed far better than their average, losing only eight turnovers and eventually winning the first duel (88-80).<\/p>\n In the second, Olympiacos managed to force the Turks into 17 turnovers, scoring many easy points on the fast break and ultimately winning that game convincingly (104-87). Despite being excellent in offense, the Greeks will also try to defensively pressure Fenerbahce, primarily through Thomas Walkup, and this very statistic could decide a lot in Athens.<\/p>\n Star duel in Athens \u2013 Five members of two best EuroLeague teams<\/strong><\/p>\n Out of the ten players who were eventually selected for the first two EuroLeague teams, we will see five in the first Semifinal. On one side, there are Sasha Vezenkov and Nikola Milutinov, members of the first team, as well as Tyler Dorsey, a member of the second team, while Dorsey was joined in the second team by Fenerbahce guards Talen Horton-Tucker and Wade Baldwin.<\/p>\n This tandem of the Turks will be the main assets for Jasikevicius\u2019 team. Much depends on Baldwin and Horton-Tucker, their one-on-one plays, and creations in crucial moments. While Melli<\/a>, Birch, and Hall will be tasked with holding the defense, Wade and Talen will need to have their day in offense for Fenerbahce to win.<\/p>\n Moreover, given that Oly will undoubtedly focus their defense on this duo, the rest will have to hit three-point shots to prevent the Greeks from focusing too much on them in defense \u2013 primarily Tarik Biberovic, Bonzie Colson, and Mikael Jantunen.<\/p>\n On the other side, Bartzokas\u2019 team will surely try to dominate in the paint. Alongside the mentioned Milutinov, Oly also has Donta Hall and Tyrique Jones, and it\u2019s certain that Vezenkov will attack numerous switches from the low post. The Bulgarian owes the fans, having scored only seven points in last year\u2019s semifinal against Monaco, and now he will have to significantly raise his level of play compared to that match.<\/p>\n Last year, only Evan Fournier appeared in the Semifinals, and now the stars of Olympiacos will have to join him if the Piraeus team wants to reach the grand Final.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n