Moustapha Fall weighs in on how he and his Olympiacos teammates handle the frustration following the semifinal loss to Real Madrid, breaks down the two EuroLeague finalists and reflects on what might have deprived the Reds of a continental crown.
If the third time's the charm, for Olympiacos Piraeus, things panned out way differently from what the Reds had expected when they locked horns with Real Madrid in the Final Four semifinal in Berlin.
The reigning champs got the best of last year's finalists, securing a double-digit lead that they were able to hold on to for the better part of Friday's contest at the Uber arena.
Edy Tavares was dominant as always for Los Blancos, as not only did he put up 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks, but most importantly, he pinned down Olympiacos' big men to a combined 2 points. Nikola Milutinov and Final Four rookie Moses Wright went scoreless, while Moustapha Fall only scored one basket and grabbed 6 boards in 27 minutes of action.
The nightmarish first half, where Madrid were leading by as many as 19 (56-37), largely decided the outcome. Olympiacos' third consecutive Final Four participation had created expectations following last year's shocking finale when Sergio Llull helped Madrid snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"Every time you go the Final Four, the goal is to win, not just to be here," Fall told BasketNews.
"But we played against a team that was better than us all season," the French big man admitted.
"It's frustrating, but we have to live with that."
Giorgos Bartzokas' team wanted to avenge last year's lost final, but the dream of lifting their 4th EuroLeague crown dimmed very quickly. When Olympiacos were able to play harder and lower the pace of the game in the second half, it turned out to be too late.
Now, the Reds are left with the 3rd-place game which holds little if any significance for either of the two participating teams, Olympiacos and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Fall didn't mince words when referring to what is widely regarded as the most indifferent (to put it mildly) game of the season.
"To me, it's a useless game, to be honest," he uttered.
"It's a game with no meaning, but you can still have injuries. It's not like the national teams where you have the bronze medal. The EuroLeague is something you just win or lose," he pointed out.
Even though the Final Four added little to Olympiacos' rich history of accomplishments, the road to the top 4 teams in the continent was full of obstacles and emotions. From being a borderline playoff contender, the team from Piraeus gradually became a contending team that eliminated the 4th seed in the regular season, FC Barcelona, on their way to Berlin.
"We've been fighting all season long through adversity, to change the lineup with new players coming in," Fall reflected.
"I'm happy we reached the Final Four, but that wasn't enough."
Still, here lies an inevitable question: What's been missing from Olympiacos those 3 years?
Fall sighed and said, "Uff, I don't know. Last year, we obviously came very close. I can't say it was only bad luck, but it was a one-possession game that we had the level to win," he stressed.
"I really don't know. Maybe the coach will think about it, maybe the organization will think about it. Maybe some pieces are missing."
Fall, 32, has been with the Greek powerhouse since 2021. He's experienced all the good, the bad and the ugly situations in a EuroLeague Final Four and can tell the disparity in how Olympiacos players handled wins and losses.
"The feeling's not the same as last year," he said. Going down in the final's dying seconds is painful, a hard pill for any team to swallow. But this time, things panned out differently compared to Kaunas, when Olympiacos (as the No.1 seed) had seemingly the upper hand over Madrid before Llull worked his magic.
"It was really heartbreaking back then," he admitted.
"Now, if we're being fair and honest, they were better than us. So, it's not about having regrets or thinking about what we should have done. We should have played better throughout the entire game."
Fall thinks Madrid were ready for the moment, as opposed to Olympiacos.
"They were able to knock down shots and we weren't. They also dared us to shoot by packing the paint all the time. So, it's difficult to compete when they make them and we don't. We tried to the end because we're fighters. But we came up short."
The 3rd-place game tips off at 17:00 CET on Sunday, while the title matchup between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is scheduled at 20:00.
Fall said he's "probably" going to watch the final game and didn't shy away from predicting who the winner might be.
"It's only one game," he observed.
"Sometimes, you have a good or a bad day. I believe if the Real Madrid we saw Friday comes for the final, it will be very difficult for Panathinaikos," he opined.
"But Panathinaikos showed against Fenerbahce that they have character also," he added.
"They totally dominated their matchup. They have a lot of talent also, and they have shooters. So, Real Madrid won't be able to pack the paint the same way they did with us. If I had to predict, I'd say Madrid will win. But I won't be surprised if Pana win."
Now, who would like Fall to win? There are a lot of French players (Fabien Causeur, Guerschon Yabusele, Vincent Poirier, Mathias Lessort) on both sides, which makes the choice harder.
"Honestly, I don't care. I have friends on both teams. I just wanted us to win. I know Olympiacos fans really don't want Pana to win," Fall conceded.
"But since we didn't win, it doesn't really matter."
Fall is struggling from the free-throw line this season, since he has only converted 45% (36/80) of his attempts. The problem drags on, but this year, he's not alone on that one, as Mathias Lessort is going through a similar slump. Lessort, a 66% free-throw shooter in the regular season, has gone 42.6% (26/61) over the playoffs and Panathinaikos' semifinal against Fener.
Fall acknowledged the issue but added that he can't provide the answer.
"We haven't talked about it," he replied. "Knowing him, I know it's frustrating for him also."
Lessort will have the chance to exonerate himself on Sunday night. Fall, on the other hand, will have to wait a little bit longer until Olympiacos contend for their next title. He's just hoping the payoff is worth the waiting.
