Everything is set for the EuroLeague Grand Final: Olympiacos may be the favorite, but that could be Real Madrid's biggest advantage

In a packed, red-and-white OAKA Arena, Olympiacos dismantled and defeated Fenerbahçe, while Real Madrid routinely handled Valencia. This sets up a replay of the spectacular 2023 Kaunas final for this year's EuroLeague Final Four in Athens, a game decided by Sergio Llull's incredible last-second mid-range shot that broke Piraeus' hearts.

Before this final tournament began, the situation looked something like this:

Valencia was the talk of the town for eliminating Panathinaikos in a historic upset. Fenerbahçe arrived in Athens as the reigning European champions. And Olympiacos was expected to "usurp" the OAKA Arena, enjoying a home-court advantage that gave them a step up on the competition. Only Real Madrid seemed completely absent from the media narratives and predictions about the next champion.

This was due not only to the aforementioned circumstances but also to the fact that they traveled to the final tournament with Usman Garuba as their only center, with Alex Len and Edy Tavares already sidelined with injuries.

In the semifinals, Real Madrid schooled Valencia—much like a seasoned streetballer taking a talented but still green kid to school—to easily reach the grand final. However, along the way, they also lost Garuba to what appears to be a serious injury in the final quarter. Consequently, the betting odds on a Real Madrid victory in the final have plummeted. It's safe to say that Olympiacos, with a packed arena and a dominant frontcourt that will go unchallenged, is the clear favorite.

However, Real Madrid could very well profit from being underestimated and from Olympiacos being the favorite. Just ask Kevin Punter, Mathias Lessort, Zach LeDay, Dante Exum, and the rest of the black-and-white squad who not long ago secured a double-break in Madrid, pushing Real to the ropes, only to ultimately suffer a 3-2 series defeat and miss out on the Final Four.

So, Real Madrid has been written off and decimated by injuries, with all circumstances seemingly conspiring against them. The vast majority of the European basketball community is convinced that it's finally Olympiacos' time to take the throne.

This is precisely where Real's advantage lies. Countless times in their history, Los Blancos have shown they are most dangerous when least is expected of them.

Okay, so maybe Real doesn't have a center. Maybe Milutinov, Fall, Vezenkov, and Tarik will cause them a lot of trouble under the basket. But what about Mario Hezonja, Facundo Campazzo, Gabriel Deck, Alberto Abalde, and even Sergio Llull? Despite his age, rest assured he can still pull off a miracle, just as he did in Kaunas in 2023 against this very same Olympiacos.

Simply put, Real Madrid is too experienced. The core of the team has countless big games under their belts. If they get an opening, if Olympiacos happens to choke and starts to crumble under the weight of pressure, the Kings could easily reclaim their crown.

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