Basketball world reacts to Olympiacos making the Final Four, crazy atmosphere in Piraeus / News - Basketnews.com

Olympiacos Piraeus downed AS Monaco in Game 5 to clinch the last remaining Final Four spot, as the Reds made the TOP 4 for the eleventh time in their history.

Player of the Game EFF 24 Shaquielle McKissic Points 18 Accuracy 6-7 Rebounds 2 Assists 2

Players, coaches, and basketball people around Europe and the USA, who either saw the game, watched the highlights, or simply heard about the news, congratulated the Greek squad on their success and commented on the atmosphere at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

AX Armani Exchange Milan's guard Malcolm Delaney, who played under Olympiacos' coach Giorgos Bartzokas at Lokomotiv Kuban when the Russian side made it to its first-ever Final Four in 2016 wrote:

Tremmell Darden, a former Olympiacos forward (2014-15), started his stint with the Reds with Bartzokas but finished it with Giannis Sfairopoulos. That season, the Greeks eliminated FC Barcelona 3-1 to qualify for the Madrid Final Four.

Delaney went on with his praise for Bartzokas.

A few minutes later, Darden came back with another tweet.

The Bartzokas appreciation posts went on and on, with former Olympiacos guard Jamon Gordon recalling his landmark season with Maroussi back in 2009-10 when the Greek squad came close to reaching the playoffs. For the record, Gordon never made it to a Final Four, as his Anadolu Efes team was eliminated by Olympiacos in 2013.

Matt Lojeski, now retired, had been one of Olympiacos' cornerstones from 2013 through 2018, when he signed with Panathinaikos in a move that made many Reds' fans angry. However, he let his support for his ex-club be known.

Rick Pitino came to Greece in December 2018 to coach Panathinaikos. Although the current coach of the Iona Gaels and Hall-of-Famer returned to the Greens for a second run in November 2019 having already taken over the Greek national team, his relationship with Olympiacos players remains impeccable.

This tweet is a testament to how much he enjoyed working with Giorgos Printezis, Kostas Sloukas, and Giannoulis Larentzakis. Forward Kostas Papanikolaou wasn't mentioned because he never even practiced under Pitino.

Former Zenit Saint Petersburg guard Conner Frankamp, currently in Greece with Promitheas Patras, watched the game and had something to say.

Frankamp's former teammate at Zenit, Jordan Loyd, has grown accustomed to European fans, especially after his term with Crvena Zvezda in 2020-21.

Canadian guard Dylan Ennis, who's playing for Gran Canaria and had a very short time at Monaco in 2019, didn't look so surprised to see Olympiacos fans turning day into night.

As for Hassan Martin? The American big man saw Kevin Durant's viral 'apocalypse' post and decided to comment.

Crazy basketball night in Piraeus:

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