Thomas Walkup: 'We might have exceeded other people's expectations, but not our own' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

Despite the absences of guard Kostas Sloukas and center Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus allowed only 26 points in the second half to down FC Barcelona at home and secure one of the three top spots in the EuroLeague regular-season standings.

Player of the Game EFF 21 Shaquielle McKissic Points 20 Accuracy 7-11 Rebounds 3 Assists 2

The Reds concluded their obligations in the first part of the current campaign at 19-9 and are now waiting for the Real Madrid-FC Bayern Munich clash on April 8 to determine whether they will end up second or third.

But that's rather irrelevant at this point. What really matters is that the team coached by Giorgos Bartzokas has proven that the home-court advantage going into the playoffs is not a euphemism but an indispensable ally in their attempt to make it to their first Final Four since 2017.

Olympiacos have been the best EuroLeague team at home this season with an impressive 13-1 record. Their sole mishap came against Crvena Zvezda in January when the team was facing COVID issues, and only 1.000 fans were allowed to attend.

The Greeks had to work their way through adversity, watching Olympiacos being completely outrebounded (3-17) on the offensive glass and the visit to the charity stripe turning into a real nightmare (3/12 in the third quarter).

Thomas Walkup believes that Olympiacos' biggest problems against Barcelona were not caused by anxiousness. Thus, his explanation for the missed defensive rebounds and free throws is simple:

"Sometimes, the ball doesn't bounce your way. I think it's a positive note that even with all their offensive rebounds and our missed free throws, we won the game," the American point guard told BasketNews after the final buzzer.

Despite Barca's extensive rotation, the contest was a battle that went down to the final minutes, which kept all their players up to 20 minutes on the court. Halfway through the fourth quarter, the score was tied (60-60), with both teams showing great passion for victory.

Thomas Walkup

MIN:21.45PTS:5.43 (44.27%)REB:2.4As:2.63ST:1.07BL:0.07TO:1.37GM:30ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

With almost two minutes remaining, Sasha Vezenkov made a couple of free throws to give Olympiacos a 64-62 lead, and in the next play, Thomas Walkup scored the big 3-pointer (67-63) that allowed the hosts to breathe.

Credit Olympiacos BC

Addressing the things that Olympiacos had to do on the court to snap Barca's three-game winning streak in Piraeus, the 29-year-old Texan mentions defensive pressure and taking Barca out of their rhythm.

"They're such a good team, and if you let them play with a good rhythm, they're going to punish you every time. Their quality is too high, and they're very well-coached. We had to make them uncomfortable, and that's what we did in the third and fourth quarter," he went on to say.

Apart from taking down EuroLeague's regular-season winner, Walkup had another goal on his personal agenda - beating Sarunas Jasikevicius.

The Lithuanian coach was the man who took him out of Ludwigsburg in 2018, guided him at Zalgiris Kaunas for two seasons, and when Walkup's contract was over in 2021, he tried to bring him over to Barcelona.

But Olympiacos were more persistent, and that's how the blonde-haired guard ended up in the Greek port instead of Catalunya.

"This is my first time to beat Saras," Walkup recalls.

"I have a huge amount of respect for him, for how he carries himself and his coaching. So, for me to be on the winning side against him means a lot to me."

Focusing on the main reason for Olympiacos snatching home-court advantage and second or third place in the standings, Walkup points out that consistency has been pivotal.

"The EuroLeague season is long and tough. After COVID, we dipped a little bit, but other than that, we've been pretty consistent all-year long - as far as showing up, tuning into the game plan, and playing tough. That's what it takes to have a successful EuroLeague season."

In contrast to his coach Giorgos Bartzokas, who admitted that he didn't expect Olympiacos to take up such a high place in the standings, and his teammate Sasha Vezenkov, who openly stated:

"When the season started, if we said we would finish third, we wouldn't believe it either."

However, Walkup doesn't think that the Reds have exceeded expectations.

"Absolutely not. We might have exceeded other people's expectations, but not our own. For sure," he firmly says.

From the point where Barcelona led 47-38 in the third quarter, the home crowd responded to the missed free throws and rebounds by tuning up the volume and matching the players' level of intensity.

A few minutes before Sarunas Jasikevicius' post-game press conference, Giorgos Bartzokas pointed out that the game reminded him of a playoff contest rather than a regular-season one. Barcelona's coach, however, disagreed with his colleague.

"It was a good atmosphere, but not a playoff game," he commented.

Walkup stands by his current coach's side, highlighting the fans' contribution to his team's comeback.

"There were some playoff vibes in there, absolutely. The crowd was rocking, they were unbelievable. Thank you to them, that was awesome! It was just electric for players, and it makes so much fun to play," he argues.

Ahead of the playoffs and with Olympiacos' opponent still unknown, Walkup is aware of the factor that will determine the outcome.

"A lot will depend on who we play, but the intensity in the playoffs is much different compared to the regular season. Being ready to match their intensity, especially if it's a team that's been there," he points out.

For the three-time LKL champ, who also won the Greek Cup in Crete last February, success on the basketball court leads to happiness.

His individual stat line is far from illustrious (5.4 points on 25% 3-point shooting, 2.6 assists per game), but - paraphrasing Jasikevicius' book title-winning is enough in his case.

"I'm loving it here. I'm really happy. Obviously, us having a successful season is something I'm happy about. That's why I came here, to win. That's what we're doing. It's because of basketball," Thomas Walkup concludes.

Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.