Milutinov discusses Game 5 curse, never-give-up mentality and his role in series / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Milutinov credited the team effort and crucial shots by McKissic and Papanikolaou for Game 5 victory: "In tough moments, big players show up, and they really showed up."

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages

Olympiacos Piraeus staged an impressive comeback from a 1-2 series deficit to clinch victory in the decisive Game 5, held in Barcelona, marking only the second time in EuroLeague history that a team has won the do-or-die game on the road.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Nikola Milutinov Points 10 Accuracy 4-5 Rebounds 10 Assists 2

This feat was previously achieved by Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul just hours before.

Reflecting on this historic win, Olympiacos center Nikola Milutinov downplayed the significance of the achievement, emphasizing the team's focus on their own performance rather than external factors.

"We really didn't pay attention to these things," Milutinov told BasketNews' Edvinas Jablonskis. "We were thinking about us, about our game, and how we could win tonight.

"I don't think tonight was a nice game to watch, but still, it was a war, and some crucial shots by Shaquielle McKissic and Kostas Papanikolaou gave us a lead five minutes till the end," the Serbian big man added. "Basically, this is why we won the game. In tough moments, big players show up, and they really showed up."

When asked about the source of Olympiacos' energy to mount a comeback after trailing in the series, Milutinov attributed it to the team's resilience built over the course of the season.

"I think the whole season, the process of the whole season, gave us this never-give-up mentality because we struggled the entire season," Milutinov highlighted. "We had ups and downs, we had injuries, we had problems and all of that just helped us to never give up and just to be where we are now."

Despite not having the best individual performance throughout the series, Milutinov played a pivotal role in Game 5, contributing a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, achieving a game-high 26 PIR. However, he humbly redirected the focus back to the team.

"I mean, this is about the team. I think we have 15 quality players. It's not about me. Yeah, I wasn't playing that much, but it doesn't matter," he said. "This is playoff time, and it's not about points, rebounds, or assists."

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