Breakdown: FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Piraeus

Olympiacos won 10 of its last 11 regular season games to finish in fifth place. Only Monaco had a better final push, winning 12 of the last 13. Half of those 10 wins were on the road, which allowed Olympiacos to become one of just four teams to finish the regular season with a positive road record, 9-8. For the second consecutive season, Olympiacos is the best defensive team in the competition, having allowed a mere 73.3 points per game. Over its last 10 wins, Olympiacos has held opponents to low shooting percentages (52.2% 2FG, 32.4% 3FG) and has forced 14.3 turnovers.

Loads of exciting matchups

The fact that both teams are so deep makes this series even more unpredictable. The biggest similarities are arguably found at the point guard position. Barca's Ricky Rubio, back in the EuroLeague Playoffs after 13 years, and Olympiacos's Thomas Walkup are defensive leaders able to stop any defender. That's when it gets tricky. Nigel Williams-Goss of Olympiacos and Satoransky are very different point guards. Barca's Nico Laprovittola can score in many ways, while his counterpart Isaiah Canaan is an explosive scorer who can change any game. Barca can turn to pure shooters Abrines and Dario Brizuela to spread Olympiacos's defense. At small forward, Nikola Kalinic has the experience for Barcelona, but Coach Bartzokas can use Shaquielle McKissic, Papanikolaou and even Ignas Brazdeikis against him.