This content was created by Elijah Bryant. This content was uploaded by Elijah Bryant. This is a YouTube gameday video titled "OLYMPIACOS Gameday - Can they lose at home?" (created 2025-02-13T15:45:48Z) featuring Elijah Bryant alongside a play-by-play announcer/other speaker. The content combines an in-hotel vlog/interview (Bryant discussing interviews, team prep, arenas, fans and pregame routines) with live game commentary and postgame reflection from a EuroLeague matchup between Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes — including game action where Bryant hits key shots and a closing recap about learning and a growth mindset.
Chapters
Elijah Bryant rises for a 3. Got it! It's a one-possession game. You want to sit next to big bro?
All right, so we got to the hotel. And I had to do an interview with Euro Hoop. You get paid to do this and you have a good day, bad day, okay, your coach holds you accountable, but that's the, that's the job we're in and that's, that's how it goes. Make your product better. So I wouldn't necessarily say worry. You need to practice X amount or you don't need to practice, he gives you that freedom. So go and check that out. But if you don't know, we play Olympiacos tomorrow, one of the best teams in EuroLeague right now. We actually beat them last time we played them at home. So, oh, and I got some— there's a lot of stuff. I'm gonna go get a massage first.
I'll be back.
So Olympiacos has an older team, but they also have a really old gym. OCA, Panathinaikos' gym, actually got a facelift with the LED court and I think the arena where Olympiacos plays, the Peace and Friendship, needs an uplift. And it's actually super interesting. Most arenas in America have a sponsorship deal. Paycom Center, OKC, Delta Center, Utah Jazz. So it's pretty cool to see that an arena just has the Peace and Friendship where it's not sponsored by anything. Olympiacos probably has some of the craziest fans in Europe. I remember when we were playing in Serbia, after we beat them that first game and we went out in the city, uh, the next day, uh, on our day off, red was everywhere. There were fans everywhere. So who has better fans, Olympiacos or Panathinaikos in Greece? Who wins that battle? Let me know in the comments. But when it comes to fans, that's for y'all to decide. Tomorrow we have our hands full with a very talented team, but they're missing one player, Thomas Walkup. But I will say this, a wounded Lion is scarier than a regular Lion, especially after they just lost at home to Finnair.
So it will be a game tomorrow.
But now it's time to lay down, get rested, take a nap, watch TV shows, kind of decompress before the game. What are some things that you guys do to kind of get your mind off the pressure of big night ahead? Netflix, make videos, do Legos. A lot of fans think you gotta friggin' watch film 24/7, work out 24/7. Now, in order to be great, sometimes you need to decompress and relax. Hi, Roxy. Hi, Bluey.
Did you guys have a fun day today? I love you.
Okay, I'll say it first.
Yeah.
All right, so I'm about to head to the game. It's a big game, and I feel like a lot of times you can psych yourself out and be like, oh, we have to win, we have to do this. Nothing is guaranteed in life, period, no matter what it is. But to go into the game understanding that it's a basketball game, so give you this bird's eye view, allows you to operate in a sense of calmness, you know. When they first score, you can relax. It's okay. It's a long game. And the last time I felt like stressed in a game was when, um, the Final Four in Serbia, because it's like, hey, you lose, you're out, you know. So I've been— ever since then, I've been trying to learn how to understand that every game is an experiment. To learn from if you win or lose. So another game, another experiment. Let's go.
Olympiacos in the red, Anadolu Efes in the white, and we are underway here. Both teams playing straight player-to-player defense. Boniek, good footwork, just an inside pivot. Faces and knocks it down. Bryant strings it, top of the key, 3 from Elijah Bryant. Bryant getting busy. Turnover, the 5th turnover for FS. Oh, that's a beautiful pass, the kissing! Warwick can't convert. Otoru, Otoru, Otoru! Bryant tried to move it on one more. Warra, is he going to go coast to coast? Jordan Warra, he is! Warra with the steal and the scoop and score! Bryant gets to the dots, the shot drops. We'll get the fives organized. Smith shows him how to do it. Thompson, his 3, no good. O'Brien wants to claim it. I'm not sure if he got it or Vazhenkov tipped it up and in. That's tipped in by Vazhenkov. I expect the, uh, scores will give it to Bryant. They just did. Here goes Warren, finds Bryant. Bryant converts. That's just hanging around. Trying to steal this at the end. He missed many shots. Now Bryant trying to inject some pace. Bryant, oh, little Yu-Gi-Oh step, he goes right by. That's a great feed. Now Poirier has to finish this. It's such a good feed. He did on the On the second time of asking, fakes the handoff. Rodney Buckets, can he get going? There it is. Mordier steps to guard Beaubois. He's looking for a crease. Hasmani rises, got it, strings it. Here's a double team at best, try to trap. They got the turnover they wanted. Bryant rises for a 3, got it! It's a one-possession game. FS have made it a 3-point game, and they have absolutely silenced the peace and friendship stadium. The trap leads to the turnover. Bryant drops down the 3. So these two teams very evenly matched. Dozier's going to go the distance, and he'll convert, and this will win it. Olympiacos are going to win just at home. These two teams have played two marvelous games this season. In round 4, it was FS in Istanbul by 2, 91-89. And here in Piraeus, Olympiacos just hang on.
What a game! Wow, we cut it down to 3. They pretty much had control the whole game. They played really well together. We finally cut it down to 3 on that last run, but They won. Tip your hats off to them. What can you learn from it? Remember, every game is an experiment. And what are we learning from it? Because we're trying to go like this during the season. Obviously it looks like this, or it might look like this sometimes, but you have to have a growth mindset and learn from it each and every single time. Not just in basketball, but in life as well. And that one play with Vyzinkov where we both jumped for the ball, he clearly touched it and it went in. That's why you have to go for rebounds every single time, because you never know what will happen. And the points actually weren't supposed to go to me, they're supposed to go to the captain, but raised my hand, got rewarded for effort. So remember, stay consistent. Love you guys.
