Olympiacos and the Trap of Euphoria: When the Crete Crowd Sings Before the Ball Rolls

On the night of September 3, Nikos Kazantzakis Airport did not sleep. Hundreds of Olympiacos fans turned the terminal into a miniature stadium, chanting the names of stars and holding up homemade banners. Jan Montero, the most expensive signing of the summer, stepped out of the glass doors with the smile of a rock star. He stopped to sign autographs, take photos, and exchange a few words with fans as if he had played for this club for ten years. Coach Giorgos Bartzokas also received an equally warm welcome. But I stood there, amid the euphoric crowd, and could not stop thinking about an uncomfortable question: is this euphoria a dose of mental doping, or a charm that will become a curse when the ball rolls on the Crete IBT court? The context of this preseason tournament is clear. Olympiacos arrived in Heraklion as the team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the Euroleague summer power rankings, level with Panathinaikos. They will face Fenerbahce in the semifinal, while Red Star and Armani Milano meet in the other bracket. This is a serious test before the official season. But what caught my attention was not the list of opponents, but how the story is being constructed. Everything is perfect: a hungry newcomer, a legend returning from injury, an ecstatic crowd. Too perfect to be true. Look at Jan Montero. He told the press: "Olympiacos is a challenge and I like challenges." The sentence is so perfect it sounds like it was written by a screenwriter. But I have been around long enough to know that perfect sentences are often a sign of an incomplete story. Montero is the center of attention, but he has not played a single official minute for Olympiacos. He is a big question mark wrapped in a shiny gift box. The expectation of the Crete crowd could become a huge burden for a player still learning to integrate into a new system. I remember countless cases in the past where newcomers welcomed as saviors collapsed under the weight of expectation. Euphoria never scores points, never grabs rebounds, and never blocks the opponent's decisive shot. Nikola Milutinov is another story. He had an injury alarm, left in a discouraged state, then returned and practiced. This return is considered good news, and it is. But I have witnessed too many times how a return from injury becomes an endless loop: relapse, rest, return, then relapse again. The joy of the coaching staff and fans is understandable, but the real question is: can Milutinov maintain his condition through a long Euroleague season with a dense schedule? This preseason tournament will give us the first answer, but it will not be the final one. What really worries me is the gap between the story being told and the verifiable reality. Summer power rankings are a very volatile thing. I have seen too many teams ranked high in the summer only to fail miserably when the official season begins. The euphoria of the Crete crowd, the praise for Montero, the return of Milutinov - all are pieces of an optimistic narrative. But basketball is not played on paper. It is played on the court, with fatigue, with injuries, with tactical mistakes, and with opponents who do not care about summer power rankings. I could be wrong. Maybe Montero will integrate immediately, Milutinov will maintain perfect condition, and Olympiacos will turn Crete's euphoria into momentum for the entire season. Maybe this warm welcome is exactly the catalyst the team needs. But I have learned that in sports, perfect stories are often lies. The truth usually lies in small details: a clumsy handling in practice, an impatient look between teammates, a missed shot during warm-up. Details that the euphoric crowd never sees. The semifinal against Fenerbahce on Friday will be the first measuring stick. If Olympiacos wins convincingly, the optimistic narrative will be reinforced. If they lose, or win laboriously, the first cracks will appear. I will watch closely how Montero handles the pressure, how Milutinov moves on the court, and how Bartzokas adjusts the lineup. Because the euphoria of the Crete crowd can be a gift, but it can also be a trap. And I have been in this business long enough to know that traps are often disguised as the most beautiful gifts. They call me a troublemaker. I am just listening to the squeak of the wheel. And right now, amid the euphoria of Heraklion, I hear a very small, very faint sound. It could be the sound of a wheel starting to wobble. Or it could just be the wind blowing through the flags. We will know soon enough.