Olympiacos are the first to secure a place at the Final Four of the Euroleague for 2026. The Greek giant swept Monaco aside 3-0 in the playoff series, with a margin the competition has never seen - a total of 74 points difference across three games (105-82, 94-64, 91-70).

That is the most one-sided playoff series in the modern history of the Euroleague. Monaco, which last season did not look like an easy target at all, was reduced to a passenger this time. Olympiacos is playing like a team that knows what it wants.

With this, the Greek red-and-whites reach the Final Four for a fifth consecutive season. Only CSKA Moscow had longer streaks - nine in a row (2012-2021) and eight (2003-2010). Olympiacos matches Fenerbahçe's run from 2015-2019, which makes it the third longest in the modern era.

But there is a darker side to this statistic. If Olympiacos does not win the title this season, their run will become the longest Final Four streak without a trophy. For now they share that suspicious distinction with CSKA and Baskonia. History shows that CSKA finally broke that curse in 2016, after four consecutive Final Fours without a title.

The Final Four is played on 22 and 24 May. Olympiacos will wait for the winner of the duel between Fenerbahçe and Žalgiris Kaunas. For the Balkan viewer there is also an interesting angle - the Greek club plays basketball that looks like it has been carved by the best European coaching schools, with a balance between defence, organisation and individual quality. If there is a stable favourite for the trophy this season, it is the team from Piraeus.

The question now is whether Olympiacos will enter history as the fifth champion in recent seasons, or as the team that has played five Final Fours without winning a single one.