Final 8: And now the final!
Olympiacos bested PAOK in the semifinal of the Final 8 of the Cup (75-94) and is now preparing for the big final on Sunday (16/02, 20:15), where they will face Panathinaikos, aiming for their 4th consecutive title.
The "red & whites" had a poor start in the game. PAOK, with intense ball pressure, forced our team into two turnovers within the first four minutes of the game (9-2, 4') and took the lead. Olympiacos was shooting poorly and playing nervously. Kostas Papanikolaou with 6 rebounds and Nigel Williams-Goss, who reduced the deficit with two personal plays (13-9, 8'), showed the required focus in the first quarter, which ended 17-13. In the second quarter, the defensive intensity increased, and the entrance of Shaquille McKissic and Giannoulis Larentzakis gave energy to both ends of the court. Our team found points in transition and took the lead for the first time thanks to a three-pointer from Sasha Vezenkov (20-24, 12'). Olympiacos controlled the pace, playing with more focus and patience, and reached a +10 lead (22-32, 15') with a 5-18 run. PAOK remained competitive, narrowing the gap to single digits (32-38, 18') with Sasha Vezenkov hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 35-44 at halftime.
The third quarter started with Sasha Vezenkov leading offensively and Kostas Papanikolaou bringing a lot of energy defensively (40-50, 23'). Olympiacos controlled the game, reaching a +14 lead (50-64, 28') after a three-pointer from Giannoulis Larentzakis, with the quarter ending 55-66. With Shaquille McKissic acting as the playmaker, our team continued to control the game in the final period, keeping a +10 lead (57-71, 33'). A steal by Giannoulis Larentzakis led to another successful fast break with a beautiful collaboration between Peters and Vezenkov (63-77), while a three-pointer from the Greek guard made it +20 (70-90, 38'). Shaquille McKissic excited the crowd with an impressive dunk in transition (70-92), and our team reached the victory and qualification for the final (75-94), where they will compete for the second cup of the season.
The quarters: 17-13, 35-44, 55-66, 75-94.
