A victory at the end…
The “reds” made their worst game this season against Ilysiakos in a game that was very much alike last season’s in the Peace and Friendship Stadium. It took the “reds” for their captain Vassilis Spanoulis to step up (he returned to courts after a twenty days absence) in order to edge the “yellow-blacks” 77-73.
Olympiacos was trailing even by 17 points just before the end of the first half and by 15 points at half time, playing with no focus at either defense or offense. The “reds” made many turnovers on both sides of the court allowing the players of Kostas Flevarakis keep total control.
V-Span entering the game at the beginning of the second half shifted balance. The captain scored two three-pointers and passed two incredible assists leading his team mates to shrink the difference and find their composure. -15 became -7 at 30’ and the come - back went on into the fourth quarter. The guests did not give up to the end tried to get the victory, but it was the experience of the home team players that decided the game.
The quarters: 17-26, 31-46, 53-60, 77-73
Οlympiacos (Dusan Ivkovic): Hines 8, Lucas 2, Spanoulis 15 (3), Howard, Κeselj 2, Pelekanos 2, Gecevicius 3, Glyniadakis 2, Printezis 20, Papanikolaou 13, Mantzaris, Sloukas 10.
Ilysiakos (Kostas Flevarakis): Spanos, Papanikolopoulos 2, Nana 16, Chatzis 14, Αpostolides, Thompson 17 (2), Mpempis, Kaselakis 7 (1), Galiotos 13, Κampouris, Τsiakos 4.
DUSAN IVKOVIC: Congratulations to Ilysiakos for playing a very good first half and scored 26 points in the first half. On the other hand we seemed to be a relatively unprepared team. 4/25 three pointers made no logic. We don’t have sustenance as a team. I never expected things to evolve this way. I think that if we lost the game, it wouldn’t have been bad at all. After so many months of work and two away victories when we showed to have a very good team, I never had expected such a performance.
This game is going to help us, I’m the most responsible, and it’s only Olympiacos to blame for how the game went, putting aside my respect for coach Flevarakis and Ilysiakos. I cannot read my players’ psyches. If they lost concentration because Spanoulis returned to the ream is something I could not have seen coming. I expected he would play for a quarter and that’s what I had told him, beforehand, but I had never expected to use him because we were going to need him.
I had not expected an easy game. I had expected a home game, for us to be tough, not to receive easy baskets, take advantage of the free throws bonus, but we just weren’t ready. Each player is a professional and has to bleed on every game. We can’t expect to win walking in the game. We have seven players less than 22 years of age and we need a lot of work and concentration. I thought we had found rhythm, but it just isn’t so.
We had known it’s very tough to find players. Our advantage is that we are getting players that have been playing. Dorsey is one of them who had been playing for Caja Laboral. We needed a different type of player. Dorsey is fast and he can help us a lot with speed and defense.
VANGELIS MANTZARIS: It was a very bad game for us. Ilysiakos controlled the game. The only positive thing for us is trying super hard to win and our captain’s return. We keep the fact that we won, we have two very crucial games ahead, especially the one against CSKA Moscow.
KOSTAS FLEVARAKIS: My players need congratulating. The result does us injustice. It useless talking about what Leonidas (i.e. Kasselakis) has just said. There are many more problems and we need to keep trying.
The point is to be able to trust Greek Basketball to let you have the result you deserve. Olympiacos is a great team, they have an excellent coach, but from that point on the chance for them to lose should be left open.
LEONIDAS KASSELAKIS: I’m only ashamed for what happened because they are a disgrace for Greek basketball. I got a technical foul for no reason at all, just because I asked the ref “why”. We now have to find the strength to win in Kavala. I feel that we were hindered from getting what we deserved. It’s not allowed for Olympiacos and Panathinaikos to lose in Greece, and this does not help the league, it just pushes it backwards.