Olympiacos made it easy
Olympiacos was excellent in Pylaia against PAOK besting him 88-72 and thus reaching a 19-1 record after 20 days for the Basket League SKRATS.
Thrylos began the game impressively. Printezis and Lojeski were scoring from everywhere on the court and the first quarter ended with Olympiacos leading 13-26. The 'reds' continued shooting very well into the second quarter as well. Lafayette and Darden continued the good job of their team mates; however, the Piraeus team did not remain as focused in defense. Nevertheless, Thrylos maintained the difference above ten points.
In the first six minutes of the second half Thrylos was completely dominant and send the difference at +19 (42-61) at 27'. Olympiacos was excellent in the third quarter which finished with a 17 point lead for the guests (53-70).
Olympiacos continued with a power demonstration into the fourth quarter. Lafayette played an excellent game and with continuous scoring gave Thrylos a +20 lead, but then the American play-maker sprained his right ankle.
The quarters: 13-26, 34-48, 53-70, 72-88
PΑΟΚ (Markopoulos): Langford 19 (1), Liapis 2, Carter 15 (2), Tsochlas, Dedas 3 (1), Margaritis 6, Odum 10, Vaughn 3, Sinadinovic 2, Charitopoulos 6, Saloustros 4.
Olympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Hunter 5, Dunston 6, Darden 11 (1 3p, 4reb), Papapetrou 3, Sloukas 9 (1 3p, 7as), Lafayette 13 (2), Lojeski 15 (2 3p, 7reb, 4as), Christodoulou, Printezis 14 (2), Agravanis, Mantzaris 7 (1 3p, 4reb, 4as), Kavvadas 2.
SOULIS MARKOPOULOS: "We wish to thank our fans and congratulate Olympiacos, they deserved the victory. We played one of our worst quarters this season. We weren't daring, nor determined, we did not use the fouls correctly and you play against a team like Olympiacos you cannot hope for much. It was very difficult to come back to the game against a defense like Olympiacos'. I hope we are more ready for the next game, have all our roster healthy since our roster is not as deep as Olympiacos' is. We did not play the kind of defense we had planned for, we did not use the fouls, we received many easy baskets and I think the first five minutes of the game were the worst we have played when starting a game. In offense you may score or you may not. We weren't attacking poorly in the first half, but we received 48 points and that was the problem. When you don't play defense, you don't play defense, there is nothing more to analyze in regard to game tactics. The goal for the third place has only been established due to our good performance in the first round. On the court it's a five on five game, budgets don't play the game. Most European teams have kneeled against Olympiacos, so it wasn't fear that overpowered us.
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: «In the first half we stopped PAOK that has players who can anytime score either close or away from the basket. We have moved the ball well from the beginning and established a substantial lead. Something that is crucial for the outcome of such games. I think that the first half decided the game. We were focused, we were increasing the difference margin and maintained it. When PAOK tried to react in the second half, we have had the necessary focus, played as a team, played our game and that's what's most important. I wish to PAOK all the best for the future. Both Sloukas and Lafayette have been injured, Lafayette's problem is more serious. Sloukas has a strained bicep, but we'll see what's really going on with both of them back in Piraeus. Spanoulis is our leader, our captain and a player that makes the difference. He's a player that in his presence the whole Europe nods in respect. But for us it's really important to function well with or without Spanoulis. Even when Spanoulis is in the bench the team plays together. The thing is that all the players are important for the team and they have understood that well. These players have been chosen to challenge titles, that's why they are here. With or without Spanoulis and I need to say that it's not only that Spanoulis is injured, it's also Petway and Katsivelis and Tsairelis. We have so many injured players, but the team continues playing well. We want to leave the injuries behind and play well, not to disrupt our game despite the absences. The most important thing is for the team to be ready for the critical games, the play-offs in both Greece and in Europe. Also, except for the injured players, we have a couple more that have come back following long inactive periods. Papapetrou who came back after six months and Agravanis who was absent for three. It's not easy to get into rhythm. They need time but they have been trying hard. The team is not 100% and only when everyone is ready will we show our true potential. It's not a step for the first place, we are not looking at the end of the road but the next step in the course we have to take. And this step is the most important one".
CHRISTOS SALOUSTROS: "Tonight's game was tough. We did not do a lot of the things our coaches had planned. We have had many dead periods, Olympiacos is a very big team and they took advantage of them. We have six finals ahead of us and if win them all we'll be getting the third place. I don't think we were rushing our game, but we rather lacked focus and energy, hence making it very difficult to cope against one of the best teams in Europe. When you try to close in and receive a decisive three pointer, it's hard to reverse the situation. We began the game badly and never stepped up to the game demands. Olympiacos was shooting very well, I haven't seen the score sheet, we played a bad game. We are not looking for excuses, we played a very bad game and we now have to leave it behind. We play against a team that fights to save the category on Saturday and all else is secondary. The battle for the third place is much tougher than any other season I think. We have an advantage right now, we want to win all six of our remaining games and win the third place".
MATT LOJESKI: "We came here knowing that PAOK is a tough team with a tough crowd. Coming from the loss against Fenerbahce and with Spanoulis absent we wanted to step up and give something extra to the team. We were really focused from the beginning of the game, got a big lead and maintained it to the end".