A defeat in OAKA
Olympiacos lost to Panathinaikos 66-62 in OAKA and completed the first round of the Euroleague TOP-16 with four victories and three defeats.
Olympiacos started out well in the first quarter with Stratos Perperoglou scoring continuous points and putting the ‘reds’ in a leading position with 10-13. However, the hosts run a 7-0 streak and finished the first quarter leading 17-13.
The game continued into the same tempo in the second quarter as well. Low scoring, the two teams going head to head and Olympiacos continued finding solutions with Stratos Perperoglou. Panathinaikos got a four point lead (27-23) and the Back2Back European Champions run an 8-0 streak to lead in turn 27-31 with the ‘greens’ answering with yet another 8-0 streak to make the score 35-31 at half-time.
In the third quarter, with Mantzaris, Spanoulis and Collins, the Piraeus team managed to turn the situation anew and lead 42-45 with the third quarter ending 47-47. In the last quarter, the ‘reds’ led 47-40 and 55-59 at 36’, but they missed a lot of shots from that point on resulting in Panathinaikos taking the lead and reach the final 66-62 victory.
The quarters: 19-18, 35-33, 47-47, 66-62.
Panathinaikos (Pedoulakis): Bramos 6 (2), Curry 4, Fotsis 3 (1), Ukic 14 (2), Lasme 18, Mavrokefalidis 2, Diamantidis 9 (1), Gist 7, Jankovic, Maciulis 3.
Οlympiacos (Bartzokas): Petway 2, Dunston 6, Spanoulis 6, Perperoglou 12 (1), Sloukas 5 (1), Collins 2, Simmons 2, Begic 2, Printezis 10 (1), Mantzaris 6 (2), Katsivelis 3 (1), Lojeski 6.
ARGYRIS PEDOULAKIS: “It was a difficult, hard game for both teams. Olympiacos was fresher and this was obvious in rebounding. We stayed in the game due to team defense and eventually won by playing it smart. When you stoically analyze some things, some perceive you as being weak. We have played derbies under different circumstance and with different approaches. We don’t baptize our defense as mind games; we only wish to read the game. We don’t think about referees or anything else. All these have crumpled down. We have never dealt with such things. All of my statements have been to that direction, we show respect and we demand respect. Panathinaikos was better last year as well, the Olympiacos players admitted to that”.
Questioned about the offensive presence of Panathinaikos he replied: “We are not happy either by our offensive play. What Panathinaikos has done is like what happened to Manchester United. We were only left with one player from the basic roster. It took United seven years to win a title. We haven’t hidden anything from our fans. We wanted to have Greek players; Olympiacos was ahead of us in that part. When you have good Greek players you can fill up your roster with quality foreigners. We have had objective problems, we are not happy, but we are here”.
About Roko Ukic’ state: “Roko has a two year contract. And the way he came to us, we did not feel it was right to cut the contract. He has a Golgotha to climb. He tries to be with us, to help and plays more with his mind than with his physical abilities. We have one of the best defensive teams in Europe, but we cannot make gain of the fast breaks. That’s why we are bringing in a player, so that everyone plays their position. Pappas and Curry play the “2”. Roko cannot make certain things, run, step on the breaks, jump. Our main goal in the game against Panionios is rest. Roko has changed; we have not only lost him in offense but also in defense”.
About the defense on Vassilis Spanoulis: “We have managed with team defense and many working hours to contain the Olympiacos’ offense and Spanoulis. If this were so simple, then the whole of Europe would have done it. We are the only ones capable of saying what it is we do. When we try to underestimate our team’s work on the floor, I’m going to answer. We wish to thank our fans for the atmosphere and the support. Violence is not an issue of sports”.
GIORGOS BARTZOKAS: “It was a closed game, just like we had expected it to be. We controlled the tempo with our good work at rebounding and took the game where we wanted it to go. Several times when we were leading we made mistakes in defense and gave open shots, missing on the opportunity to put extra pressure on Panathinaikos. The free throw Diamantidis shot just before the end of an attack, the hosts got the lead. That’s how the game was decided, with one decision, one mistake. Panathinaikos is a very experienced team. Even the foul we made 1’’ before the end was a mistake. The first round is just over, many things are going to happen, positive and negative ones. We are looking forward, learning from our mistakes”.
About the poor shooting of the Olympiacos players’ during the last crucial threes the 48year old coach said that “We have had a plan for the game. In the first half we shot 2-pointers with 75%. At the end, when the game gets very close, there many plays that rely on instinct and you cannot blame the players. Some experienced players with strong personalities took some shots, like Printezis and Spanoulis. Obviously, had they made them, we would have won the game. In a game like that, chance and circumstance play a part. The coach does not always control the game. I generally think that we had a good plan and the players executed it well. There have been some decisions at the end that shift balance in scoring, offensively or defensively, to one way or the other”.
On the performance of Vassilis Spanoulis the Greek coach stressed that: “The thing is to be part of a team that plays well and wins. This is the second defeat we made on the road the whole season. I have no complaints from anyone. This is our job. There is stress and pressure, but they have to get over them”.