Left foot start
Olympiacos came into the series with the “left foot” as the team lost to Panathinaikos 64-51. The next game is on Sunday at OAKA.
The “red and whites” were really nervous in the beginning of the game. Most of the Piraeus team’s shots found the rim and so Olympiacos was 8 points behind (11-19) in the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter Europe’s Champions were rather nervous and missed shots and so the half ended with Panathinaikos leading (22-31). The “red and whites” could never find a rhythm in the showdown and so the third quarter finished with a score of 36-49 in favor of the “greens”.
In the last quarter, Olympiacos narrowed the deficit to 40-49, but the tragic percentages behind the arc didn’t allow the team to come any closer and narrow the margin even more, with the game ending 51-64.
Τhe quarters: 11-19, 22-31, 36-49, 51-64
Οlympiacos (Bartzokas): Hines 5, Antic, Spanoulis 11 (1), Perperoglou 5, Shermadini, Sloukas 5 (1), Powell 6, Gecevicius 2, Printezis 9 (1), Papanikolaou 6 (1), Katsivelis 2.
Panathinaikos (Pedoulakis): Schortsanitis 3, Bramos 11 (3), Curry 6, Μaciulis 7 (2), Ukic 12 (1), Lasme 8, Tsartsaris, Diamantidis 4, Gist 10, Guin 3 (1), Xanthopoulos.
GIORGOS BARTZOKAS: “Congratulations to Panathinaikos for the victory. It was only logical for us to be nervous, but that was excessive. We were extremely hasty and as the time went by our decisions were made under extreme pressure. It was a classic game when the opponent comes very confident and gets even more so in the duration. Law’s absence caused a significant decrease in the rotation of the perimeter players, especially since our guards weren’t executing well. Our three – point percentage was very small indeed, while we missed ten free throws in our home court and six lay-ups. We could have wanted nothing much that way. You cannot win when scoring 51 points in a home game…
At some point we held Panathinaikos at zero for six minutes, but we broke the rims when players of the likes of Sloukas were shooting. We were hesitant in moving the ball and took the shots only because we had to. We made too many mistakes, a by-product of nervousness. What we have to do in include Law in the rotation and go and play a better game aiming to win. It’s important how you manage emotions in such kind of games. I would like to thank the fans. The way the game went, I wish to thank them. These guys deserve applause for what they have accomplished under certain circumstances. Tonight we played without Mantzaris and Law. Objectively and without any intent for excuses, the fans may be realizing things and gives their applause for the team. You know I don’t like to talk about the officiating, so I’m not going to say anything. Many things that shape a situation took place before basketball was ever played, but I don’t wish to get into that”.
ΑRGYRIS PEDOULAKIS: “This was a closed game, just like we intended it to be. We were playing against a well forged team. We are going through a reconstructive season. Rebounding and steals have been the catalyst. We had better shooting percentages without being particularly good ourselves. We had psychology on our side in the second half, Olympiacos felt a greater pressure. We made some childish mistakes at the end and we should look into them. It’s only the first step. We have great respect for the Olympiacos team. The opponent’s level makes the winner even more worthy. What’s been happening with Panathinaikos in the Cup, the Euroleague and the League is kind of irrational. Offense needs more talent and money. That’s what we are going to try and do next year. We try to keep the game at low scoring, just like the games against Barcelona. Both teams have stopped going shopping. It’s our own players that win on experience throughout the season. In the first game in the Peace and Friendship Stadium many players had been hesitant. We are building a team that learns how to win. This is happening gradually and is forged in the mentality. Nothing comes from Immaculate Conception. Law being out tonight showed what we had to go through during the season. Tonight some of the guys did not pull through, but Curry and Ukic helped us out. Curry’s addition was not only of quality measure but also of quantity. It’s only logical that when you have your first season with a team you cannot immediately come up with the right choice of players and you have to make corrections. We have taken steps forward, we are going to make some more. It’s going to be for the best for everyone to improve our take on sports”.
KOSTAS SLOUKAS: “The team was in a really bad day. You cannot win a home game with such percentages. The game did not sit well with anyone from us. We all missed free shots. You can call it nervousness or whatever else. We are the ones that can make the break. We have proved we can win in any court”.
KOSTAS TSARTSARIS: “We have taken the first step in a series that doesn’t end with the first game. We have to improve since we are going to be facing a much stronger Olympiacos next. We came here very well prepared, we de-activated the weapons of our adversary and managed to contain Spanoulis and the rest of the Olympiacos players that could score. However, Olympiacos is the European Champion and they are coming to OAKA to win. That’s why we have to remain totally focused”.