First at home defeat
Olympiacos lost 73-64 to Fenerbahce/Ulker and this was the first at home defeat for the team of Giannis Sfairopoulos in both Greece and in Europe.
The game did not begin well for the Piraeus team, but as time was passing by, the 'reds' were balancing the game and at the end of the first quarter the two teams were tied (19-19). The Turks were shooting extremely well behind the 6.75 arc in the second quarter, Lafayette stepped up and tied the game 33-33, but it was once again the guests that made two three pointers and built a six point difference (33-39) which was also the half time score.
Without Petway, Tsairelis and Katsivelis and with Spanoulis and Mantzaris playing despite their injuries, the 'reds' were lacking required energy to play the kind of defense they prefer and hence the Turkish team was leading 50-55 at the end of the third quarter.
Thrylos tries for the big come back in the fourth quarter, but wasn't successful and Fener won 73-64.
The quarters: 19-19, 35-39, 50-55, 64-73
Olympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Hunter 6, Dunston 12, Spanoulis 5 (10 assists), Papapetrou, Sloukas 9, Printezis 11, Agravanis, Mantzaris 4, Lafayette 14, Darden 3, Lojeski.
Fenerbahce (Obradovic): Gaoudlock 24 (6), Zisis 1, Hickman 7, Bjelica 16, Erden 3, Bogdanovic 5, Cetin, Savas 4, Zoric, Vesely 7, Preldzic 5
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: "It was a game we really wanted to win. We knew Fener was in a really good shape and they had been winning in the Euroleague. We tried to play pressing defense, use strong match ups and thus get them out of rhythm. We did it at times, but unfortunately they had some players in a great night, like Gaudlock who scored big baskets. We guarded our basket well, but received baskets from the perimeter and we were once again trailing. A key factor was that we lost the rebound battle and that gave them second opportunities in offense. We tried to close in the margin at the end but fatigue and disappointment did not allow for that. In general we did not play up to our standards, it wasn't one of our good games. No team is invincible; we want to continue our good course. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes. Win something out of this game. We have had Spanoulis and Mantzaris playing with injury problems. Spanoulis had a more serious one, he received a kick in the quadriceps a couple of days ago and had a hematoma in the muscle. Any other player would not have played, but Vassilis, and Vangelis as well, played and they deserve to be congratulated because they played with selflessness. We also had no solutions in the power position. Printezis did his best, Agravanis fought, but it's hard for someone coming from a long absence. I never talk about the problems, but I think tonight our effort was compromised due to these problems. The fans applause gives us strength to continue with our effort. We wish to thank them. This is how great teams should be. We should promise them that we are going to be returning to big victories".
BRYANT DUNSTON: "Our problem tonight was mainly defensive. We weren't as aggressive as we use to be with the rebounding and that gave a lot of extra balls to Fener, while we never got into rhythm with our offense. We still have four games to play and we need to remain focused to the one against Laboral to get the best possible outcome. It's not the end of the world, we only lost a game, but we need to get our focus back on".
VANGELIS MANTZARIS: "We weren't who we should have been. We lost a lot of rebounds and even when some of our defensive plays were successful we would lose the rebound thus allowing Fener again to score".
ΖELJKO OBRADOVIC: "It was a tough game, against the best defense in the Euroleague. Olympiacos likes to put pressure on the ball and that's what they tried to do tonight. So, for us it as necessary to move the ball well and not allow them to steal and run the fast break. Such games are not easy to play, but I'm proud of how we played. My players did what they were supposed to do in the crucial moments and our defense worked very well, while we also got a lot of offensive rebounds. The victory was important, but it does not decide anything, we still have four games to play and we need to continue with hard work. Congratulations to my players. It's true we don't play at this level in our home court. I'm trying to calm my players. The important thing is to make the Euroleague play-offs and at that level it's not easy to beat an opponent three times. It's important for us to win at home. We have a lot of time to think about the play-offs, it's still way too early".
ΝΙΚΟS ZISIS: "It's an important victory for us, we knew things were going to be tough, but we had been preparing for tonight for a week. Maybe that's what cost us the game for the Turkish League. We played good defense and it was important that we took Vassilis (Spanoulis) out of the equation. It's nothing more than a great victory, we still have four games to play to see if we are going to have a home court advantage for the play-offs. You never know what can happen in any game. Our group is tough, you watch teams that theoretically don't have qualification chances to win their games. We have three home games to win so that our victories in Moscow and Athens to have value. We are always focused on the coach's plan, it's just that when we play on the road we are even more focused. It's true that maybe in Turkey there is extra pressure, given the fact that we are also a new team. The truth is it hasn't been easy for me to adjust to a team since coming at half season. It's the first time it ever happened in my career. I always try to give balance to the team, to play defense, to make the right choices when attacking. The team saw some of these elements in me and that's why they chose me. I try to do what Obradovic asks from me. We all know how tough it is to play in Olympiacos' home court, but we are used by now to remain focused and play well in tough courts. How the game evolved however led the fans to not be so expressive and thus remain out of the equation as to help Olympiacos with the victory".