'Thrylos' took it out on Rhodes
Olympiacos did not face any problems against Kolossos Rhodes for the premiere of the Basket League SKRATS second round. The Piraeus team beat the 'blue' on the road 73-53 and they now have a 13-1 record.
The 'reds' met with resistance for only 20 minutes and they turned the game into a one man show in the second half, easily dominating their opponent.
THE DEFENSE: During the whole game, the Olympiacos defense was what Giannis Sfairopoulos wants to see. And especially in the second half, when the team received a total of 23 points (12 in the third and 11 in the fourth quarter).
THE OFFENSE: The 'reds' were making some hasty decision in the first half. They were taking hasty shots, they weren't moving the ball properly resulting in offensive plays to get sidetracked. However, in the second half, everything changed, the offense functioned well and the final 73-53 was the natural result.
THE MVP: D.J. Strawberry was the man to make the difference for yet another game. Together with Nikola Milutinov, they were the ones to stand out with the American guard being the actual MVP.
KEEPING, FORGETTING: Keeps the second half performance, when the partial score for 'Thrylos' was 23-43. Forgets a bad four minute period during the second quarter.
THE POINTS
The quarters: 14-15, 30-30, 42-55, 53-73
Kolossos Rhodes (Lykogiannis): Larentzakis 11 (2), Manolopoulos 3 (1), Releford 3, Saloustros 4, McGee 7, Billis 4, Davis 8, Gerorgalis 2, Linden 5 (1), Angelakos, Ahonen 3, Lewis 3 (1).
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Papapetrou 10 (1), Spanoulis 8 (1), Strawberry 16 (2), Milutinov 11, Mantzaris 5 (1), Odom 3, James, Tsairelis 2, Mouratos, Agravanis 10 (1), Hackett 8 (2), Athinaiou.
THE QUOTES
ARIS LYKOGIANNIS: «I think the game had two faces. In the first half we were focused and played a correct game. We did not allow second attacks to Olympiacos and kept them at low scoring. In the offense, apart from the three-four first minutes, we adjusted to what Olympiacos was allowing us and managed to strike where we had to. The second half was different for two main reasons. We received 25 points in the third quarter while we had received 30 during the whole of the first half and in the offense, contrary to what happened in the first half, we could not adjust to the Olympiacos style of play that was physical and rough. It's tough for our players to be able to adjust to such extend of physical contact and for such a long time. We leave this game behind us because we need to rest and start preparing for Rethymno. Good luck to Olympiacos in both Greece and Europe".
CHRISTOS SALOUSTROS: "It was a difficult game for us. In the first half we played quite well, since Olympiacos was coming from the loss against Bamberg and we knew they were coming here to show its best self. The first half was balanced, but we were depleted of energy in the second half and made many mistakes, which you should not make in a game against Olympiacos. We are forgetting about this game tomorrow, because we have a tough game against Rethymno ahead and we want to win it and give 100%".
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: "I'm glad to be here once again. I would like to thank the Rhodes fans for not forgetting my contribution to the team and I want them to know that I have them in my heart. As for the game, we were good in defense. Even better in the second half. We only received 30 points in the first half, but we were a little hasty in the offense and without making the proper choices. We did a better job on the open court in the second half and we showed patience in moving the ball, finding the free player. That's why I think the key was our defense. When a prolific team, like Kolossos, only gets to score 53 points at home, it means that our defense was the key because it got us rhythm in the offense. Good luck to Kolossos, I wish they succeed their goals".
NIKOLA MILUTINOV: "It was an important victory for us. The key was the defense we played in the second half and our focus in the offense".