Superb performance
Olympiacos was impressive against Laboral Kutxa, edging the Basques 82-68 and now holds a 4-5 record after nine games for the Euroleague TOP-16.
The Greek Champions held the reins of the game from the beginning and never looked behind. The difference was above 10 points for most of the game and the final score was 82-68.
THE DEFENSE: Olympiacos was impressive playing defense for most of the game. They managed to stop a great offensive team at 70 points and proved why they have the best defense in Europe.
THE OFFENSE: Ten from the 11 players that played got to score, something that proves polyphony. This is what Giannis Sfairopoulos would like to see. And definitely the dunk by Darius Johnson-Odom is the highlight of the night.
THE MVP: Giorgos Printezis. The ‘Thrylos’ lieutenant showed the way in the first quarter scoring 11 points. The 31 year old forward made an exceptional game and had a major contribution towards winning.
KEEPS, FORGETS: Certainly keeps the reaction following two losses in a row. Also keeps the 2-0 record against Laboral Kutxa that can be a major weapon. Forgets everything before that game. What’s done is done and now ‘Thrylos’ looks ahead at the five finals remaining till the end of the TOP16.
The quarters: 19-16, 44-30, 63-47, 82-68
Olympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Odom 7 (1), Hunter 8, Papapetrou 11 (1), Spanoulis 14 (1), Strawberry 7, Milutinov 7, Printezis 17, Agravanis, Mantzars 1, Warrick, Hackett 5, Papanikolaou 5 (1).
Laboral Kutxa (Perasovoc): James 10 (2), Diop M., Causeur 2, Planinic, Hanga 7 (1), Bourousis 19, Blazic 10 (2), Diop Il., Tillie, Adams 9 (2), Bertans 11 (3).
THE QUOTES
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: «It was a very critical game for us. We wanted to return to winning and good results. We are happy that victory was combined with a very good performance. Our victory was fair, we were good on both ends of the court. We controlled the game through our defense, we received very few points from a very prolific team and thus kept energy in our offense, which allowed for easy points on open court and open shots. Congratulations to everyone, this is how we need to go on. From the day after tomorrow we start preparing for Bamberg. What’s important is that everyone how played offered and tried for the team. This is what we want, for everyone to play for the team. I wish to thank the fans for supporting the team and I believe that with their help we are going to make it” he pointed out.
On the use of Hakim Warrick: «He will be playing the center position for the most part. The situation is already perplexed, he doesn’t know people, systems, and situations. If we give him two positions to play, we’ll make it even more puzzling for him. He’s a power forward that can also play the center position. During the five minutes he played tonight his quality was obvious, although he has only trained three times with the team. He’s a player that we believe we’ll help us a lot”.
Asked about keeping his calm in the game against CSKA Moscow following the refs decisions, the 48year old coach answered that “now is the Press-Conference for the Olympiacos - Laboral game. εδώ είναι η συνέντευξη Τύπου για το Ολυμπιακός-Λαμποράλ. I have talked about this before the game, I don’t want to talk about it anymore”.
About Darius Johnson-Odom’s dunk «He’s a player with a lot of physical ability, despite his height. He has strong legs and contributes in defense. We offered us a great high-light, he sometimes does that at practice. It’s in his repertoire. He had the fans on their feet and that’s great”.
ΝIKOLA MILUTINOV: «It was a very important victory for us. We played very good defense which allowed for easy points in the offense. We built a difference from the beginning. That’s how we need to play in the following games”.
VELIMIR PERASOVIC: «Congratulations to Olympiacos. They played stronger and more focused and deserved to win. For us, the game was definitely lost during the long streak Olympiacos has had in the game. We tried to come back after that, but it was very hard against a very concrete team. Bourousis has great motivation. He’s very good at practices and I think that’s the key”.
GIANNIS BOUROUSIS: «It was a tough game. We knew that Olympiacos needed that victory badly. We are still second in the group, we have three more games in our home court and we hope to qualify for the ply-offs which would be a great success for us. We are now hungry for success following our victories against Barcelona and Real Madrid”.