A defeat and a tie!
Olympiacos lost 73-71 to Anadolu Efes at home for the second quarter final of the Euroleague play-offs and now the series goes to Istanbul with a tied 1-1 record.
The game began with Olympiacos shooting impressively on target from behind the 6.75 arc and with Spanoulis and Printezis leading the offense, the team had control of the game. However, the same level of concentration was lacking from defense and Efes got to lead 22-23 in the first quarter. In the second quarter the outlook changed. Patrick Young helped defensive performance for the 'reds' improve a lot and with a partial 22-14 the 'reds' were leading 44-37 at half time.
In the third quarter, each time the 'reds' were trying to lead by a wider margin, the guests would be coming back and the third quarter finished 54-51. In the last quarter, the game was a derby throughout with the lead changing hands all the time, with the Turkish team leading 71-73 and Green missing at the buzzer for the win. Now, the series is tied 1-1 and the third game will be taking place in Istanbul on Wednesday, 26/4.
The quarters: 22-23, 44-37, 54-51, 71-73
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Green 10 (2), Birch 3, Young 4, Papapetrou 3 (1), Spanoulis 20 (6/10 3p.), Waters, Agravanis 2, Milutinov 2, Printezis 20 (1), Papanikolaou 7 (1), Mantzaris.
Αnadolu Efes (Perasovic): Thomas 2, Honeycutt 15 (2), Balbay 4, Brown 6, Οsman 3 (1), Granger 9 (1), Heurtel 5 (1), Paul 7 (1), Dunston 16, Kirk 6.
THE QUOTES
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: "Tonight we did not perform up to our standards, especially in defense. We allowed Efes to play the way they wanted to, especially in the first quarter. In the second one we got better, we only received 14 points. We had a lot of opportunities throughout the game to broaden the margin, but we weren't focused at critical moments and received some cheap baskets. Efes came back in the game which became a derby in the last three minutes. We missed some shots and free throws and lost. We generally did not have the chance to run starting from our defense. We did not find rhythm through our defense" the Greek coach explained at first.
He then explained that «Efes made the break, but we have proven throughout the season that we can play equally well in any court and now it's time to fight till the end of the series. We need to be mentally ready to fight these two games».
He finally addressed the fans. «I would like to thank the fans for their support. Unfortunately, we did not offer them the victory».
KOSTAS PAPANIKOLAOU: «Our mental readiness wasn't equal to that of the first game. We fought, but allowed easy plays to Efes. It's not time to mourn. We need to keep our heads up and go to Turkey to get at least one victory. We need to move ahead because there is no time».
ERICK GREEN: «We stopped running. We did not have good opportunities for the fast break. I had no choice but to take that last shot. I was confident but I missed. We are focusing on the next game».
BRYANT DUNSTON: «We saw at what kind of level we should be playing to win during game one. We improved our defense, because you cannot win here receiving 90 points. We know that Olympiacos is going to react, same way we did. That's why we need to be prepared. Olympiacos has proven they can win on the road. We'll have to be as aggressive in our defense and control the rebounds».