Undefeated !
After ending Maccabi Tel Aviv’s winning streak in the Euroleague, Olympiacos got to end another one, this time that of Khimki! Our team beat the Russians at the SEF 92-75 and now hold a perfect 4 for 4 record in Europe!
Nikola Milutinov dominated the post at the beginning of the game and Olympiacos hence built an 8p. difference (10-2 at 5’). The Russians opened ‘fire’ from the 6.75m. arc and following a partial 11-3 streak, tied the game at 13 points. The ‘reds’ with Papapetrou regained the lead (20-13), however, Shved started executing from the perimeter, helping Khimki tie the game at 22p.
Pressing defense, team work with rebounding and Mantzaris, Thompson and McLean leading the offense, our team once again regained complete control (+11, 45-34) and closed the first half leading 49-40.
The Sfairopoulos players came into the second half with an even greater … appetite, allowing their opponent only score 5 points in all of the third quarter! At the same time, offensive pluralism skyrocketed the margin to +21 (74-53 at 29’).
The game outlook did not change into the 4th quarter. Olympiacos maintained the margin (+21, 83-62 at 36’) against Khimki that was forced to throw the towel early on.
The quarters: 22-20, 49-40, 74-55, 92-75.
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): McLean 9 (5 reb.), Toliopoulos 3(1), Papapetrou 8 (4 reb.), Αgravanis 6, Μilutinov 17 (8/8 2p), Strelnieks 10 (2 3p., 3 as.), Printezis 15, Papanikolaou 2 (3 reb.), Μantzaris 8 (2 3p., 5 reb.), Roberts 2, Bogris, Τhompson 12 (1 3p., 5 reb., 3 as.).
Khimki (Bartzokas): Robinson 19 (11 reb), Shved 23 (5 as), Vialtsev, Zaytsev, Markovic, Monya 4, Gill 5, Anderson 13, Jenkins 2, Thomas 9.
«It’s early to celebrate»
Olympiacos remained undefeated, but the team … pilot, Giannis Sfairopoulos, was keen to land his players to the ground. “It’s a very important victory, against a talented team. An outstanding team offensive wise. We were very good at parts of the first half. Twice we got two digit margins, but Khimki closed in. During half time break, we talked about being more aggressive, not allowing easy scoring. This was the case in the second half, because we showed our quality on both ends of the floor. We only allowed them to score 15 points. We got to run our offense through our defense, we got easy points at the fast break and built a solid margin. We got to control the tempo, we controlled the game on both ends of the floor, maintained the difference and got an easy win. It’s just a win though and I asked from my players to forget about it. It’s very early to celebrate, we need to remain humble and continue hard work to get better. It’s still early in the season and I believe that we have a great potential to play better. We are now focusing on the Greek League and we need to be ready for the Sunday game».
Just like in the game against Maccabi, the key to winning against Khimki was defense… “It was very important that we kept the score at low levels because until now Khimki was scoring an average of 82 points, we got that average down by seven. Also, at the end, when the game was already decided, it was only then that we allowed some easy points. All the guys did a great job in defense. It’s not only important to score, it’s also doing the dirty work in defense to stop the opponent. I said that Khimki is a talented team. You saw that Shved scored some very difficult baskets at the beginnings, when he was still fresh. We then tired him with our defense and his performance was lacking in the second half. It’s our target to play hard in defense. All the guys, foreigners and Greek have managed that”.
Talking about the sixth players, he said: “I would like to thank the fans that came and supported us. We need them by our side because we can all together do some great things. We need to gym to be full, fuller that tonight and we want them to support our players with their voices”.
He stressed about injuries: “All the guys are selfless. There are players that are not 100% and still get to play. For example, Printezis is one of those, Mantzaris, who has played all four of the last games after having an injection and I want to comment him on that, because he proves that he is strong, he loves the team and he’s willing to sacrifice for it. Not just Mantzaris, all the guys that play with some minor injuries. Of course, when you deal with problems, you cannot function at practices as you would have wanted to. However, it’s a given that we cannot change. We adjust our work on that part. We have a full roster. We can see that. Everyone needs to be ready no matter how much they get to play. Spanoulis is doing a personal program. He still has not entered physical contact practices. I think this is the last part of his rehabilitation, but we cannot say when exactly he’s coming back. It’s a day by day thing”.
On the FIBA ‘windows’ and the problems they are going to be creating for the Euroleague, he commented: “On this, I have to say that the Euroleague is the best League in Europe. It’s a league that advertises the sport. It’s the best competition behind the NBA. I think that the level is very high and the product is a joy for the fans, and not only in Europe. It stands out and I think that the new format has made it even more exciting. For instance, all the participating teams are going to be playing here, so the fans have the chance to see all the teams here at the SEF. It’s important to us to be participating it. Olympiacos is one of the pioneering teams to create this League. On the other hand, there are the National teams. We all respect our country. We love the National team, I had been a member for years. The thing however, is that we cannot be working against the sport. I had the chance to be part of the National team when windows were existing, in 2002, in 2003. We were going to impossible gyms to play against Romania or Denmark and we were winning by 30 points… These are games that FIBA has wiped off. I don’t understand why the conflict. Euroleague has a specific format and we suddenly hear about the windows. We are talking about players that have the obligation to play, but we are not talking about the NBA players that don’t have the same obligation. I don’t understand why we separate these two. It’s a problem. I repeat that the fans really enjoyed Euroleague’s new format last season. It’s a League that glues fans to their TV screens in the middle of the week all around the world, the gyms are packed, so we cannot just go and break up such a League”.
«We approached the game the wrong way»
Giorgos Bartzokas said on his part: “It was a very difficult game for us. It was something we were expecting. We tried to prepare our players in the different style of basketball Olympiacos has been playing at home. Our approach to the game was totally wrong. We were trying to get back into it through our offense and not through our defense, especially in the first half, when we received 32 points in the low post. We should have played much better, if we wanted to get anything out of this game. We are a completely new team, all the Americans are new in Europe and don’t know how it is to play against a team like Olympiacos. It was a very big chance for them to learn a hard lesson. Good luck to Olympiacos”.
Asked on whether Shved is 50% of his team’s game, he replied: “When Spanoulis plays, he’s 70% of the Olympiacos’ game. It’s only fatal when a player with huge talent like Shved plays to be the main pillar of our game. We try to play as much as a team as possible, but it’s not easy for a new team like ours. Shved has a great responsibility for the offensive game of the team”.
Lack of experience is an additional reason for the heavy defeat Khimki suffered according to coach Bartzokas. “Most of our players have not had the experience of ‘back to back’ games. We have had very little time to prepare such a difficult game. From there on, what I want to say is that I don’t only want to focus on the negative. There are positives as well. What I don’t like and it’s nonsense to hear about it all the time, is that Khimki has final four potential. I can name ten – twelve teams that are more experienced than us and I’m not only talking about the players, I’m also talking about the coaching staff and everything that pertains to a team”.
«Olympiacos is a great team»
Jamel McLean said: “We adjusted, got into rhythm thanks to the fans and succeeded to deliver on both ends of the floor. We played a very good game in general. Olympiacos is a great team with great players and each one has a specific role. We fit with one another and complete the puzzle. We have many players that can contribute each night on any part of the game. It’s very important to have depth when you play for the Euroleague”.
On his part, Hollis Thompson, stated: “Everything started with our defense. We knew that Khimki is a team that wants to run the floor and we put a lot of pressure on them. We knew from the start how charismatic a scorer Shved is. It wasn’t just me that played good defense on him. It was also Papanikolaou, but also the rest of my team mates”.
Nikola Milutinov heard the Olympiacos fans chanting his name, but it wasn’t … enough: “I thank the fans. I hope I can make them sing my name again with my performance. We beat Khimki in their own game. However, it all started from defense. It’s very good that remain undefeated, but we need to continue this way”.
Giorgos Bogris attributed the victory to Olympiacos’ character: “It’s a great victory. Khimki was undefeated until tonight and for me, they are a favorite to moving into the competition. We showed character in the offense, had guys that scored double digits and attacked their weaknesses”.