A victory and a pluralistic offense!
In a game when all twelve players got to score, Olympiacos bested Lavrio at the SEF 91-62 for the 9th day of the STOIXIMAN.GR Basket League.
The game was balanced up to 4' when the score was 7-5 for Olympiacos. The 'reds' good defense, however, combined with good choices in the offense (mainly executed by Hollis Thompson, Vasilis Spanoulis and Brian Roberts) delivered fruits… With a partial 10-0 streak, the players for Sfairopoulos broadened the margin to +12 (17-5 at 8') and kept it that way through 11' (22-10). Turnovers and bad offensive choices allowed Lavrio to chip the difference down to 4p. (29-25 at 17'). With two back to back threes by Papapetrou and Printezis the margin was once again up to two digits (10p. 35-25), while the 35-26 which marked the end of halftime was made with 1/2 free throws by Wiggins.
In the second half, the guests tried to stay in the game shooting from the 6.75m. arc (48-40). However, with good defense and Kostas Papanikolaou and Jamel McLean leading the offense, Olympiacos completed set the tempo and the 3rd quarter ended with the reds leading by 17 (60-43). Relying on good perimeter percentages, the 'reds' increased the difference even more (21p. at 32, 68-47) and the game was automatically turned to pure procedure. Olympiacos not only maintained complete control without difficulty but even built a 29p. difference at 38' (88-59) before the final 91-62.
The quarters: 19-7, 35-26, 60-43, 91-62
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): ΜcLean 11 (3reb., 1 as., 1 bl.), Τoliopoulos 6 (3 as.), Papapetrou 14 (4 3p., 1 as., 1bl.), Spanoulis 5 (5as.), Strelnieks 8 (2 3p., 2 as.), Printezis 10 (8reb.), Papanikolaou 7, Mantzaris 8 (6as.), Roberts 5 (5 reb., 3 as.), Bogris 2 (6reb.), Wiltjer 4, Τhompson 11 (5reb.).
Lavrio (Serelis): Papadimitriou, Johnson 4, Verginis 2, Legkikas 2, Kouzeloglou 7, Nixon 2, Perrakis, Kaklamanakis, Lamb 11(1), Meier 21(4), Gray 3(1), Wiggins 10.
«We'll remain as is»
Giannis Sfairopoulos appeared to be content with the effort of all his players: "Today we played a good game. We began very focused and received only a few points in the first quarter. We ran the floor rather well in the offense. We maintained a good difference and were comfortable throughout the game. However, in the second half, we were even better. We had even more energy and drive. The most important thing is that we were more efficient, we were thinking straight, we had very good co-operations and scored 57 points in the second half. For me, the important thing is that everyone who played helped the team and that's what we ought to be doing at all times, everyone that gets to play to play for the good of the team. Congratulations to the players for the effort. We continue with two difficult Euroleague games".
About the return of Kim Tillie and the loss of Dimitris Agravanis to injury, he pointed out: "It's a very short time since Tillie has had the surgery. He still has a long way to go towards rehabilitation. Unfortunately, we also lost Agravanis. He's a player that's been helping the team a lot and despite his young age, he has a lot of experience. At this moment, we have Wiltjer, who has been adjusting to the team's philosophy and mine plus to the European style of playing. It takes time. He's already doing better and he has room for improvement. We stay as is, because we have choices. We have players that can cover for Agravanis and I think that when Tillie gets back we are going to be just fine".
For the heavy schedule of the team and the Christmas break: "Too many games cause wear and tear to the players. You saw that the rotation was long tonight. Everyone got to play. No one played more than 20 minutes, except for Thompson. We try to maintain high standards in regard to our performance, but on the other hand try to rest a little bit the players that mostly carry the team. The Greek League break is going to offer some rest. Despite that, we have many and tough games. The most important thing is for the players to be able and manage all that properly, to rest themselves, eat well, sleep early. All of these details are important; because that's the only way their bodies can deal with tough situations. That's why I never use all of the above as excuses. It is only normal for both mental and physical fatigue to be present. It's not always easy to maintain the same levels of mental reserves. Because you are human. Sometimes you have things to give, other times you are more pressured. That's how athletes are. However, we are here to try to win championship, we work for Olympiacos, a great team that is a leader, we still play all three competitions and we want to do the best we can to achieve our goals".