A victory against Bamberg and an "embrace" of the top four ranking spots
Olympiacos beat Bamberg at the SEF 87-79, for the 25th day of the Euroleague, and remains at the 2nd ranking spot (together with Fenerbahce, holding the advantage in regard to the games between the two teams).
Relying on his superiority in the post (thanks to Nikola Milutinov and Giorgos Printezis), Olympiacos was leading 10-3 at 4', however, the Germans hit from the perimeter and made a two point game at 7' (15-13). Vasilis Spanoulis continued creating, however, at the same time, got to also score along with Kostas Papanikolaou and Jamel McLean, widening the berth to 10p. (27-17, at 9'). Bamberg replied with a partial 12-2 tying the game at 29 points (13'), but at that point Kim Tillie opened … fire from the 6.75m. and allowed the 'reds' a 7p. distance (38-31). Yet again, the reaction of Banchi's players was imminent. They took advantage of turnovers and defensive gaps and with a partial 9-0 got to lead 40-38 at 19'.
The end of the first half found the two teams tied with 42 points each, however, Olympiacos started the second half determined to rein the game. With pressure in the defense and Nikola Milutinov and Giorgos Printezis leading the offense, took the difference up to 13p. (62-49 at 27'). The Germans tried to remain in the game mainly with shots from the perimeter (73-67 at 33'). Finally, it was Jamel McLean that increased the difference to +10 (77-67, at 35') and personally took it up, so that the 'reds' remain at leading position (87-76, at 38') till the end.
*The Olympiacos' President, Panagiotis Angelopoulos, presented the former player of our team and current player for Bamberg, Daniel Hackett, with an honorary award.
The quarters: 27-19, 42-42, 69-61, 87-79
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): ΜcLean 16 (6 reb.), Brown, Papapetrou 3, Spanoulis 17 (1, 8 as), Milutinov 16 (5/5 2p, 6/6 1p, 6 reb.), Strelnieks, Τillie 6(2), Printezis 16(1), Papanikolaou 8 (5 reb.), Roberts 5(1).
Bamberg (Bancchi): Hackett 6, Hickman 14(1), Wright 23(6), Ζisis 2, Νikolic, Staiger, Μitrovic, Lo 16(3), Olinde 2, Rubit 6, Radosevic 10.
«Everyone should be prepared to play hard to the end»
Concentration was the key to the victory according to the Olympiacos' coach, Giannis Sfairopoulos: "It was a good victory for us against a team that changed its coach and we knew would be trying to play aggressively and show a different face. Bamberg has played good basketball, but hadn't had the results necessary to be at a higher ranking spot. We began with a lot of concentration, good defense, we got to lead by double digits, but our tempo wasn't up to par in the second quarter, we were slow in the offense and allowed a lot of fast breaks and open shots in our defensive end. The game was tied at half-time, but we started the third quarter really focused, played good defense and received only seven points in the first seven minutes. That helped us lead by double digits once again; we kept that difference, controlled the game and got the victory. All the games are important up to the end of the regular season. We leave this game behind us, we prepare for every one game at a time and everyone needs to be ready to play hard till the end".
Bamberg's coach, Luca Banchi, pointed out: "Congratulations to Olympiacos for the victory. I think my players did an excellent job. They tried hard to be competitive and showed they have the quality to play such a hard game. The approach wasn't an easy one in the first and fourth quarter. Milutinov took advantage of his size and we had big problems with rebounding because we lacked big size players. What I also liked is that we did not give up despite the difficulty of the game. We made some very promising stats. Despite Olympiacos' pressure, we did not make a lot of turnovers and had quite a few assists. That proves our effort and also shows the way to continue working on. Maybe, in our effort to cover for the lack of size, we pressed and fouled a lot, but this is also a part of the game. We need to work to become smarter and more efficient. We are now draining our brain and transferring our focus to the League. I think that we have the will to prove that we are here to play the way we want to".
The Serbian center, Nikola Milutinov, pointed out: "We began the second half very aggressively and built a difference. I'm happy we won and I was able to help my team. No team comes to surrender and no opponent wants to be losing. Bamberg is a good team and punished our mistakes in the second quarter".
Finally, Jamel McLean, stressed: "We started kind of nervously, but as soon as we calmed down, we controlled the game. It's tough to play against teams that have no hope to advance, because they play for their pride and ego. They play without having anything to lose and without pressure".