A win and a historic record!
Olympiacos edged Panionios in Nea Smyrni 79-73 for the 23rd day of the Greek League, in a game that will go down in history thanks to the new record set by Vassilis Spanoulis! The captain has become today (13/03) the top scorer in the history of the Basket League!
Due to the absence of Printezis and Tillie (Janis Strelnieks was also not playing), Sfairopoulos included two centers in the original line up, Jamel McLean and Nikola Milutinov. However, the 'reds' did not begin the game strong. Panionios got to lead 4-0 and hence the 'reds' were trailing, paying the price for their bad offensive choices, their bad perimeter percentages (they had 0/8 threes in the first quarter), as well as lost rebounds.
The hosts were leading by 6 (19-13) at the beginning of the 2nd quarter and maintained a steady lead till 16' (26-22). With a three by Bobby Brown and a bucket by Spanoulis, Olympiacos got ahead for the first time at 17' (26-27) and had Panionios trailing ever since. Giorgos Bogris did a good job under both rims and with Ioannis Papapetrou 'striking' from the perimeter, the Sfairopoulos' players closed the first half leading with +7 (39-32).
With good defense and clear thinking when attacking, our team completely imposed the tempo in the 3rd quarter and took the difference to +14 (39-53 at 16'). Panionios tried to come back and succeeded… Taking advantage of the defensive passiveness of the 'reds', they passed the ball into the post and made a one point game (61-62 at 33'). The 'red' perimeter, nevertheless, was present at that crucial point and with three threes (one by Spanoulis and two by Mantzaris), Olympiacos got to lead by 7 (68-75 at 39') and practically sealed the win.
A top tier and a shout out to V-Span!
About 2':33'' before the end of the 3rd quarter, Vassilis Spanoulis with 2/2 free throws had scored 9 points and hence became the top scorer in the history of the Basket League! The game was interrupted at that moment, the new record set by the captain was announced in the gym and Kill - Bill accepted congratulations not only by the Olympiacos' team members but also from those of Panionios!!!
The quarters: 16-13, 32-39, 50-58, 73-79.
Panionios (Ziagkos): Brazelton 10 (1), Kravic 22, Dallo 3, Kuakumensah, Sakellariou 4, Diplaros 5(1), Kamperidis, Sarikopoulos 7, Rallatos, Cummings 22 (1).
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): ΜcLean 13 (10 reb), Μilutinov 6, Spanoulis 13 (2 3p., 5 reb., 8 as.), Papanikolaou 8, Roberts 3, Brown 3 (1), Papapetrou 16 (9 reb.), Mantzaris 12 (3), Bogris 5.
"Spanoulis has the same passion..."
Giannis Sfairopoulos commented the following about the victory against Panionios… "Panionios was very competitive. They succeeded in closing in to one point. At that point we made some long distance shots that gave us a 7-8 points margin and won the game. Congrats to Panionios for the effort. I never forget the two seasons I spent with the team and I wish they succeed in keeping the category".
Asked about when the injured players are coming back, he replied: "I can't answer about that… It's a daily process. As you could see, half of the roster was not playing today. We had only ten players available. We'll gradually get to decided who's coming back for the game against Zlagiris. It's very hard to prepare when you have players missing. For example, Printezis has been out for a month, Tillie for fifteen days… Even if they are healthy, they need to time to re-adjust. I also hope Strelnieks gets back and that they all can give their max when and if they get to play".
About the historic record by Vassilis Spanoulis: "I have said many times that he's a player that you can rarely see in the world. He's a player that has worked too much in his career. It's not chance that brought him where he is. He deserves a shout out for everything he has accomplished all these years, but what's even more admirable is that he has the same drive and passion as in the beginning of his career, despite having won almost everything. He has the same passion and will in every game, in every practice, whenever we challenge any title. These things are a testament to his soul and character, beyond any basketball skill set".
"I wish he breaks even more records"
Ioannis Papapetrou congratulated the captain… "I would like to congratulate Vassilis Spanoulis for his achievement, all the team is proud of him. I wish he continues the same and breaks a lot more records". About the game: "Panionios was very competitive, they need victories because they fight for the category. The important thing is we got the game and we are now focusing on the Euroleague play-offs".