Olympiacos stops Real’s undefeated status!

Olympiacos bested Real Madrid 88-83 and forced the European Champion to its first defeat in the season!

Relying of their perimeter percentages (4/5 in the first quarter), the ‘reds’ imposed the tempo and got a 7p. difference (21-14). When aggressive defense got into the equation, the difference went to +10 (32-22) at 11’). However, a blank offensive period followed for our team, which Jayce Carroll made sure that the ‘reds’ were going to pay for. Led by the American guard, the Spanish team tied the game running a 10-0 streak (32-32, at 15’). The answer was imminent… Vassilis Spanoulis opened fire from behind the 6.75m. arc, Nigel Williams-Goss regained contact with the basket and the margin went up to +12 (50-38, at 19’).

David Blatt’s players went to locker rooms with a lead of +11 (52-41), however, their poor offensive choices and good percentages by the Spaniards from the perimeter, did not allow them to maintain it… Relying on Carroll, Real closed in 55-52, while then tied the game 65-65 (30’), passing the ball inside the post.

Janis Strelnieks took over – just like he had done in the previous game against bayner – and helped our team get “unstuck” with its offense. Olympiacos regained control and with a three by Vassilis Spanoulis was leading with +10 (80-70, at 37’), however, in less than 45’’ the Madrilène replied with a 5-0 run and closed in 80-75. Milutinov made the score 82-75, Campazzo closed in 82-78 with 3/3 free throws (at 39’0, while Deck had 0/2 from the same position!

The last minute – with a lot of referee calls that were strongly disputed – turned into a thriller… With 2/2 free throws, Williams – Goss made the score 84-78 (17.3’’ before the end), Campazzo closed in 84-80 with a lay up, Printezis missed two free throws, Rudy Fernandez with 1/2 had the difference drop to three (84-81), Williams-Goss with 2/2 once again made the score 86-81, Randolph scored to make a three point game (86-83), while the game was decided in favor of the hosts when with 4.3’’ on the clock, Williams – Goss made another pair of free throws.

The quarters: 29-22, 52-41, 65-65, 88-83.

Οlympiacos (Blatt): Williams - Goss 23 (2 3pm., 6 reb., 4 as.), Spanoulis 20 (5 3p., 3 as., 1 st.), Τimma, Μilutinov 8 (9 reb., 3 as., 2 st., 3 bl.), Strelnieks 15 (2), Printezis 7, Papanikolaou 3 (1), Μantzaris, Bogris, Leday 12 (5 reb., 1 st., 1 bl.).

Real Madrid (Laso): Causeur, Randolph 9, Fernandez 12 (3), Campazzo 14, Reyes 2, Carroll 16, Τavares 7, Deck 7 (1), Prepelic 3, Thompkins 8, Taylor 5 (1).

«We showed character»

«I would like to thank our fans for coming here to support us. They helped us perform just like we wanted to win a great team like Real Madrid. In eight days, we got to play Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Bayern and Real, it’s not an easy job for anyone. The character we showed and our performance is an excellent indication as to what this team is all about.

When asked about the good performance of the three guards, Spanoulis, Strelnieks and Williams-Goss and the fact that they hadn’t played the same against Panathinaikos, he commented: “I agree, the three guards were exceptional tonight. Everyone should realize that Strelnieks had been out for a month. He hadn’t been playing, so it’s difficult to reach a high performance level when you don’t play! Also, he needed some time to get to the level he had been at and find rhythm. After the second game against Panathinaikos, I was asked about Williams-Goss and whether he played as I had expected him to play… I had answered that it takes time to get to the higher level. He hadn’t played the Euroleague before this season. However, he was our first choice and I do believe in him a lot. Tonight, we saw too rookies with the Euroleague, Williams – Goss and LeDay, play great in such a tough game. So we chose well with these two players. But, it’s part of the process. We knew it was going to take time and there are definitely going to be ups and downs. It’s a tough league, with a tough schedule. But that’s part of the process. We need to help them reach their highest potential”.

Asked on whether the victory against real gives his players a psychological boost, and if he thinks they were taught a lesson from previous games and that’s why they were more focused in the last critical minutes, he replied: “We are in the process of building a really good team. You can wish whatever you want… That you will just snap your fingers and everything will be right and everyone will be understanding their role and play as they should be playing in every situation. But this is not realistic. You have to get through fire and maybe get burned sometimes, to learn what you need to be doing. I was personally very upset after the two defeats. A little bit, but not deeply upset… Just like I don’t get too excited after the two victories. We are still in the beginning”.

«I respect Olympiaocos»

The head coach of Real Madrid, Pablo Laso, commented: “Congratulations to Olympiacos for the victory. We made a lot of mistakes on both ends of the floor in the beginning and they gained a wide advantage. Williams-Goss and Spanoulis killed us and the opponent had the complete control of the game. We played much better on both offense and defense later in the game. We took open shots, missed some and some free throws, but at the end we had the feeling that we were still in the game. Our opponent got a difference at first that was decisive for the game”.

Asked about the players his team was missing, he replied: “Olympiacos is always competitive. They are a very tough team. Of course a lot of things have changed with the new coach, the new players, but they have the same identity. From the moment I became Real Madrid’s head coach, I have given many battles against Olympiacos, there have been great games and tonight we had one more of those. We knew when we came here that we would be needing to make a lot of things right, but we didn’t. We were always trying to return to the game. It’s true that we were missing important players, but this is not an excuse. Right now, I’m not worried about what happened in the past, or what will happen in the future. I’m only focusing on this game. Olympiacos is still a great team, a very competitive one with an excellent coach and roster. I respect them. We are disappointed from losing, but we try to become better each day and do better things in the future”.