The first step

Olympiacos bested Panathinaikos at the SEF 73-70 and now leads the Basket League finals’ series 1-0.

Our team’s beginning of the game was superb. With a upscale defensive game, good co-operations and Sasha Vezenkov relentlessly scoring (he had 16p. in the first quarter), they set the tempo (10-0) and got to lead by 16 (26-10 at 8’). The ‘red & whites’ maintained the two digit margin up until 17’ (36-24), however, they paid for their poor shooting percentages and bad decision making and allowed Panathinaiko to close in to 5p0. (36-31). Finally, Joel Bolomboy and Kostas Sloukas offered valuable offensive solutions to our team, that closed the first quarter at +8 (41-33).   

Olympiacos appeared to be disorganized in the second half and saw the guests making a one point game (41-40) at 22’. But that was as far as it went. Bartzokas’ players response was immediate. They put pressure in the back court, moved the ball with efficiency, found solutions from the perimeter with Walkup and Papanikolaou and found themselves at +13 (61-48) at 30’. However, the ‘red & whites’ – who were especially off target (and) from the free throw line – suffered a new offensive black out. In the eight following minutes they only scored 4p. and saw Panathinaikos taking the lead (65-66) at 38’ following a three by Grigonis.

With 2/2 free throws by Walkup and a dunk by Fall ‘dished’ by Sloukas, the ‘red & whites’ once again got in the driver’s seat (69-66). Papagiannis made the score 69-68 and then the game became a free-throws’ Russian roulette… Sloukas made the score 71-68 with 2/2 (49’’ before the end), Grigonis also made 2/2 (6.9’’ for the end) making a one-point game (71-70), and Sloukas once again made both of his to write the final 73-70. In the remaining 6.2’’, Fall played amazing defense on Lee, forcing an air-ball.  

The quarters: 26-14, 41-33, 61-48, 73-70.