Defeated at the final following a bad performance
Olympiacos fell short of the expectations in the Greek Cup final, paid for poor 3-point shooting and the misfortune of consecutive injuries during the week, and lost 68–79 to Panathinaikos.
Our team struggled from beyond the arc (6/26), while Panathinaikos hit big shots, gained confidence from its defense and, thanks to an outstanding second quarter, built a double-digit lead that they maintained for the rest of the game.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Ward, Vezenkov and Milutinov, but his players were off target when shooting from the perimeter early on (0/4 from the three-point arc in the first 4 minutes), allowing Panathinaikos to gain a 6-point lead (6–12). However, Sasha Vezenkov was unstoppable in the paint, scoring 12 of the team’s 17 points to tie the game at the end of the first quarter (17–17).
Olympiacos’ poor shooting continued in the second quarter, while Panathinaikos punished every weakness. The 'Greens' shot 50% from three in the first half (5/10), whereas Olympiacos managed just 8% (1/13). At the same time, Panathinaikos tightened the defense around the paint and, led by Nikos Rogkavopoulos, the only double-digit scorer for Ergin Ataman’s side in the first half, extended the lead to 16 points by halftime. The 2nd quarter ended with a 28–12 run by the 'Greens', as Olympiacos struggled offensively and scored just 31 points in 20 minutes.
At the start of the second half, Tyrique Jones made his first appearance after dealing with tendinitis during the week and immediately made his presence felt. The American big man finished plays near the basket, and Olympiacos looked more threatening overall during that time. However, defensively they were disappointing. Bartzokas’ players made several poor decisions guarding the Panathinaikos players, who, very confidently, continued to shoot exceptionally well from the 3-point range.
At the end of the third quarter, bad luck struck again for Olympiacos, as Sasha Vezenkov headed to the locker room with a back issue. Panathinaikos entered the final period with an 18-point lead (51–69), with Dinos Mitoglou standing out during that stretch.
During the final 10' minutes, and without their leading scorer, Olympiacos tried to mount a comeback with perimeter shots from Dorsey and Fournier, cutting the deficit to 63–75 with 4:34'' remaining. Even then, however, the 'red & whites' missed open 3-pointers and failed to bring the margin under 10 points. Jerian Grant took control in the final stretch, hitting very difficult pull-up shots and giving Panathinaikos even greater confidence.
The final score was 79–68 for Panathinaikos, who won the Greek Cup for the second consecutive year.
The quarters: 17–17, 29–45, 51–69, 68–79.
