A faux pas in Istanbul
“One can see a bad day is ahead early in the morning” Greeks use to say and Olympiacos had not been good against Anadolou Efes in Istanbul from the jump ball of the game.
The ‘reds’ showed no concentration at all and the many unforced mistakes they made got them even more nervous since the hosts found rhythm from the beginning.
In games like these, if the home team quickly gains momentum then it is very hard to react. Efes controlled the tempo and got a two digit lead early in the game. The players under Giorgos Bartzokas showed some energy in the beginning of the second half and closed in at 9 points, although they could have come even closer had Giorgos Printezis not missed a three. Finally, the Turks found the way to control again, gained a complete safety net and continued that way forcing Olympiacos to its first defeat in the season for the Euroleague.
The quarters: 30-13, 54-32, 74-57, 98-72
Efes (Mahmuti): Farmar 25 (4/4 3p, 8 reb., 9as.), Vujasic 15 (3),Tunceri 7 (1), Gonlum, Savanovic 13, Gordon (1), Guler 4, Barac 11.
Οlympiacos (Bartzokas): Hines 13, Law 4, Antic 5, Spanoulis 14 (2), Perperoglou 10 (2), Dorsey 3, Sloukas 5, Mavroeidis, Gecevicius, Printezis 7 (1), Papanikolaou 5 (1), Mantzaris 6 (2).
GIORGOS BARTZOKAS: We should congratulate Efes for a magnificent game tonight. We did not show up for the first quarter. The score was 30-13 with 9 turnovers on our side under no pressure. This gave Efes the chance to run and gain confidence. We did not even give one foul in the first quarter. Whatever kind of reaction we had later on, was actually without meaning. We have to use this game to teach us a lot. We have to restart and see the role each one on the team has. I believe that my players are selfish in a good sense and on Monday we are going to put on a whole different face for the Greek League game. It’s not a problem for us playing against Panathinaikos. The problem is our reaction in the first quarter.
VANGELIS MANTZARIS: We don’t actually know what happened to us. We did not play well at all from the beginning and this is something we have to discuss with the guys. We knew what was there for us and did not face up to the challenge. This defeat hurts, we are the European Champions and we are the team everybody wants to beat, but this doesn’t mean anything. We have to keep our heads up and be ready for the game against Panathinaikos.
• The President of Olympiacos BC Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos was at the Abdi Ipekci where he watched the game.