Betrayed by poor shooting and nervousness
Olympiacos lost 77-72 to Bamberg at home hence facing its first loss for the Euroleague TOP16 following three games.
The Greek Champions were even trailing by 24 points, had a two point game seconds before the end, but they did not succeed in completing yet another huge upset thus losing to the German team.
The 'reds' were trailing from the beginning of the game and loss came at 77-72.
THE DEFENSE: The Piraeus team did not defend up to standards throughout the game. The Germans were scoring at least 18 points per quarter, found rhythm from the beginning and the 'reds' were not able to play the great defense they usually play at no part of the game.
THE OFFENSE: It was bad in the first half. Especially in the first quarter, the Greek Champions were nervous, thus missing a lot of open shots and being stopped at 10 point during that time. The Germans exploited on that weakness, they led by two digit scores and hence Olympiacos was forced to trail throughout.
THE MVP: Σίγουρα, όμως, αυτός που ξεχώρισε ήταν ο Ντι Τζέι Στρόμπερι. In such a defeat like the one against Bamberg, no player can claim the title. However, the one to stand out was D.J. Strawberry.
KEEPING, FORGETTING: The thing to keep is that this loss came early into the TOP16 and there are games where the team can cover for it and still succeed in its goal. Also, the presence of the fans was a positive fact. The team of Giannis Sfairopoulos, despite losing, was applauded by its fans at the end of the game. Failing to gather ranking points and the poor performance are the things to forget.
THE POINTS
The quarters: 10-18, 26-39, 47-59, 72-77
Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Johnson-Odom 5 (1), James 2, Hunter 2, Papapetrou 10 (1), Spanoulis 11 (1), Strawberry 15 (2), Milutinov, Printezis 10 (1), Agravanis 2, Mantzaris 2, Hackett 10 (2), Αthinaiou 3 (1).
Bamberg (Trinchieri): Melli 7, Zisis 4, Theis 2, Wanamaker 8 (1), Strelnieks 15 (4), Muller 23 (4), Heckmann 4, Radosevic 14, Nikolic, Staiger, Harris, Idbihi.
THE QUOTES
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: «We witnessed what we all know, just how tough this group is. Bamberg plays very good basketball. The game left our hands from the beginning and a small streak they run at the end of the first half created a difference that only got wider at the beginning of the third quarter. We tried very hard, but we did not have the time. Our performance wasn't what it should have been, we did not have the same energy and allowed our opponent to play a very good game. They made many shots, while we on the other hand missed a lot of open shots and many lay-ups. The nervousness we have had resulted in us trailing and then we had to try rather hasty to catch up. We only keep our reaction in the second half. We don't like to lose, but when you play the TOP16, you have to be prepared for everything. We need to understand that when you win on the road you are not the best team on the world and when you lose at home disaster is not at your doorstep. We need to play up to our standards and make up for this loss. I would like to thank the fans for applauding us despite the defeat, it's very important that they support and encourage us even at bad moments so as to go after our goal".
D.J STRAWBERRY: "Bamberg needs to be congratulated. They played a terrific game, they were leading throughout. We reacted and came back at the end, but we did not succeed in covering such a wide difference. They fought harder and played better than we did".
IOANNIS PAPAPETROU: "Maybe we weren't mentally prepared for this game, since we had probably expected it in our minds to be easier. We weren't as focused as we should have been in our game. Bamberg played a great game, they got a huge difference and it was very difficult for us to come back. We tried, but there was not time or energy for the upset. We are still in the third round, there is a long road ahead and we need to react. It was a bad loss".
ANDREA TRINCHIERI: "We were still wounded by our defeat to Real Madrid. We found ourselves in a similar situation at the end of the third quarter, when Olympiacos closed in from -24 to -10, but this time, we reacted much better and succeeded in containing Olympiacos' strong counter attack. It's a huge victory, but it doesn't change much in the core of the group that remains very difficult, a 'deathly' group. Nevertheless, this victory gives us a right to hope".
DARIUS MILLER: "It was a very difficult game against a very tough opponent, but we wanted to play the best way possible. We succeeded in stopping Olympiacos from doing some of the things that they like with their game. It was very hard, but we played great as a team and got a big victory".