Olympiacos makes 1-2
This Olympiacos, with this kind of fans, cannot lose to any team. The ‘reds’ played with their backs against the wall, but stayed alive in the hunt of the title edging Panathinaikos 76-68.
Giannis Bourousis was the MVP for the winners while Jamon Gordon, Michalis Pelekanos and Giorgos Printezis played excellent defense in the second half, and despite the ‘reds’ trailing by seven, managed to control the rhythm at the end and reach a fair victory.
Τhe quarters: 24-19, 39-46, 58-56, 76-68
Per quarter: 24-19, 15-27, 19-10, 18-12
Olympiacos (Ivkovic): Papaloukas, Gordon 6, Spanoulis 13, Printezis 8(2), Bourousis 16, Pelekanos 6, Μavrokefalides 7, Halperin 4, Glyniadakis 6, Papanikolaou, Erceg 5, Τeodosic 5.
Panathinaikos (Οbradovic): Τepic 2, Μaric 4, Batiste 15, Fotsis 5(1), Sato 2, Nikolas 13(3), Τsartsaris 4, Diamantides 10(2), Vougioukas 9, Calathes 4, Kaimakoglou.
DUSAN IVKOVIC: “There has been a very tough game. Way different than the two previous ones. In the first half, we played according to the rhythm set by Panathinaikos. We received 46 points, we were very good at 2-point shots and we had 0/7 3-pointers. We have players that can come from the bench and help.
Pelekanos and Printezis helped us very much. Especially in the 3rd quarter, we played excellent defense, hitting Panathinaikos at their traditional strong spot. We owe victory to our defense. We continue. Printezis is a player we got to help us. There has been communication.
Everyone is expecting that Panathinaikos will end the series at OAKA. I expect to tie the series at 2-2. It’s simply a game. I’m going to prepare my team for the tie”.
JAMON GORDON: “There has been a great game between two great teams and my team won because we played very good defense, especially in the second half. That was the key to the victory. As for the Sunday game, we have to focus and work a lot, so as to steal the victory”.
ΖELIMIR OBRADOVIC: “We have had two different halves. We were very good in the first half and we practically stopped playing in the second one. Olympiacos defense played a part in that but also the fact that we did not realize where our advantage lay. These are the same situations we have faced this season during every game against Olympiacos. Olympiacos won fairly, congratulations, we keep going”