Failed in Istanbul
Olympiacos lost to Anadolu Efes in Istanbul (79-91) for the 28th round of the Euroleague.
Our team made an impressive start in the game, since it got to lead by +8 after two threes sunk by Kostas Papanikolaou (5-13). However, its outlook dramatically changed when Shane Larkin took over. The American guard 'struck' from the perimeter, while at the same time he 'fed' Pleiss in the post and had a huge contribution into his team running a partial 24-6, thanks to which the Turkish team got ahead with 10 p. (29-19). The many (and in many occasions unforced) turnovers by the 'reds' allowed Efes to steadily maintain complete control (51-36 at 17'). In the last couple of minutes however, the players of Giorgos Bartzokas showed to have a … pulse and despite an abundance of missed free throws - 6/12 in the first half) closed in 51-41 at 20'.
In the second half, Larkin continued with offensive crescendo, giving the hosts a 19 point margin (72-53 at 29'). Nevertheless, the Bartzokas players did not abandon the fight… They put pressure in defense and led by Wade Baldwin and Sash a Vezenkov in the offense, they close in at 8p. (74-66). Shane Larkin opened fire once again from the perimeter at that point and decide the outcome for his team once and for all.
The quarters: 29-24, 51-41, 72-55, 91-79.
Αnadolu Efes (Αtaman): Larkin 40 (10), Beaubois 3 (1), Singleton 3, Balbay, Sanli, Moerman 5, Pleiss 13, Micic 12 (2), Anderson 4, Peters, Dunston 11, Simon
Οlympiacos (Bartzokas): Rochestie 3 (1), Baldwin 8 (1), Paul 7 (2), Buycks 11(2), Vezenkov 10, Printezis 9, Papanikolaou 8 (2), Rubit 4, Ellis 14, ΜcKissic 5 (1)
"The good thing is we didn't quit"
Olympiacos coach, Giorgos Bartzokas commented: "Congratulations to Efes, they have amazing pieces for the puzzle they have created to play at the highest level. For our new players, it was kind of a surprise to see how talented Micic and Larkin are. The game began and we gave them a lot of confidence. We weren't tough enough to put pressure. We were simply staring at them. We have to admit that Larkin is an incredible player and some times it's not easy to face him off. On the other hand, we made 19 turnovers and that number is very big. We need to be controlling the game, to be patient and avoiding turnovers. But we didn't do all those things. At the same time, we weren't able to play good defense. So the result is totally fair. Again, congrats to Efes. For us, the positive thing is that although we have many new signings and many new players that don't really know of the quality and the level of the Euroleague, we did not give up. We tried to fight during all of the forty minutes. That's the only positive thing I can find in tonight's game. After the game against Panathinaikos, a game that everyone knows how important it is. It's like Efes vs Fener, there's a lot of tension. And some times, after a great tension, you relax. If your next opponent is Efes and you are not 100% focused, you are going to have a big problem".
Sasha Vezenkov stated: "We fought in the second half, however, we allowed Efes, a very talented team,, to feel comfortable in its home court. We allowed players with great talent to get into rhythm. I think that never put any pressure on them, at no part of the game. We received 91 points, so when you receive that many points in this court, you don't have much luck to do anything much. We need to forget about this game right now, because we have a final ahead of us ".
When told that despite trailing by 19 points, he and his team mates did not give up the fight, he said: "We fought. At some point it really became too much, we closed in at 9, but afterwards, there were 2-3 bad defensive plays when we lost Larkin. However, like I said before, we allowed them to feel comfortable and lost this game. I repeat, we need to forget about it immediately ".
Talking about the upcoming Milano game against Armani, he pointed out: "No need to sugar coat it, it's a final. Up to now, we were thinking about taking one game at a time, one practice at a time… That we aim at getting better. However, this is a final, the first one. It's a game that we need to win if we are to maintain our chances for what follows".