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A loss to Efes at the SEF

Olympiacos was not able to return to winning, losing to Anadolu Efes at the SEF 79-84, for the 6th day of the Euroleague.

Relying on their excellent percentages, the players under Ergin Ataman imposed the rhythm and got to lead by 6 (18-24 at 7’). Olympiacos closed in at 3p. (26-29) at the end of the first quarter, however, the Turkish team took advantage of the defensive deficiencies of the ‘reds’ and running a partial 12-2 sent the difference to plus 13 (28-41) at 14’. Aaron Harrison and Vassilis Spanoulis closed in with two back to back threes (35-41) at 15’, while four minutes with failed offensive plays for both teams followed, which was ended when Micic scored for Efes. Harrison wrote the final score of the first half with a three (38-44).  

Olympiacos made a strong beginning in the second half and with Sasha Vezenkov and Shaquielle McKissic at the lead, ran a partial 9-0 that put the team ahead with +3 (47-44) at 23’. The answer of Efes was nevertheless imminent. They took advantage of the turnovers and the bad choices the ‘reds’ where making when attacking and ‘struck’ from the three point line, regaining control after a 14-3 streak (50-58, at 27’). Larkin was the protagonist for the Turkish team, helping the guests further their lead even more (12p., 63-75 at 35’), however, Olympiacos did not give up the fight. They put pressure in the defense, found solutions with Sloukas, Spanoulis and Martin and closed in at 3p. (75-78 at 39’). Larkin made the score 80-75, Sloukas closed in to 77-80 with a lay-up (33’’ before the buzzer), however, with 2/2 free throws and 13.6’’ on the clock, Micic practically put an end to our team’s hopes for a win (77-84)… The final plays of the game were a failed three by Spanoulis, 2/2 free throws for Anderson and a bucket by McKissic,

The quarters: 26-29, 38-44, 57-63, 79-84.

"You have to act and not re-act"

“It’s obvious that our effort in the second half was not enough to allow us to beat such a talented team as Efes. They have great experience, they know when to strike, when to attack and when to be patient. If you take a look at the stats, Efes’ perimeter played a decisive role for the result. To tell you the truth, I cannot understand and I was really socked by our defensive presence in the first quarter, when we received 29 points. Efes began with 8/8 and 9/10 and we did not even try to foul. No matter what happened afterwards, was probably not enough, because when you allow such talented players to gain confidence during the game, that’s a problem. You have to react in cases like that, not act. But that’s the Euroleague though… We have to study the lessons each game teaches and we have to focus on the next game. We see results that seem crazy at times. But, that’s how Euroleague is. You have to immediately forget about a big win, you have to learn to analyze a loss, so you get to play better at the next game”.

About Larkin’s presence, his comment was: “Each team is different. Efes is happy to have been adequately structured, to have the same coach and the same players for a long time now. Larkin might not had good numbers in the first three quarters, but he was decisive, because he scored two very crucial threes although guarded and a tough drive that practically ended the game. You saw Micic, Simon and Beaubois, what a good job they are doing and how they can control the game. Efes is what it is and Olympiacos is something else. I don’t like at all comparing budgets. We are trying to build a team that has character and that character was absent from the floor in the first quarter. That’s what needs our attention”.

Asked about the reasons for the poor performance of the team in the first quarter, he said: “I really don’t know why that was… We have had good practices throughout the week, very intense and very focused. That’s why I said it’s socking that we didn’t even touch an opponent. Even in mismatches under the rim, we did not foul, although we had fouls to give. When this happens, there are a lot of things you can analyze. Watch the video and ask your players why this happened. We did not put our hands on the ball. We were always off and they were gaining distance. When a player like Micic finds space, it’s tough for the team to react. We did not follow the screens away from the ball, they were always gaining distance each time they got the screen away from the ball. And of course, when a player like Micic has room and can see all the passes or finish with a drive, like he did, it’s very difficult for a team to react. In these cases you have to act, not re-act”.

Given the good stats of Olympiacos, and asked why his team did not make it, coach Bartzokas said: “Rebound played a role. We had seven blocks, stole balls, but got very little scoring out of these. We had to get the rebound in these instances, but we did not and that was really important. They were crucial plays. We had better numbers except for the rebounds, we got to lead by four, but Efes played with a lot of focus and composure. The game has some key moments. Lust like Larkin’s threes, they were decisive for the result. My thinking is that we had to act and not react. If you don’t do that, then you get to see these players dominate and that’s a mistake”.