Final 4 - Turkey Euroleague 2011-2012, CSKA Moscow, F.C. Barcelona Regal, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Options

[Attilio]

Turkish Airlines Euroleague Draw 2011-12

The thoughts of sneakers squeaking and balls sailing through the nets were on the minds of all Thursday as the draws for the 2011-12 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season and Qualifying Rounds and the Eurocup Qualifying Round took place in Barcelona, Spain. Now basketball fans around the world can begin marking their calendars with the dates that their favorite teams will leap into action.

The 22 teams that have already secured their berths in the Euroleague Regular Season were divided into four groups of six teams, with two more team still to be added from the Qualifying Rounds. The Qualifying Rounds will take place from September 29 through October 2 with 16 teams battling for two last tickets to the Regular Season at separate eight-team tournaments. Among the top seeds headlining the Regular Season groups are defending Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Panathinaikos, 2010 champion Regal FC Barcelona and the winningest team in Euroleague history, Real Madrid.

The Regular Season is set to tip-off with the Greens hosting the traditional Opening Game at the Athens Indoor Olympic Hall on Monday, October 17 and then will continue with games played every Wednesday and Thursday for 10 consecutive weeks through December 22. The competition returns with the Top 16 from January 18 to March 1, with a one-week break between the fourth and fifth games. The quarterfinal playoffs are scheduled from March 21 to April 5, the winners of which will meet at the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four from May 11 to 13 in Istanbul, Turkey.


2011-12 Draw Profile: Olympiacos

After firmly reestablishing itself among the true giants of European basketball, Olympiacos Piraeus enters a new Turkish Airlines Euroleague campaign with its sights high. The Reds simply dominated for much of the season, winning six Euroleague games in a row at one point, placing first in their Top 16 group and setting a playoffs record with a blowout win, but a late slide kept them from the Final Four. Likewise in the Greek League, Olympiacos won the cup and had the best regular season record, but came up short in the finals.

Now the Reds look to reach the mountain top in all competitions. The club boasts an impressive resume as a former Euroleague champ with six past Final Four appearances in addition to numerous titles won at home. Olympiacos’s roots reach back to the 1930s and the club lifted its first Greek League title in 1949. The Reds’ golden era took place in the 1990s when head coach Ioannis Ioannidis led Olympiacos to four Greek League titles between 1993 and 1996 and to the Euroleague title game in both 1994 and 1995.

Despite respective losses against Joventut and Real Madrid, Olympiacos continued to fight for glory. And when Dusan Ivkovic came to the bench in 1997, the Reds promptly became the first Greek winner of a triple-crown – Greek League, Greek Cup and Euroleague titles – the latter by beating Barcelona 73-58 in Rome behind the likes of David Rivers, Georgios Sigalas, Eddie Johnson, Panagiotis Fasoulas, Franko Nakic and Milan Tomic.

Olympiacos made it back to the Final Four in 1999, but it had to wait until 2002 to win another title, when it lifted the Greek Cup. The following season, Olympiacos also reached the Greek League finals and came within a victory of the Euroleague Final Four. After a couple of quiet years, Olympiacos returned to prominence in 2005-06 by challenging then-defending champion Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague quarterfinals and going back to the Greek League finals. In 2006-07, Olympiacos reached the Euroleague playoffs in each of the following two seasons, but came up short in series against Tau Ceramica and CSKA Moscow.

Olympiacos finally got back to the Final Four in 2009, winning its Top 16 group and downing Real Madrid in the playoff to reach the event in Berln. The Reds, however, lost the Greek League finals, Greek Cup title and Euroleague semifinals against Panathinaikos. In 2010 Olympiacos went a step farther by getting to the Euroleague title game in Paris, but Barcelona walked away with the crown. Still the club added to its trophy case with the Greek Cup. Last season the club successfully defended the cup and looked at times like the team to beat both in the Euroleague and the Greek League, but flamed out early, missing the Final Four and losing to archrival and Euroleague champ Panathinaikos in the Greek League finals.

Nevertheless, Olympiacos proved that it’s truly back among the continental elite and will be a force to be reckoned with this season as well.




Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Euroleague.net


Αναλυτικά το πρόγραμμα της Euroleague

1η αγωνιστική – 6η αγωνιστική
(19-20/10/2011 – 23-24/11/2011)
Group A
Καντού – Νανσί
Μπιλμπάο – Ολυμπιακός
Φενερμπαχτσέ – Κάχα Λαμποράλ
Group B
Παναθηναϊκός – Μάλαγα
Ζαλγκίρις – ΤΣΣΚΑ Μόσχας
Μπάμπεργκ – ΚΚ Ζάγκρεμπ
Group C
Παρτιζάν – Εφές
Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης – Α' νικητής προκριματικού
Αρμάνι – Μακάμπι
Group D
Ολίμπια Λ. – Μπαρτσελόνα
Πρόκομ – Β' νικητής προκριματικού
Ούνιξ Καζάν – Σιένα

2η αγωνιστική – 7η αγωνιστική
(26-27/10/2011 – 30-01/11-12/2011)
Group A
Κάχα Λαμποράλ – Καντού
Ολυμπιακός - Φενερμπαχτσέ
Νανσί – Μπιλμπάο
Group B
ΚΚ Ζάγκρεμπ - Παναθηναϊκός
ΤΣΣΚΑ Μόσχας - Μπάμπεργκ
Μάλαγα – Ζαλγκίρις
Group C
Μακάμπι - Παρτιζάν
Α' νικητής προκριματικού - Αρμάνι
Εφές – Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης
Group D
Σιένα - Ολίμπια Λ.
Β' νικητής προκριματικού – Ούνιξ Καζάν
Μπαρτσελόνα – Πρόκομ

3η αγωνιστική – 8η αγωνιστική
(02-03/11/2011 – 07-08/12/2011)
Group A
Καντού – Μπιλμπάο
Φενερμπαχτσέ – Νανσί
Κάχα Λαμποράλ – Ολυμπιακός
Group B
Παναθηναϊκός – Ζαλγκίρις
Μπάμπεργκ – Μάλαγα
ΚΚ Ζάγκρεμπ – ΤΣΣΚΑ Μόσχας
Group C
Παρτιζάν – Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης
Αρμάνι – Εφές
Μακάμπι – Α' νικητής προκριματικού
Group D
Ολίμπια Λ. – Πρόκομ
Ούνιξ Καζάν – Μπαρτσελόνα
Σιένα – Β' νικητής προκριματικού

4η αγωνιστική – 9η αγωνιστική
(09-10/11/2011 – 14-15/12/2011)
Group A
Καντού – Ολυμπιακός
Νανσί – Κάχα Λαμποράλ
Μπιλμπάο - Φενερμπαχτσέ
Group B
Παναθηναϊκός – ΤΣΣΚΑ Μόσχας
Μάλαγα – ΚΚ Ζάγκρεμπ
Ζαλγκίρις – Μπάμπεργκ
Group C
Παρτιζάν – Α' νικητής προκριματικού
Εφές – Μακάμπι
Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης – Αρμάνι
Group D
Ολίμπια Λ. – Β' νικητής προκριματικού
Μπαρτσελόνα – Σιένα
Πρόκομ - Ούνιξ Καζάν

5η αγωνιστική – 10η αγωνιστική
(16-17/11/2011 – 21-22/12/2011)
Group A
Φενερμπαχτσέ - Καντού
Κάχα Λαμποράλ - Μπιλμπάο
Ολυμπιακός - Νανσί
Group B
Μπάμπεργκ - Παναθηναϊκός
ΚΚ Ζάγκρεμπ – Ζαλγκίρις
ΤΣΣΚΑ Μόσχας – Μάλαγα
Group C
Αρμάνι - Παρτιζάν
Μακάμπι – Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης
Α' νικητής προκριματικού – Εφές
Group D
Ούνιξ Καζάν - Ολίμπια Λ.
Σιένα - Πρόκομ
Β' νικητής προκριματικού – Μπαρτσελόνα

[Attilio]

Euroleague 2011-12, Regular Season, Group A analysis and Quotes


Greek Cup champion Olympiacos starts a new Turkish Airlines Euroleague season ready to fight hard from Day 1. The departure of several key players forces the Reds to start almost from scratch. Olympiacos, however, managed to keep former Final Four MVP Vassilis Spanoulis, who will be the Reds' undisputed leader in the 2011-12 season. With extended playing time, small forward Kostas Papanikolaou may become a Euroleague star in the making. Olympiacos relies on its fan base, pride and tradition to stay as a very difficult opponent and challenge for titles in all competitions.


Turkish Airlines Euroleague powerhouse Caja Laboral starts a new season ready to fight as high as possible. Laboral has made it to the Quarterfinal Playoffs in each of the last seven seasons but has not been to the Final Four since 2008. Signature head coach Dusko Ivanovic is back to lead the team and its main reference on the floor will be All-Euroleague forward Fernando San Emeterio. Point guard Marcelinho Huertas, three-point bomber Mirza Teletovic and big man Esteban Batista are also back. Its first addition is playmaker Thomas Heurtel but few doubt Laboral will be ready to fight from day one.


Fenerbahce Ulker will be really motivated in the upcoming Turkish Airlines Euroleague season, as the 2012 Final Four is set to take place in Istanbul, its home city. Fener will try to live up to the expectations and already signed some marquee players such as athletic forward James Gist, 2010-11 regular season scoring runner-up Bojan Bogdanovic and playmaker Curtis Jerrels. Head coach Neven Spahija stays as the team boss and Fener has talent everywhere with stars like Roko Ukic, Emir Preldzic, Mirsad Turkcan or Marko Tomas. Fener has just one very ambitious initial goal - reaching the Final Four.


Spanish League finalist Bizkaia Bilbao Basket is set to make its Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut with a deep, experienced roster ready to make noise in the competition. A two-time Eurocup finalist, Bilbao relies on head coach Fotis Katsikaris to lead the club in its biggest challenge ever. Bilbao has managed to keep all of its main players, such as playmaker Aaron Jackson, scoring ace Kostas Vasileadis, veteran forward Alex Mumbru and reliable big men Dimitris Mavroedis, Axel Hervelle or former Eurocup MVP Marko Banic. Add an outstanding fan base and expect Bilbao not to be your average Euroleague newcomer.


NGC Cantu enters the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after decades away with a hungry group of players eager to make some waves. Cantu boats nine returnees from the squad that reached the Italian League finals last season including leading scorer Nicolas Mazzarino, top rebounders Maarty Leunen and Ben Ortner and veteran center Denis Marconato, who is one of four players on the roster with past Euroleague experience. Thus far the team has also added size inside with promising center Art Parakhouski and speed with point guard Andrea Cinciarini to add to a team that has great potential.


French League champion Sluc Nancy Basket is back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the first time since 2009 with high hopes and ambitions. Veteran head coach Jean-Luc Monschau is in his eighth season with the club, to which he led to its golden age. He will rely on players like rebounding machine Akin Akingbala, combo guard Kenny Grant, scoring ace Jamal Shuler or promising big man Adrien Moerman. Taking one game at the time will be critical for Nancy to have the chance to get to the Top 16 - becoming the first French team to do so since Pau-Orthez did it in 2007.


POST-DRAW REACTIONS

Olympiacos general manager, Christos Stravopoulos:
"It's too early to talk about the draw and the teams because all are still building teams and rosters. We want to build a competitive team that will fight in every Euroleague game. I think it's a very interesting group with many new teams and we will have very good games."


Fenerbahce Ulker general manager Nedim Karakas:
"First of all I want to say good luck to all the teams in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. If we look at our group, there are two strong Spanish teams. Bilbao made excellent jump and Laboral we know. Nancy is the French champion. And there is our old friend Olympiacos. It is a strong group and we want to reach the Top 16 and then qualify for the Final Four in Istanbul. Our fans expect that."


NGC Cantu general manager Bruno Arrigoni:
"This is a great emotion for us after so many years to be back in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Cantu has a great European tradition but in ancient times. In the modern era it is the first time for us as we did well in the Italian championship. All the groups of the draw are hard because all of them are formed by teams with great European tradition. In our group all the rivals are tough, especially Olympiacos, but we will try to survive through the regular season. Our fans are warm, sometimes too warm but they are always noble. We'll have to play our games in a bigger arena outside Cantu, but I am sure that they will follow us for the big event that is the Euroleague."


Caja Laboral general manager Carlos Izar:
It is a group in which I think we can compete to be in the Top 16. It also allows us to compete against our neighbor Bilbao. Locally, that will have a very big impact in our region. It was a possibility in the draw and it happened, so we are glad about that. I think it is important for the basketball of our region and also to give the Turkish Airlines Euroleague a derby, which is not very usual in the regular season."


SLUC Nancy general manager Jean Charles Bregeon:
"First of all, I want to say that for SLUC Nancy, having won the French League and being back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague is a great honor and a big, big thing. We are very pleased to be here again for the second time. That is the most important thing. My first impression about the draw is that the overall level of our group is pretty homogeneous. We know there are three strong teams like Olympiacos, Caja Laboral and Fenerbahce Ulker. We know it's never easy to play in Turkey. But after that, with the rest of the teams I think it's pretty open. Bilbao had a great Spanish League making the final against Barcelona. Cantu, we played them three seasons ago in the Eurocup. I think we'll have to play game by game and the competition is open enough. Of course, our goal must be trying to make the Top 16. We earned our spot here so we must fight for it."


Bizkaia Bilbao Basket president Predrag Savovic:
"It is curious to play against Caja Laboral, which is almost a neighboring team, in our Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut. It is critical for us to be really strong at home. I would like to encourage our fans to turn Bilbao Arena into our own fortress. Even though we are Euroleague newcomers, the team will go out there to compete in each and every game. We will try to make it to the Top 16 as our initial goal."


Bizkaia Bilbao Basket head coach Fotis Katsikaris:
"It is a very attractive group and our team will be very motivated to start the Euroleague season and compete at our best level. We expect to play against good teams - all of them are among the best 24 in Europe, so that was logical. Teams like Caja Laboral and Olympiacos are used to competing until the highest stages in the competition. Olympiacos and Caja Laboral are defining their rosters and Fenerbahce Ulker is one of the favorites. They are making a big financial effort to try to reach the Final Four in Istanbul, their city. Cantu is similar to Bilbao Basket even though they have an outstanding basketball tradition. Nancy is the French League champion, has already played the Euroleague and is dangerous at home. Our fans will enjoy a lot of top-level games. We will try to be among the best 16 teams in Europe."

[apostolano]

Αναλυτικά το πρόγραμμα του Ολυμπιακού όπως γνωστοποιήθηκε από την επίσημη ιστοσελίδα της Ευρωλίγκας...

Μπιλμπάο-Ολυμπιακός (19 Οκτωβρίου- 22:00)
Ολυμπιακός-Φενέρ/Ούλκερ (27 Οκτωβρίου-21:45)
Κάχα Λαμποράλ-Ολυμπιακός (2 Νοεμβρίου- 21:00)
Καντού-Ολυμπιακός (9 Νοεμβρίου- 21:45)
Ολυμπιακός -Νανσί (17 Νοεμβρίου -22:00)
Ολυμπιακός-Μπιλμπάο (23 Νοεμβρίου-19:00)
Φενέρ/Ούλκερ-Ολυμπιακός (1 Δεκεμβρίου-21:00)
Ολυμπιακός-Κάχα Λαμποράλ (8 Δεκεμβρίου-22:00)
Ολυμπιακός-Καντού (15 Δεκεμβρίου-21:00)
Νανσί-Ολυμπιακός (Δεκέμβριος, δεν έχει ανακοινωθεί ακριβής ημερομηνία)

[adamosthegreek]

Was hoping the boys would put up a better fight.

I won't worry until we start dropping home matches though.

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 1 - October 21, 2011 - BILBAO ARENA

GAME REPORT
Bizkaia Bilbao Basket 76 - 61 Olympiacos

On a night to remember for the lucky fans who witnessed it live, Bizkaia Bilbao Basket handily defeated visiting Olympiacos 76-61 on Friday, leading from tipoff to buzzer in the city's first-ever game in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. An estimated 9,000 fans packed Bilbao Arena for the occasion, and they raised the roof as their team slowly but surely pulled away to a debut victory. After a 5-5 in the first quarter, Bilbao repeatedly pulled ahead by double-digits, calmly withstanding a couple runs that Olympiacos used to draw within 2 points before and after halftime. Marco Banic led the winners with 22 points on near-perfect shooting: 7 for 9 on two-pointers and 8 for 8 from the foul line. D'or Fischer followed him with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Aaron Jackson had 11 points, 5 assists. Fischer and Alex Mumbru, with 7 rebounds, led Bilbao's 36-23 advantage on the boards. Olympiacos couldn't overcome that difference nor its 3-for-17 three-point shooting at the hands of Bilbao's defense. Martynas Gecevicius led the winners with 15 points and Kyle Hines came off the bench to score 14. Vassilis Spanoulis added 9 points in a reserve role, but no other Olympiacos player had more than 5 and none pulled more than 4 rebounds.

Spectacular defense dominated the early going, with Fischer ripping rebounds and registering a huge block on Pero Antic that lifted the 9,000 fansout of their seats. More than 3 minutes went by before Banic finished a fastbreak and Jackson turned around his defender for a layup. It took a broken play for Antic to put Olympiacos on the board, but as soon as he did, Gecevicius hit his own layup and free throw to suddenly tie 5-5. Jackson drilled the game's first three-point shot, which Gecevicius answered with a two-pointer at 8-7. Roger Grimau came off the bench to add a triple to and Jackson free throws to the lead, 13-7, while Bilbao kept dominating the boards, giving Olympiacos one shot only. Gecevicius made the next one, however, then stole and found Georgios Printezis for a layup. But Bilbao finished strong, with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Mumbru to lead 18-11 after 10 minutes.

Tomas Hempl joined the Bilbao's scorers to start the second quarter. But Prtinezis answered him with a jump hook before Hines appeared with back-to-back baskets. The Reds kept rolling as Spanoulis, another late entry in the game, dropped a lane jumper to make it 22-19. After some turnovers back and forth, Banic broke a dry spell for Bilbao from the foul line. Jackson returned with a good feed to Grimau. The Olympiacos scoring troubles continued until Dimitrios Katsivelis beat the shot clock and Hines added an inside basket. But by the time Jackson canned a jumper, Bilbao was pulling away, 31-23. Olympiacos needed a boost, and Spanoulis obliged from long range, however, Kostas Vasiliadis copied him and soon added a free throw for a 35-28 lead. Olympaicos used a free throw by Lazaros Papadopoulus and a basket by Gecevicius to close the gap, but Raul Lopez fed Banic to end another quarter strong, with Bilbao leading 37-31 at halftime.

Evangelos Mantzaris got Olympiacos going after halftime, and soon Spanoulis had the Reds within 41-39 before Fischer downed a baseline jumper for Bilbao. Antic and Fischer exchanged free throws, then Janis Blums rifled in a three-pointer that had the crowd feeling good again. When Jackson fed Banic with a wrap-around pass, repeated on the next possession by Mumbru to Banic, the lead had hit 50-39 and the Reds needed a timeout. It had little effect, however, as Banic was allowed to put back a Bilbao miss and get to the free throw line to make it 54-39. Olympiacos, meanwhile, kept struggling on its shots, missing 10 of 11 three-pointers until then. Free throws from Spanoulis were bettered by Roger Grimau landing a jumper at 56-41. Spanoulis fed Hines for a dunk, then Hines outdid himself with a fastbreak layup to make it 56-47, forcing a timeout by Bilbao. Olympiacos lost the momentum when Printezis was called for a foul and a technical, letting Banic make 4 consecutive free throws. Another buzzer-beater ended the quarter, with Katsevilis hitting a long two-pointer, but Bilbao retained control at 60-49.

Dueling triples by Lopez and Gecevicius opened the final quarter before Banic upped the Bilbao advantage to 65-52 with an inside basket that gave him 20 points. Gecevicius wasn't far behind, however, and buried another triple from the corner to lower the difference to 65-55. Josh Fisher drove for Bilbao's next basket, while Matt Howard got in the Olympiacos scoring column with free throws before a Fisher to Fischer alley-oop dunk brought down the house. When Mumbru then made a block that Jackson finished with a fastbreak layup, the lead was 71-57. Time was wasting on Olympiacos as Bilbao kept adding to its rebound advantage. Hines pushed back with a reverse layup that cut the difference to 71-61, but by the time Fischer hit 2 of 2 free throws for Bilbao, only 2:15 was left. His team was in control and had been for a while, allowing its 9,000 fans to stand as one and savor the first Euroleague victory ever in Bilbao.

Friday, October 21, 2011
Euroleague.net

[accor6]

Πρώτη νίκη-χρυσάφι με τη ψυχή στο στόμα!
Βασίλης Τσίγκας | 27/10/2011 23:52

Με μεγάλο πρωταγωνιστή τον Βασίλη Σπανούλη και ήρωα τον Γιώργο Πρίντεζη ο Ολυμπιακός επικράτησε πολύ δύσκολα 81-74 της Φενέρμπαχτσε/Ούλκερ για τη 2η αγωνιστική της Euroleague και πήρε την πρώτη του νίκη στη διοργάνωση. Αρνητική εντύπωση προκάλεσε η μικρή προσέλευση του κόσμου στο ΣΕΦ, αλλά και η απόδοση των παικτών του Ντούσαν Ιβκοβιτς, οι περισσότεροι εκ των οποίων κινήθηκαν για ένα ακόμη παιχνίδι σε ρηχά νερά. Αυτό που σίγουρα κρατάει, όμως, ο σέρβος τεχνικός είναι το τελικό αποτέλεσμα, αφού αυτές τις νίκες χρειάζεται ο... νεαρός φετινός Ολυμπιακός για να σφυρηλατήσει την προσωπικότητά του!



Ο Ολυμπιακός βρέθηκε στο -12 και τελικά επικράτησε με +7. Αυτό είναι που πρέπει να κρατήσουν οι ερυθρόλευκοι και να χτίσουν πάνω του για τη συνέχεια!

Ο Ολυμπιακός έδειξε την πρόθεσή του να μεταφέρει το παιχνίδι μέσα στη ρακέτα στα πρώτα λεπτά, όμως ο Πέρο Αντιτς σπατάλησε τις τέσσερις πρώτες επιθέσεις των ερυθρολεύκων. Σε συνδυασμό με τις φτωχές επιλογές των τούρκων, το σκορ άνοιξε στο 2' από το Λάζαρο Παπαδόπουλο, σε μια πρώτη περίοδο που ήταν ιδιαίτερα φτωχή παραγωγικά.

Αυτό έδειχνε να βολεύει τους γηπεδούχους, που έπαιζαν καλή, δυνατή άμυνα, τουλάχιστον μέχρι το 7'30'' (12-5). Εκεί οι τούρκοι πάτησαν γκάζι και έτρεξαν ένα σερί 11-0 που κράτησε μέχρι τα πρώτα δευτερόλεπτα του δεύτερου δεκαλέπτου (12-16 στο 10'30'').

Ο Ολυμπιακός κόλλησε για τέσσερα ολόκληρα λεπτά στην επίθεση, χρονικό διάστημα στο οποίο είχε κάκιστες επιλογές, ενώ ήταν άστοχος και στα ελεύθερα σουτ (ο Κέσελ σε ένα ακόμα παιχνίδι ήταν εκνευριστικά άστοχος από την περιφέρεια). Οι τούρκοι εκμεταλλεύτηκαν αυτό το γεγονός και σιγά-σιγά άρχισαν να χτίζουν μια διαφορά, που έφτασε τους 11 πόντους στο τέλος του πρώτου ημιχρόνου (26-37).

Ο Σπανούλης μπήκε φορτσάτος στο δεύτερο 20λεπτο και με τέσσερις προσωπικούς του πόντους μείωσε γρήγορα σε 30-37 (22'), όμως ο Ολυμπιακός κόλλησε και πάλι στην επίθεση με τη Φενέρ να τρέχει ένα μίνι σερί 5-0 και να φτάνει τη διαφορά στη μάξιμουμ διαφορά της στο 23'20'' (30-42).

Το έτσι κι αλλιώς κρύο ΣΕΦ, λόγω της μικρής προσέλευσης του κόσμου, πάγωσε σε εκείνο το σημείο, αφού οι παίκτες του Ντούσαν Ιβκοβιτς έδειχναν ανήμποροι να σταθούν απέναντι στη Φενέρ. Χρειαζόταν κάτι δραστικό για να ξυπνήσουν όλοι και αυτό το ηλεκτροσόκ το προσέφερε ο Γιώργος Πρίντεζης.

Ο έλληνας φόργουορντ με 2/2 συνεχόμενα τρίποντα έκανε το 32-44, 38-44, ενώ δύο βολές του Σπανούλη στα... καπάκια λόγω τεχνικής ποινής στον Νέβεν Σπάχια έκαναν το 40-44 στο 35-40'', με τον Ολυμπιακό να επανέρχεται στο παιχνίδι και τον κόσμο να κάνει... επιτέλους αισθητή την παρουσία του.

Δύο ακόμη πόντοι του V-Span έφτασαν το σερί των ερυθρολεύκων στο 10-0 (42-44) και οι δύο ομάδες πήγαιναν από εκείνο το σημείο και μετά χέρι-χέρι μέχρι το τέλος, παρά τις προσπάθειές τους να ξεφύγουν (53-54 στο 30').

Ο Πρίντεζης ήταν αυτός που έβαλε τον Ολυμπιακό μπροστά στο σκορ έπειτα από αρκετή ώρα (55-54 στο 30'30'') και ο Σπανούλης έδωσε στην ομάδα του ένα προβάδισμα πέντε πόντων με σουτ τριών πόντων (60-55 στο 32'), όμως η Φενέρ δεν παραδόθηκε, παρά το comeback των γηπεδούχων (60-61 στο 34'30'').

Το ματς πήγαινε πόντο-πόντο μέχρι τα τελευταία κρίσιμα δευτερόλεπτα, εκεί που οι ερυθρόλευκοι έφτασαν μία ανάσα μακριά από τη δεύτερη συνεχόμενη ήττα τους. Με 16'' να απομένουν και το σκορ στο 75-73, ο Κατσίβελης έκανε λάθος στην επαναφορά, όμως για καλή του τύχη, στο ίδιο λάθος υπέπεσε και ο πολύ πιο έμπειρος Μπογκντάνοβιτς, τρία δευτερόλεπτα αργότερα.

Ο νεαρός γκαρντ έκανε κι άλλο λάθος αργότερα, αφού σταμάτησε το χρόνο με αχρείαστο φάουλ στον Σεφολόσα με το σκορ στο +4 για τον Ολυμπιακό (77-73) και 8'' να απομένουν. Οι ερυθρόλευκοι, όμως, δεν τα πλήρωσαν ακριβά αυτά τα λάθη και πήραν τελικά τη πρώτη τους νίκη με 81-74.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα: http://www.sport.gr/default.asp?pid=4&...8#ixzz1c1ImTa7P

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 2 - October 27, 2011 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 81 - 74 Fenerbahce Ulker

Olympiacos came back from a double-digit, second-half deficit to beat Fenerbahce Ulker 81-74 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicates on Thursday night at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece. Vassilis Spanoulis sparkled with 22 points and 7 assists and Georgios Printezis posted 21 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Reds, who improved to 1-1 in Group A. The game saw both teams make runs and came down to the final minute. After a James Gist steal, Fener had the ball down 2 with 13.6 seconds left, but after a costly turnover, the hosts won the free-throw battle and took the game. Martynas Gecevicius added 13 points and Kyle Hines scored 10 before fouling out. Thabo Sefolosha paced the visitors with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Gist scored 14 and Roko Ukic 13 for Fenerbahce Ulker, which dropped to 0-2 and is the only winless team in the group.

The defenses on both sides made their marks early with blocked shots and drawn charges. Lazaros Papadopoulos spun past James Gist for the game’s first points after two minutes of action. Ukic countered to get Fener on the scoreboard. Gecevicius struck from downtown as the hosts got to 6-2. But Gist made a pretty pass to Oguz Savas at the other end. The Reds kept the pressure up with more from Papadopoulos and Kyle Hines’s first basket. Spanoulis made it 12-5 with 2 free throws. Emir Preldzic fed a cutting Savas for an easy basket and after Hines missed twice from the line, Curtis Jerrells cut the gap to 1. Gist capped the comeback with a follow-slam to put the visitors up 12-13 and a Bojan Bogdanovic free throw capped a 0-8 finish to the quarter, 12-14.

Gist continued to attack the glass and got back to the line to stretch the run to 10 straight points. Kalin Lucas got inside for a mid-range floater and his first Euroleague points to end the long Olympiacos drought. Preldzic drove and set up Kaya Peker as the visitors stayed hot. But Hines turned it around with a score down low, a block on defense and a coast-to-coast drive for a trip to the line. Jerrells protected the Fenerbahce lead with a triple. The visitors’ press infused some exciting plays into the game, including a Hines-to-Printezis slam. Sefolosha got going with a second-chance basket and a layup credit to Preldzic, who then impressed with a finger roll to make it 21-29. Papadopoulos answered in the paint only to see Sefolosha connect from downtown. Preldzic added another basket and after an offensive foul on Papadopoulos, Ukic pulled up just before the halftime buzzer and drained a three-pointer for a 26-37 lead.

Spanoulis revived the Reds with a pair of scores to start the second half. Omer Onan countered with a basket-plus-foul over Spanoulis to put his team back up by 10. Preldzic and Savas lifted Fener to a 12-point lead. A Printezis triple brought cheers from the fans. Soon he hit another and Spanoulis got going with 2 from the line and move to the basket to get the hosts within 2. Sefolosha and Jerrells scored to keep Fener ahead, but the Reds were knocking at the door. Kaya Peker knocked Hines down at the rim and was called for an unsportsmanlike foul. Gecevicius closed the gap to 49-50. However the tables turned when Dimitrios Katsivelis fouled Ukic, was whistled for a technical and Ukic sank the resulting 4 free throws. But another technical foul, this time on Prledzic for arguing, allowed Spanoulis to make it 53-54 at the end of the quarter.

Printezis completed the comeback at the start of the fourth quarter and Pero Antic’s first basket kept the momentum Red. Spanoulis drilled a triple that made it 60-55. Just as quickly, baskets by Gist and Sefolosha had FB ulcer back up 1. Hines restored an Olympiacos lead, but Preldzic answered. Hines fouled out stopping Gist with 3:39 remaining and the latter made the free throws to make it 66-65. And with three minutes left, Gist drove in traffic and finished with one hand to even things at 67-67. Sefolosha made a pair of free throws as the visitors went ahead. Spanoulis answered back with a clutch triple. And Gecevicius went to the line and made it 71-69 with two minutes left. Printezic came through with a key block of Ukic and Pero Antic hauled in the rebound, drew a foul and sank free throw to stretch the advantage to 4. Gist shined with a reverse slam thanks to a great pass from Ukic, but Printezis matched him. Spanoulis almost sealed the win with steal from Sefolosha, but he turned it over and Ukic made it 75-73 with 17 seconds left. Gist stole the inbounds pass and nearly lost it, but Fener managed to get the ball back with 13.6 seconds left. However a 5 seconds violation on the inbounds gave the ball back to Olympiacos. Gecevicius was sent to the line with 12.5 seconds left and made it a 4-point game. Sefolosha got 1 back from the stripe with 8.8 seconds to go and Spanoulis iced the win from the line before Printezis threw down a slam for the finishing touch.

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Euroleague.net

[adamosthegreek]

Printezis may have 'finally' woken the fuck up. He's had a great last few months.

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 3 - November 02, 2011 - IRADIER ARENA

GAME REPORT
Caja Laboral 81 - 79 Olympiacos

In arguably one of the best Turkish Airlines Euroleague games so far this season, Caja Laboral stayed undefeated in Group A by edging Olympiacos 81-79 in Vitoria, Spain on Wednesday night. Pablo Prigioni won the game for Laboral with the go-ahead jumper with just 1.7 seconds to go. Laboral went up to 3-0 in Group A while Olympiacos dropped to 1-2. Mirza Teletovic paced the winners with 20 points. Kevin Seraphin and Fernando San Emeterio each added 15 for Laboral, but Prigioni stole the show and set the crowd on fire with his game-winning shot. Vassilis Spanoulis led Olympiacos with 19 points. Pero Antic and Kyle Hines each added 14 while Marko Keselj had 10 for the Reds. Antic and Keselj struck twice from downtown in the first quarter to give Olympiacos a 13-22 lead after 10 minutes. Intense defense and an inspired Spanoulis helped the Reds to stay way ahead, 32-40, at halftime. A three-pointer by Martynas Gecevicius allowed Olympiacos to keep a 60-66 edge after 30 minutes. Seraphin led a 10-2 run that put Laboral back ahead, 70-68, with 6 minutes left. The game went down to the wire and Spanoulis buried a big three-pointer to tie the game, 79-79, with 8 seconds to go. Prigioni had time to get to the other end and bury the game-winning shot, as Olympiacos did not score in its final possession.

Spanoulis needed just 14 seconds to get Olympiacos going with a driving layup. Reggie Williams copied him in the other end, as the Reds tried to slow down the game tempo in the opening minutes. Antic struck from downtown to give Olympiacos a 2-5 lead. Seraphin scored in penetration and a put-back layup by Williams put Laboral back ahead, 6-5. Antic buried another three-pointer and Keselj also hit one from beyond the arc for a 6-11 Olympiacos lead. Nemanja Bjelica scored in transition and a free throw by Teletovic got Laboral within 9-11. Keselj shined with a big basket off the baseline that Seraphin matched with a jump hook off the glass. Lazaros Papadopoulos sank his trademark hook shot, added a huge basket in the low post and fed Antic for an uncontested dunk that made the hosts call timeout at 11-19. San Emeterio tried to change things with free throws that Keselj improved with another corner triple to boost the Reds' lead to 13-22 after 10 minutes.

Papadopoulos kept pacing Olympiacos with a hook shot early in the second quarter. Thomas Heurtel quickly scored in transition, as Laboral tried to play with more intensity in defense. San Emeterio sank a fallaway jumper in penetration but a driving layup by Hines kept the Reds way ahead, 17-26. The Reds kept powering the boards but Laboral was all over the place in defense. Meanwhile, Teletovic took over with a three-point play for a 20-26 score. Antic and Gecevicius sank free throws, as the hosts entered the foul bonus. Milko Bjelica scored down low and Pau Ribas dunked it off a steal to keep Laboral within 24-30. Heurtel beat Gecevicius' jumper with a three-pointer but a power basket by Hines restored a 27-34 Olympiacos margin. Milko Bjelica and Teletovic hit free throws but a layup by Spanoulis gave Olympiacos some fresh air, 30-36. Pau Ribas nailed a stop-and-pop jumper but an outstanding Spanoulis split foul shots and scored off a steal to give Olympiacos a 32-40 edge at halftime.

Antic shined with a put-back basket immediately after the break but San Emeterio improved that with a layup-plus-foul for a 35-42 score. Spanoulis hit his trademark driving layup but Teletovic answered with a fallaway jumper. Hines silenced the crowd with a three-point play and a fast break layup by Kalin Lucas forced Laboral to call timeout at 37-49. Seraphin tried to ignite the hosts' comeback with a mid-range jumper and free throws by San Emeterio gave Laboral some hope, 41-49. Spanoulis fed Keselj for an easy dunk but Ribas answered from downtown, as both teams entered the foul bonus midway through the third quarter. Teletovic followed a key triple with free throws to bring Laboral back to life, 50-54. Antic hit free throws but a close basket by Teletovic and a coast-to-coast layup by Ribas sent the crowd to their feet at 54-56. Lucas buried a triple off an Olympiacos timeout and Georgios Printezis added back-to-back layups but Milko Bjelica and Teletovic kept Laboral within 60-63. Gecevicius sank a wild running triple for a 60-66 Olympiacos lead after 30 minutes.

Brad Oleson buried a six-meter jumper early inthe fourth quarter and a put-back layup by Seraphin made it a two-point game, 64-66. Olympiacos kept struggling to score and a power basket by Seraphin tied the game at 66-66. Spanoulis fed Hines for a layup but an unstoppable Seraphin matched with a jumper and a fast break layup by San Emeterio completed the hosts' comeback, 70-68, with under 6 minutes left. Spanoulis scored in penetration but San Emeterio followed an off-balance jumper with a backdoor layup to give Laboral a 74-70 edge. Hines stepped up with free throws but a three-point play by Seraphin gave Laboral a 77-72 edge with 3 minutes to go. Spanoulis hit foul shots but Teletovic answered in the same way for a 79-74 score. Laboral kept using long possessions to run the game clock down but a put-back layup brought Olympiacos within 79-76 with a minute left. San Emeterio picked up a turnover and Spanoulis finished a long offense with a wild triple that tied the game with 8 seconds left. Prigioni brought the ball to the other end and downed a five-meter shot with 1.7 seconds left. Olympiacos had a final chance to win the game but Gecevicius could get a shot up in time.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Euroleague.net

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 4 - November 09, 2011 - PALA DESIO

GAME REPORT
Bennet Cantu 64 - 63 Olympiacos

Another party atmosphere in Desio, Italy ended in joy for the home fans again as Bennet Cantu outlasted visiting Olympiacos 64-63 on a free throw with 7.8 seconds left by Giorgi Shermadini. Cantu, in its return to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after a 17-year absence, raised its record to 3-1, with all victories at home. With one game left to play in the group, Nancy vs. Caja Laboral on Thursday, Cantu will either be alone in second place or tied with both for the group lead at the end of the week. Olympiacos, meanwhile, has dropped to 1-3, with its last two defeats on the road by a combined 3 points, and shares a fifth-place tie with Bizkaia Bilbao Basket. The sellout crowd in Desio saw a game as tight as its final score, with series of ties and lead changes in every quarter except the second, when Olympiacos took the game's biggest lead, 9 points, 18-27. The Reds were up 49-55 early in the fourth before Cantu rallied behind veteran Denis Marconato, and was still even on free throws by Vassilis Spanoulis with 20 seconds left before Shermadini broke the last tie. Maarten Leunen led the winners with 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Marconato added 10 and 6, respectively, as well as 3 blocks, without missing a shot all night. Olympiacos got 23 points from Spanoulis, who went 9 for 9 on free throws, while Marko Keselj scored 11. The biggest difference in the stats department came in assists, with 19 for Cantu - including 6 by Andrea Cinciarini - to just 8 total for Olympiacos.

Keselj opened the scoring for the visitors from downtown. , Manuchar Markohisvili answered with a pull-up jumper for the hosts, then traded free throws with Spanoulis at 4-5. Leunen rained a three-pointer from the top to give Cantu its first lead, which Nicolas Mazzarino pushed to 9-6 with a perfect jumper coming off a screen. Olympiacos was quick to respond, ripping through an 8-0 run with back-to-back triples by DImitrios Katsivelis and Keselj to seize the lead again, 9-14, after 7 minutes as reserves started coming on the floor. Two from the Cantu bench, Gianluca Basile and Giorgi Shermadini, connected for a two-hand dunk, while Martynas Gecevicius converted free throws for Olympiacos to give the Reds a 12-16 advantage after 10 minutes.

From beyond the arc, Gecevicius extended the Olympiacos lead to begin the second quarter and Katsivelis found easy points on the break and make it 14-21. Basile and Marko Scekic combined on 4 much-needed point then for Cantu, but soon the Greek side re-established a nine-point margin, 18-27, thanks to 4 points from Kyle Hines and free throws from Kostas Papanikolaou. A long-distance shot of Leunen re-started Cantu's engine, and then he completed a three-point-play at 24-28. Kalin Lucas wrote his name on the Olympiacos scorers list with a lay up, then made an acrobatic shot off a steal by Spanoulis to make it. Spanoulis, the 2009 Final Four MVP, showed all his talent on a full-court basket, but all-time three-point shot leader Basile finished the half from deep, with Olympiacos clinging to a 31-34 adavantage.

Vladimir Micov for Cantu and Gecevicius for Olympiacos traded mid-range shots to open the second-half scoring. Then, the momentum seemed to change as the veteran Mazzarino fired in a rocket from the arc, while Shermadini slammed for a sudden 38-36 lead for Cantu. A 24-second violation by Olympiacos, another dunk of Shermadini, assisted by Cinciarini, and a jumper by Marconato capped an 11-2 run for Cantu's biggest lead yet, 42-36. Spanoulis stopped the scoreless slide for the guests, but Marconato responded with a dunk on great Cantu ball movement. Papadopoulos scored in the paint to keep it close, 44-40, midway through of the quarter. When Spanoulis went end-to-end and Keselj finished a break with a triple, the score was tied 45-45. Olympiacos was on fire, and Papadopuolos completed a 0-9 run to give the Reds a lead again, 45-49 after 30 minutes.

Markohisvili drove Cantu closer to open the final quarter, but Spanoulis scored from beyond the arc on a pick-and-roll at 47-52. Next, he got fouled attempting another three-pointer, and drained all the free throws for what looked like a 49-55 advantage for the Reds. Instead, Cinciarini scored once and assisted the veteran Marconato on the first of his back-to-back baskets that quickly tied the score at 55-55. Scekic then gave the lead back to the hosts but Spanoulis answered immediately on the other side at 57-57. Next, after Markohisvili bagged a mid-range jumper, Spanoulis buried another three-pointer to return the lead to Olympiacos, 59-60, with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining. Marconato was perfect from the foul line as Cantu led again, while Gecevicius scored 1 of 2 free throws to forge another tie, 61-61. With 45 second left and Cinciarini out with 5 fouls, Basile and Leunen combined on a tie-breaking alley-oop basket that rolled around the rim a few times before falling, bringing the 5,000-plus crowd at Paladesio out of their seats again. With 26 seconds on the clock, however, Spanoulis chipped in his free throws for yet another tie, 63-63. On the last possession for Cantu, Shermadini was fouled trying to roll off a screen and, with 7.8 seconds left, made the first of his free throws. The second was rebounded by Hines, who raced down the floor but missed the potential game-winning layup, to the delight of the Cantu crowd!

Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Euroleague.net





euroleague.net

[hellas719]

Why was the FYROMian shooting so many 3s? Can someone tell me why?

[accor6]

Why was he acquired to begin with??

[adamosthegreek]

Why was the FYROMian shooting so many 3s? Can someone tell me why?

Because that's all he does.

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 5 - November 16, 2011 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 91 - 78 SLUC Nancy

Olympiacos survived a critical test in Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season Group A by downing Sluc Nancy 91-78 in the Pireaus, Greece on Wednesday. Olympiacos and Nancy join Gescrap Bizkaia in a three-way tie for fourth place in Group A, all at 2-3 and just one win away from the leaders - Caja Laboral, Fenerbahce Ulker and Bennet Cantu. Vassilis Spanoulis paced the winners with 26 points and 6 assists. Michalis Pelekanos added 11 points while Andreas Glyniadakis had 10 for Olympiacos. Pelekanos lived up to his defensive reputation by limiting Nancy superstar Nicolas Batum to just 9 points. Adrien Moerman led Nancy with 20 points, John Linehan added 17 and Jamal Shuler 15. An outstanding Spanoulis had 9 first-quarter points to lead Olympiacos to a 30-22 edge after 10 minutes. Good defense and easy baskets in transition helped Nancy to get within 38-36 near halftime. Spanoulis kept pacing Olympiacos after the break and got some help from Glyniadakis and Martynas Gecevicius to give the Reds a 67-52 margin after 30 minutes. Nothing changed from that moment, as even when Nancy kept trying, Olympiacos stayed focused and sealed the win minutes before the final buzzer.

Akin Akingbala got Nancy going with a free throw and Shuler scored down low but back-to-back layups by Pero Antic and Lazaros Papadopoulos gave Olympiacos a 4-3 lead. Linehan and Kalin Lucas traded three-pointers and a jumper by Shuler soon restored a 7-8 Nancy edge. Antic downed a triple from the top of the key and Spanoulis added a driving layup for a 12-8 Olympiacos edge. Shuler kept pacing Nancy with a three-point play, as the Reds entered the foul bonus. Free throws by Moerman put the guests back ahead, 12-13. Kostas Papanikolaou and Linehan struck from downtown, as the Reds kept succeding at stopping Batum. Papadopoulos fed Papanikolaou for a layup and scored down low. A backdoor layup by Spanoulis soon gave Olympiacos a 21-17 margin. Batum split free throws and Abdel Sylla dunked it but Papadopoulos kept the hosts ahead, 25-20. Batum hit foul shots but 5 unanswered points by Spanoulis gave the Reds a 30-22 lead after 10 minutes.

Gecevicius struck from downtown early in the second quarter and Printezis matched Victor Samnick's layup with a put-back basket for a 35-24 Olympiacos lead. Olympiacos kept playing with high intensity in defense, focusing on Batum at all times and denying him one-on-one options in the low post, but the hosts had started to miss open shots. Nancy had been scoreless for more than 4 minutes already until Samnick hit a jump hook in transition. Pelekanos made free throws but Samnick erased it with a layup and a three-pointer by Moerman got the guests even closer, 37-31. Jamal Shuler took over with an off-balance jumper and Moerman downed a rainbow triple from the left corner to bring Nancy within 38-36. Free throws by Lucas fixed the halftime score at 40-36.

Anric shined with a backdoor layup immediately after the break, as Olympiacos tried to use long possessions and get Papadopoulos involved. Papanikolaou sank a four-meter jumper but Pape Amagou answered with a close jumper and a put-back layup by Batum brought Nancy within 44-40. Spanoulis took over with a driving layup in transition that Batum matched with a fast break basket. Batum kept leading Nancy at both ends and free throws by Shuler made it a two-point game, 46-44. Olympiacos tried a more dynamic frontcourt with Printezis and Glyniakadis together on court. Glyniakadis sank a jump hook and foul shots by Spanoulis gave the Reds some fresh air, 51-44. Batum shined with a dunk and Akingbala jumped high for a tip-in but an unstoppable Spanoulis bettered that with back-to-back three-pointers. Batum scored again but Printezis set the crowd on fire with a huge fast break slam. Akingbala stepped up with a layup but 4 unanswered points by Glyniadakis made it a double-digit game, 63-52. Gecevicius made 4-of-4 foul shots for a 67-52 Olympiacos lead after 30 minutes.

Linehan struck from downtown early in the fourth quarter, as Nancy managed to lock the defensive board and get its run-and-gun basketball going. Linehan buried another three-pointer to give the guests some hope at 67-57. Glyniadakis rescued the Reds with free throws, as Olympiacos started to play with more intensity in defense to seal the outcome as soon as possible. Gianakidis stayed on fire with an easy basket and foul shots by Spanoulis restored a 15-point Olympiacos lead, 73-58. Moerman tried to change things with a fast break dunk and a three-point play by Shuler got Nancy within 73-63. Moerman sank a five-meter shot to cap a 0-7 run but a three-pointer by Pelekanos kept the Reds out of trouble at 77-65. Printezis made free throws and even when Nancy kept trying through an outstanding Moerman, all Olympiacos fans were already celebrating that their team will keep fighting to stay alive in competitive, difficult Group A.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Euroleague.net

[adamosthegreek]

Keep defending home court and the road wins will come.

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 6 - November 23, 2011 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 88 - 81 Gescrap BB

Vassilis Spanoulis scored 18 of his Euroleague career-high 29 points to lead Olympiacos to a crucial 88-81 victory over Gescrap BB on Wednesday at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece. Spanoulis scored the go-ahead basket, assisted on the bucket that put the Reds up 9 and helped seal the win with 4 free throws in the final minute as Olympiacos survived to improve to 3-3 in tightly wound Group A. The loss dropped Gescrap to 2-4. Olympiacos jumped ahead to a 19-9 start, but Bilbao came back to within 45-42 by halftime and led for much of the third quarter. Alas Spanoulis turned up at his best in the fourth quarter to steer Olympiacos to victory. Kyle Hines added 18 points and 7 rebounds for the winners and Pero Antic scored 13. Alex Mumbru paced Gescrap with 17 points, Marko Banic scored 15, Janis Blums 14 and Aaron Jackson finished with 13 and 4 assists.

Gescrap won the opening tip and Banic soon had the visitors on the scoreboard. Antic struck from downtown to quickly put the Reds on top. After Mumbru and Antic traded triples and veterans Roger Grimau and Spanoulis generated points, the hosts started to pull away. Antic fed Marko Keselj for a slam, Kalin Lucas scored on the break, Antic connected again from behind the arc and Lazaros Papadopoulos scored underneath before Antic’s first basket in the paint capped an 11-2 charge that gave Olympiacos a 19-9 advantage. Mumbru corrected his own miss to end the Bilbao scoring shortage and regain some momentum. Blums nailed a three and Banic and D’Or Fischer scored down low to shrink the deficit to 22-18. The pace slowed with a technical foul on Blums and an unsportsmanlike foul on Papadopoulos for stopping a fast break. Fischer made it a 2-point game with a pair slam, though a Kostas Papanikolau triple helped the hosts keep a 27-24 edge after 10 minutes.

Hines and former Olympiacos forward Kostas Vasiliadis opened the second quarter with baskets for their respective teams. Blums followed with a three to even things at 29-29. Hines continued pumping in points for the Reds and Georgios Printezis nailed a three from the corner, but then Blums hit from behind the arc to put Gescrap ahead for the first time since the opening minutes, 36-38. Antic and Hines worked hard at each end to tie the score again before Spanoulis got to the basket and pushed the home team’s lead to 4. Spanoulis added 3 free throws to pad the lead, but Mumbru countered with 2 to make it 45-42 at halftime.

Mumbru twice closed the gap to a single point in the first few minutes of the second half and Banic sank a baseline jumper to do the same, but Olympiacos answered each time. After a Printezis triple, Banic scored three the hard way to tie the score and then put Gescrap ahead 52-53 with the resulting free throw. Jackson used an athletic move and a fast break layup for his first two baskets to stretch the Bilbao run to 0-9. Papanikolaou converted a basket-plus-foul, but Jackson’s hot hand kept Gescrap in front. Mumbru scored an uncontested layup to put the lead at 55-61. Hines worked hard to bring the Reds back within 1 and his block on Jackson kept it 60-61 through three quarters.

Vasiliadis nailed a triple from the top of the key to boost Bilbao at the start of the fourth quarter. Spanoulis and Hines came alive to spark the Reds. The guard’s triple made it a 1-point game before he set up Hines to put Olympiacos on top 67-66. Jackson and Spanoulis traded baskets before Spanoulis sank a clutch triple that lifted his team to 72-68. Banic answered with a deep two to keep Gescrap in the hunt midway through the fourth. Spanoulis hit from downtown and then got to the line for his 12th point in the first 5:05 of the quarter. Spanoulis then found a cutting Antic to make it 79-70. Blums managed 3 points over two possessions and after a Spanoulis pull-up jumper Jackson fueled life into the game at 81-76 with two minutes to go. But Bilbao lost the ball on a fast break and Lucas hit 1 from the line. Still Jackson scored in transition to get to 82-78 with a minute remaining. But Spanoulis got to the line and with 48.9 seconds left, sank 2 free throws. Mumbru kept Bilbao alive with a clutch three, but Jackson accidentally tripped Spanoulis while going for a steal and Spanoulis took care of business with 2 more free throws with 17 seconds to go. Any remaining doubts left were erased with Papanikolaou’s steal and slam to seal the victory.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Euroleague.net

[adamosthegreek]

Just keep protecting that home court.

This post has been edited by adamosthegreek: Nov 24 2011, 11:18 AM

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 7 - December 01, 2011 - SINAN ERDEM ARENA

GAME REPORT
Fenerbahce Ulker 86 - 70 Olympiacos

Fenerbahce Ulker picked up an important and impressive victory in tightly-wound Group A by downing Olympiacos Piraeus 86-70 on Thursday night. Cutis Jerrells came off the bench for 17 points and 5 assists and Roko Ukic added 16 points as the Turkish champs improved to 4-3. The game was tied late in the second quarter and after FB Ulker moved ahead 42-36 at the break, the Reds closed to within 2 early in the third quarter. But Gasper Vidmar scored half the points in an 8-0 run and the hosts never looked back. Olympiacos did get back within 5 in the fourth quarter, but Jerrells and Ukic took care of business and lifted Fener forward to the win and a the potential tiebreaker over Olympiacos, which won their previous meeting by 7. Omer Onan added 11 for the winners. Kyle Hines paced Olympiacos with 14 points and 7 rebounds and Kalin Lucas scored 13.

The hosts got the loud crowd roaring early with a Ukic triple, but Vassilis Spanoulis soon had the Reds on the scoreboard with a layup-plus-foul. Soon Dimitris Katsivelis converted Olympiacos’s second three-point play to give the visitors a 5-6 lead. Buckets from Ukic and Omar Onan, who also made a free throw after drawing a foul from Spanoulis, gave the Turkish champs a 4-point edge. Olympiacos went inside to Andreas Glyniadakis, who kept it close with a pair of scores. After a TV timeout, The Reds center evened the score at 12-12 from the line. Kostas Papanikolaou tunred a broken play into a long buzzer-beating triple and an Olympiacos lead, but it didn’t last for long. A Thabo Sefolosha layup was followed by a high-flying Ukic-to-James Gist alley-oop and a 16-15 score. Georgios Printezis shined with a pretty back-to-the-basket move that left his team ahead 16-17 through one quarter.

A Martynas Gecevicius three-pointer was followed by an offensive foul on Gasper Vidmar. Hines drove into Vidmar, who was called for his fourth foul in the first minute of the second quarter and took a seat on the bench. Hines made both free throws for a 16-22 Olympiacos lead. Emir Preldzic stuck Hines with his second foul and grabbed 2 points back from the charity stripe. A second Gecevicius three kept the Reds rolling, though Bojan Bogdanovic kept the visitors firing away. Jerrells worked hard for a basket inside and a pair of free throws to narrow the gap to 2, but Glyniadakis answered on the offensive glass. Jerrells spotted a trailing Oguz Savas to even things at 29-29. Ogus soon put the hosts on top with a bucket on the offensive glass. And Jerrells darted through the paint for a layup and a 36-32 edge. FB Ulker finished the half in style as Ukic scored from the line, Onan got a layup and Preldzic added a free throw for an 8-point lead. However Spanoulis fed Papanikolaou for an easy bucket to make it 42-36 at the break.

Michailis Pelekanos started the second half and soon got his first points of the game. Hines then scored at the basket to draw Olympiacos within 2. But FB Ulker woke up in time to stop Hines on defense and with Gist and Vidmar scoring with hook shots. After an Olympiacos timeout, Ukic fed Vidmar for a slam and the hosts’ first double-digit lead of the game, 50-40. Lucas drew a foul and then nailed a triple to quiet the fans a bit, though Ukic came back with a quick drive to the hole. Lucas’s confidence grew as he drove twice to the basket for 4 points and closed the gap to 55-50. Despite a pair of Savas free throws, Marko Keselj swished a triple to further trim the deficit to 3. Bogdanovic free throws and a Spanoulis layup left the score at 59-56 through three quarters.

Jerrells brought cheers from the Fenerbahce faithful with a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter. Hines countered with a basket-plus-foul. Jerrells continued his onslaught with a tough layup before Onan lifted the lead to 66-58 with a layup in transition. Hines, in the paint, fueled the Reds, but Jerrells hit back with a jumper. Preldzic stretched the lead up to 70-60. Printezis free throws and Hines inside kept Olympiacos alive. Lucas trimmed the deficit to 72-66 midway through the fourth quarter, However the Reds attack stalled and after Jerrells free throws, Ukic lifted the lead back to 10 with just over three minutes remaining. And an Ukic triple essentially sealed the win.

Thursday, December 01, 2011
Euroleague.net

[accor6]

Just keep protecting the home court

[Attilio]

Regular Season Game 8 - December 08, 2011 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 84 - 82 Caja Laboral

Olympiacos survived a valiant effort to hold on for an 84-82 victory over Caja Laboral to remain alive in Group A of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Vassilis Spanoulis poured in 21 points and had 5 assists to lead Olympiacos, which improved to 4-4 in the very balanced group. Kostas Papanikolaou added 12 points off the bench, while Georgios Printezis and Kyle Hines each scored 11 points as Olympiacos remained perfect at home this season. Mirza Teletovic poured in a career-high 32 points for Caja Laboral, which slipped to 4-4. Fernando San Emeterio scored 14 points and Pablo Prigioni collected 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in the loss.

Spanoulis opened the game with a driving layup for Olympiacos with Pau Ribas coming down at the other end for a triple. Pero Antic nailed a three and converted a tip-in for a 7-5 Olympiacos lead before another Spanoulis layup made it 9-7. Joey Dorsey’s layup started a 3-15 Caja Laboral run, which featured two three-balls by Teletovic and one triple by Brad Oleson with Prigioni’s break-away layup making it a 12-22 game. Lazaros Papadopoulos’s layup stopped the run before Teletovic hit an inside layup to reestablish a 17-26 advantage. Spanoulis finished the scoring in the first quarter with 2 free throws as Caja Laboral led 19-26.

Kalin Lucas opened the second quarter with a three pointer, but Teletovic continued his hot game with another long ball of his own for a 22-29 lead. Printezis then hit a layup and a three-ball and Spanoulis buried a trey as well in a 9-2 Olympiacos run to knot the game at 31-31 for a Caja Laboral timeout. Papanikolaou converted a three-point play and Hines hit a driving layup as the surge was 14-2 for a 36-31 advantage. San Emeterio finally scored his first points to stop the run and Thomas Huertel knocked down a jumper to pull within 36-35. Martynas Gecevicius however re-established a four-point lead twice with a three-pointer and two foul shots for a 41-37 cushion. And Dimitrios Katsivelis’s tough basket in the lane made it 43-37. Ribas and Teletovic both made two foul shots to trim the margin to 43-41 but Michalis Pelekanos nailed a three-pointer from the right wing just before the buzzer to give Olympiacos a 46-41 advantage at halftime.

A Ribas jumper and Dorsey inside basket cut the margin to 46-45 with Katsivelis nailing a three-pointer to push the Olympiacos lead to 49-45. Papanikolaou, Papadopoulos and Spanoulis all scored to retain a five-point lead, the last at 55-50. Then Teletovic took over hitting a three-pointer and a runner in the lane to even the game at 55-55. Spanoulis answered with a three-ball but Teletovic nailed another trey and his inside jumper knotted the game again at 60-60. Prigioni’s steal and break-away layup made it 62-62 before Hines made an inside basket and a free throw for the 65-62 score after three quarters.

Papanikolaou opened the fourth with a tip-in and then watched Nemanja Bjelica hit a jumper from the left corner for a 67-64 score. Both teams struggled to convert offensively until Spanoulis twice fed Papanikolaou for layups and a 71-66 Olympiacos advantage. Teletovic would not let Olympiacos pull away with two baskets and an assist to Bjelica to cut the deficit to 73-72. Printezis made a fine layup and then Hines hit an inside lay-in before Spanoulis’s free throw made it 78-73. Printezis and Hines both hit driving layups to extend the gap to 82-75. And it was still seven points with two free throws by Spanoulis with 12.2 seconds left to make it 84-77. But San Emeterio hit a layup then stole the inbounds

Thursday, December 08, 2011
Euroleague.net