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

[Attilio]

Playoffs Game 2 - March 23, 2012 - PALAESTRA

GAME REPORT
Montepaschi Siena 81 - 80 Olympiacos

Bo McCalebb made a game- and perhaps season-saving steal at midcourt to preserve an 81-80 Montepaschi Siena home win over Olympiacos on Friday night and even their playoff series at one victory each. A pair of missed free throws by Igor Rakocevic with 5.8 seconds left gave Olympiacos the ball back, but as Georgios Printezis dribbled across halfcourt, McCalebb came out of nowhere to steal the ball cleanly and dribble untouched as time expired. Only then could the Siena fans, who had seen their team lose a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1, breathe easily. Heading into Friday's fourth quarter, Siena led by 14 points, 67-53. Olympiacos rallied again, but saw a piece of good luck turn bad on McCalebb's heads-up play at the finish. As such, Games 3 and 4 in the best-of-five series will be played next Wednesday and Friday, respectively, in Piraeus, Greece. McCalebb led the winners with 21 points, while Ksistof Lavrinovic added 18, Rakocevic 13 and David Andersen 12. For Olympiacos, Printezis was the top scorer with 15 points. Pero Antic had his team's first 11 points, but didn't score again, while Acie Law matched him and dished 5 assists for the Reds. Siena survived a huge 17-2 disadvantage in offensive rebounds by turning the ball over just 7 times in the game and shooting 23 of 38, or 60%, on two-pointers.

Antic got off to a red-hot for the visitors, opening the game with a triple on Olympiacos’s first possession. After McCalebb got Montepaschi on the board, Antic scored another basket and made free throws for a 2-7 Olympiacos lead. David Moss sank a foul-line jumper, but Antic was fouled shooting a three and added 2 more free throws. Soon after, he drew Andersen’s second foul, the score was Siena 6, Pero Antic 11. Free throws by Moss and Lavrinovic brought the hosts within 1. Kyle Hines buried a long baseline jumper to become the first Olympiacos player other than Antic to score. Moss banked in a short jumper to give Montepaschi its first lead, 14-13. A three-chance Olympiacos possession resulted in a Kostas Papanikolaou three-pointer. McCalebb darted through the Olympiacos defense for a tough layup to get the crowd pumped up at 18-16. Law went up strong at the other end to tie the score. Another McCalebb drive and free throws by Rakocevic left Siena ahead 22-18 after 10 minutes.

Law scored and then assisted Lazaros Papadopoulos early in the second quarter, but in between Lavrinovic connected from behind the arc. Then Rakocevic converted a three-point play as Siena went ahead 28-22. Despite a bucket from Printezis, Siena continued to roll as Lavrinovic nailed a three and Nikos Zisis attacked the basket to raise the difference to 9. Lavrinovic remained hot with a long jumper before Rakocevic capped a 12-2 charge. Joey Dorsey tried to revive the Reds with a slam to make it 37-26 midway through the second quarter, but Tomas Ress matched him with a slam at the other end. Printezis fired in a triple to make it a 10-point game. Andersen continued the Siena march with an assist to Zisis and a three-pointer of his own. Papadopoulos and Andersen traded baskets. Rakocevic lifted the difference to 16 as the locals sang. Printezis nailed a three to make it 48-35 at halftime.

A free throw by Hines and a baseline drive and slam by Marko Keselj let Olympiacos cut the difference to 10 points, 48-38, to open the second half. When Keselj then drilled a three-ball from the corner, Siena head coach Simone Pianigiani had seen enough and called a timeout. After almost 4 minutes, McCalebb flashed to the basket for Siena's first points since halftime. When he got loose again to reverse a layup on the break, Siena was back up by double digits, 52-41. Vassilis Spanoulis answered for Olympiacos, which then got 2 free throws from Keselj on an offensive rebound as he drew Shaun Stonerook's fourth foul and made it 52-45. McCalebb took over then, however, drilling a pair of triples and feeding Andersen on a lob in between as Siena got to 61-49. Olympiacos had its own go-to guy, Keselj, who dunked again in traffic, but McCalebb would not be denied, scoring on another break, while Lavrinovic reappeared with a short jumper to force an Olympiacos timeout at 64-52. Free throws by Moss and Rakocevic gave Siena its highest lead yet, 67-53, after three quarters.

With memories of their comeback from 10 down in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Reds got this one going good, too, as Dorsey put back an offensive rebound and Law dropped a lane jumper to make it 67-57. Rakocevic drove to end a two-minute scoring drought by Siena, but Law quickly answered with his own basket. Lavrinovic settled the hosts with a jump hook only to see Kostas Papanikolaou better him from downtown, making it 71-62. Rakocevic connected with Lavrinovic on the next play, but a rebounding miscue let Dorsey score and draw Lavrinovic's fourth foul. Out of a timeout, Printezis buried 2 free throws and a short jumper, and suddenly, it was 73-69 with under 4 minutes to play. Almost 2 tense minutes passed until Andersen got the free throw line and hit both tries, for a 75-69 score, but Law fed Hines on the two-minute mark to make it a two-possession game again. After a shot-clock violation by Siena, Printezis fed Hines for an open layup, but he missed the extra free throw. At 75-73, Moss slipped but somehow got the ball to Andersen, who was fouled and made 2 of 2 free throws again. At 46 seconds, Law completed a three-point play after backing down McCalebb, for a one-point difference, 77-76. McCalebb's drive 20 seconds later yielded 2 perfect free throws, although the second bounced in. Spanoulis hit 2 free throws at 79-78 with 17 seconds left, after which Olympiacos immediately fouled McCalebb. He made the first, missed the second, but when Stonerook grabbed the rebound, Siena was able to take more seconds off the clock until Andersen made 1 of 2 for an 81-78 lead with 9 seconds left. Printezis was fouled and made both with 7 seconds left and an 81-80 scoreboard. Now, Rakocevic went to the line and missed both shots with 5.8 seconds left. The rebound was grabbed by Olympiacos, but as Printezis came across halfcourt with the ball, McCalebb stole the ball from behind and dribbled out the clock to send his team to Greece next week with a victory in hand.

Friday, March 23, 2012
Euroleague.net

[RED DEVIL]

series are tied 1-1.. its all good this one slipped away 81-80.. now the series are heading to piraeus! 2 big home games see u on the 28th!!

olympiacos!

[adamosthegreek]

Can't complain about the 2nd game when we did what we needed to accomplish. Now just keep dominating at home.

[apostolano]

Ι Love This Team


Η φετινή ομάδα έχει κερδίσει την αγάπη του κόσμου, διότι φέτος έχει ξεπεράσει τον εαυτό της. Σε εντυπωσιάζει και σε κάνει να νιώθεις υπερήφανος για εκείνη. Γράφει ο Νότης Ψιλόπουλος.


Δεν ξέρω αν ο Ολυμπιακός καταφέρει να πάρει την πρόκριση για το Final-4 ή αν θα αποκλειστεί στα προημιτελικά από την Σιένα. Το πιθανότερο (και εύχομαι) είναι να περάσει στην επόμενη φάση, τόσο διότι με το "break" στην Τοσκάνη έχει την ευκαιρία να διεκδικήσει το εισιτήριο για την Κωνσταντινούπουλη στο ΣΕΦ, όσο και γιατί οι ερυθρόλευκοι απέδειξαν πως δεν έχουν να φοβηθούν τίποτα από τους Ιταλούς. Ίσα-ίσα που οι Πειραιώτες "τρόμαξαν" τους πράσινους με την παρουσία τους στην "Παλαέστρα", καθώς βρέθηκαν μία... ανάσα από το 2-0 στη σειρά.


Ο φετινός Ολυμπιακός είναι η αποθέωση της ομάδας. Μπορεί στο ξεκίνημα της σεζόν, και ειδικά στην πρώτη φάση της Euroleague, να υπήρχε μία εικόνα του στυλ... ο Σπανούλης και οι υπόλοιποι, αλλά στη συνέχεια αυτό άλλαξε. Σαφώς και ο Red-Bill παραμένει ο μεγάλος ηγέτης των ερυθρόλευκων, πραγματοποιώντας μία συγκλονιστική σεζόν, όντας στους κορυφαίους παίκτες της διοργάνωσης (βάση εικόνας και στατιστικών), αλλά στην πορεία βγήκαν μπροστά και οι υπόλοιποι παίκτες των Πειραιωτών. Οι "πιτσιρικάδες" απέκτησαν περισσότερο ενεργό ρόλο στο ροτέισον και πήραν πρωτοβουλίες, με την παρουσία τους σε ορισμένα ματς να είναι καθοριστική.

Ο βελτιωμένος Πρίντεζης, ο οποίος δούλεψε πολύ εντατικά το καλοκαίρι, εξελίχθηκε σε άξιο συμπαραστάτη του αρχηγού, σημειώνοντας καταπληκτικές εμφανίσεις και αυτή την στιγμή αποτελεί ένα από τα κορυφαία "4άρια" στην Ευρώπη. Ο Χάινς μπορεί να μην είναι σέντερ του "10", αλλά του "7", όμως, θα σου παίξει, σχεδόν, πάντα για το "7". Ο Άντιτς έχει σκαμπανεβάσματα στην απόδοση του, αλλά υπήρχαν ματς που έκανε την διαφορά, ενώ σαφώς και ήταν καταλυτικές οι αλλαγές που έγιναν στους ξένους (ΝτόρσεΪ αντί Χάουαρντ, Λο αντί Λούκας), καθώς οι Αμερικανοί, πλέον, βοηθούν, συμμετέχουν και δεν είναι... θεατές.

Ο Ολυμπιακός στην πορεία έχει εξελιχθεί σε... λερναία ύδρα. Ο αντίπαλος μπορεί να προσαρμόζεται και να έχει στόχο πάντα την "καταστροφή" του Σπανούλη, αλλά οι ερυθρόλευκοι δεν εξαρτώνται αποκλειστικά από εκείνον. Αν ο αρχηγός δυσκολεύεται, θα βγει άλλος παίκτης μπροστά και θα την "ζημιά" στον αντίπαλο. Σε κάθε ματς της ομάδας κάποιος διαφορετικός ερυθρόλευκος θα επιδιώξει να πάρει την ομάδα στις πλάτες του και θα κάνει το κάτι παραπάνω.


Αυτό το ερυθρόλευκο σύνολο φέτος βγάζει δύο πράγματα: υγεία και ομαδικότητα. Όταν χάνει η ομάδα, βλέπεις στους παίκτες στεναχωρημένος που ηττήθηκε ο Ολυμπιακός και συζητούν μεταξύ τους για το τι έφταιξε, ώστε να το διορθώσουν, για να μην επαναληφθεί. Αν κάποιος δεν είχε καλή απόδοση, μαθαίνεις πως ζήτησε να κάνει έξτρα προπόνηση, ενώ αν ένας παίκτης ήταν μοιραίος σε ένα παιχνίδι, βλέπει τους συμπαίκτες του δίπλα του να τον στηρίζουν και να του συμπαραστέκονται. Αυτή είναι συμπεριφορά!

Δεν ρίχνουν τις ευθύνες ο ένας στον άλλον, δεν έρχονται σε "συγκρούσεις" με συμπαίκτες και προπονητές, δεν "γκρινιάζουν" για το αν δεν παίζουν πολύ, δεν είναι χαλαροί στις προπονήσεις, δεν κάνουν ό,τι γουστάρουν επειδή έχουν "όνομα", ούτε βάζουν τον εαυτό τους πάνω από την ομάδα. Αντιθέτως, υπάρχει πειθαρχία και ο ένας αντιμετωπίζει τον άλλο με σεβασμό.

Αν μπει κάποιος στα αποδυτήρια του Ολυμπιακού θα δει μία επιγραφή που αναφέρει: όλοι για έναν και ένας για όλους. Και τις προηγούμενες σεζόν υπήρχε, μόνο που δεν ίσχυε στην πράξη. Φέτος, όμως, αυτό συμβαίνει και το βλέπουμε τόσο εντός, όσο και εκτός γηπέδου, με τα μάτια μας. "Όλοι μαζί χάνουμε και όλοι μαζί κερδίζουμε", λένε πολύ συχνά οι παίκτες, μία ατάκα δείγμα της νοοτροπίας που επικρατεί φέτος στην ομάδα.

Το κλίμα στα ερυθρόλευκα αποδυτήρια είναι καλύτερο από ποτέ και ο παράγοντας αυτός φέρνει αποτελέσματα. Και αυτή η υγιής ατμόσφαιρα βοηθάει τον Ντούσαν Ίβκοβιτς ώστε να "χτίσει" έναν κορμό παικτών, ο οποίος θα πρωταγωνιστήσει σε Ελλάδα και Ευρώπη. Αν όχι φέτος, που σχεδόν το έχει καταφέρει, σίγουρα στο άμεσο μέλλον.

Ναι, σίγουρα, το φετινό ρόστερ του Ολυμπιακού δεν έχει την "λάμψη" που είχε εκείνο της σεζόν 2009/2010, το οποίο έφτασε έως και τον τελικό της Euroleague, έχοντας παίκτες-αστέρια, όπως τους Κλέζα, Τσίλντρες, Τεόντοσιτς, Παπαλουκά, Μπουρούση, Σχορτσανίτη, Βούιτσιτς. Όμως, το σίγουρο είναι πως φέτος βγάζει περισσότερη υγεία, ηρεμία στα αποδυτήρια και ομαδικότητα. Και αυτό είναι το κέρδος του φετινού συνόλου του Ντούσαν Ίβκοβιτς.

Πέρα από αυτά τα χαρακτηριστικά, όμως, η φετινή ομάδα σε ικανοποιεί και σου "γεννάει" όνειρα και φιλοδοξίες, σε μία σεζόν που οι περισσότεροι περίμεναν ελάχιστα πράγματα. Δεν ξέρω για εσάς, αλλά εγώ... I love this team και κάθε φορά που την βλέπω με "γεμίζει" και την απολαμβάνω, όποιο αποτέλεσμα και αν φέρει.


YΓ: Όπως φαίνεται, φέτος κάτι ωραίο "γεννιέται" στην ομάδα μπάσκετ του Ολυμπιακού. Ίσως κάτι εξίσου καλό, όπως πριν ακριβώς 20 χρόνια (1991-1992) επί Γιάννη Ιωαννίδη. Την συνέχεια την ξέρετε, την θυμάστε...


YΓ2: Είμαι αισιόδοξος πως ο Ολυμπιακός θα κάνει το 3-1 στο ΣΕΦ και θα πάει στο Final-4, αξιοποιώντας τον παράγοντα έδρα. "Τους έχει" τους Ιταλούς, αρκεί να παίξει με βάση τις δυνατότητες του. Ακόμη και αν δεν πάει αυτή η ομάδα στην Κωνσταντινούπολη όμως, δεν θα πρέπει να ξεχνάμε πως πρώτος στόχος είναι το Πρωτάθλημα και το γράφω από τώρα.


ΥΓ3: Θεωρώ αδιανόητο να μην υπάρξει sold-out και στα δύο ερχόμενα εντός έδρας παιχνίδια του Ολυμπιακού κόντρα στη Σιένα, την Τετάρτη (28/3) και την Παρασκευή (30/3) στο Φάληρο. Το ΣΕΦ θα πρέπει να γεμίσει και ο κόσμος να στηρίξει την προσπάθεια αυτής της ομάδας, η οποία αξίζει την αγάπη των φιλάθλων της.

[Attilio]

Playoffs Game 3 - March 28, 2012 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 75 - 55 Montepaschi Siena

Olympiacos Piraeus thoroughly dominated Montepaschi Siena 75-55 on Wednesday night at Peace and Friendship Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs series. The Reds host Game 4 on Friday knowing a win will send the club back to the Final Four for the third time in four years. Kyle Hines came off the bench for 15 points and 9 rebounds to pace Olympiacos, while Kostas Sloukas added 11 and Acie Law tallied 10 points and 6 assists. After a close opening quarter, Olympiacos started to build a lead in the second and went ahead 32-21 by halftime. Then an 8-0 start to the second half highlighted by Evangelos Mantzaris put the hosts in total control. The lead soared as high as 29 in the fourth quarter as Olympiacos marched to victory. In last season’s playoffs, Olympiacos also won big in the first game in Piraeus, but Montepaschi came back to win the next three and the series. Bo McCalebb led the Siena attack with 15 points and David Andersen added 12.

Montepaschi got the start it wanted as Andersen scored down low and McCalebb struck from downtown. Joey Dorsey hit his head while fouled going to the basket and needed to be helped off the floor. Replacement Hines sank 1 of the resulting free throws to get the hosts on the scoreboard. A Shaun Stonerook steal set McCalebb up for a layup and a 1-7 lead. The Reds started to come alive as Vassilis Spanoulis set up Hines for a slam, but the hosts could not get good looks to fall. Meanwhile a Stonerook triple put the visitors up 7. Olympiacos stormed back through a Marko Keselj basket inside and a Mantzaris bomb behind the arc. After getting his first shot blocked by Stonerook, Hines regrouped to tie the score at 10-10. Andersen put the visitors back on top only to see Hines tie it again. Georgios Printezis free throws in the final secondsof the quarter gave Olympiacos its first lead, 14-12, after 10 minutes.

McCalebb and Hines remained hot for their respective teams. Printezis seemed to turn an ankle while throwing up a floater and needed to come out. Kostas Papanikolaou extended the difference to 4 from the line. Big men Ksistof Lavrinovic and Pero Antic each scored for the first time. Then guards Igor Rakocevic and Sloukas swapped baskets. Dorsey came back and his impact on the offensive glass got Acie Law on the scoreboard with a slam for a 24-18 lead. Nikos Zisis narrowed the gap back to 4 before Antic and Sloukas extended the difference up to 7 with two-and-a-half minutes left in the half. McCalebb got 1 back from the line, but Printezis countered with a quick layup. A Slouks triple in the finals econds of the quarter bounced several times on the rim before falling to give the hosts a 32-21 halftime lead.

Spanoulis opened the second half by whipping a great pass to Papanikolaou for a basket as the hosts continued to pump up the lead. Mantzaris stepped up with a three-pointer from behind the arc, then three the hard way and then forcing a steal as Olympiacos wrapped up a 13-0 run dating back to the last minutes of the second quarter. More than four minutes into the third quarter, Lavrinovic finally broke the ice for Siena with 2 free throws. Dorsey missed 4 free throws, which prevented the hosts from taking the lead to 20 – at least temporarily. Rakocevic took a dish from McCalebb for a basket, but a Hines jumper and Spanoulis layup in transition kept the Reds in control. Pietro Aradori came in and scored quickly for the visitors and soon Stonerook drained a three. Antic made sure the lead remained large with a pair of free throws for a 48-30 advantage through three quarters.

Hines made it a 20-point game with the first basket of the second half. McCalebb tried to will Siena with a basket-plus-foul, however Papanikolaou countered with a three-pointer. Law added 3 points over the next two possessions before Sloukas drained a three as the hosts extended the lead to 61-35. Law then dished to Papanikolaou, who delighted the Olympiacos faithful with a reverse slam that proved to be the icing on the cake. McCalebb reached double figures for Siena, though a Law triple stretched the lead to 29. The final minutes were for protocol only as the outcome was clear and the Reds entertained the fans en route to an impressive win.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Euroleague.net

[RED DEVIL]

Bravo Olympiacos well done.. 75-55 what a great result.

missed the game but i am so happy they took care of business.. lets finish them off now and make the final 4!!!

[molon_lave_2012]

Let's complete the revenge! No slip up for game 4!
And I am happy the green bunnies are one loss away from elimination! LOL!

[molon_lave_2012]

OLYMPIAKOS ARE GOING TO CONSTANINOPOLIS !!!!!!

[RED DEVIL]

Well done to the team. 3 rd time in 4 years Olympiacos reaches the final 4. This is just great. Well done to the entire team and to every single player! Bravo

[Attilio]

Playoffs Game 4 - March 30, 2012 - PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

GAME REPORT
Olympiacos 76 - 69 Montepaschi Siena

Olympiacos advanced to its third Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in the past four seasons by beating Montepaschi Siena 76-69 to secure a 3-1 series victory. Vassilis Spanoulis scored 19 points - including 10 of 10 free throws - while Kyle Hines collected 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks for Olympiacos. Georgios Printezis and Acie Law both chipped in 8 points for the winners, who grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to make up for just 4 of 22 shooting (18%) from long range. David Andersen had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Siena, which also received 15 points from Nikos Zisis, 11 points from Igor Rakocevic and 10 points each from Bo McCalebb and Ksistof Lavrinovic. Siena was foiled by 14 turnovers compared to just 7 by Olympiacos.

Siena boss Simone Pianigiani made two changing to his starting lineup with Zisis and Lavrinovic starting for the first time in this series. Olympiacos coach Dusan Ivkovic meanwhile brought Kostas Papanikolaou and Printezis back into the starting five for the first time since the first game of the Playoffs while Hines replaced the injured Joey Dorsey. Hines opened the scoring for Olympiacos after the hosts grabbed two offensive rebounds. Zisis put Siena on the board after a fine dish from Lavrinovic. After Hines hit inside again, Zisis nailed a three-ball for Siena’s first lead 4-5. Evangelos Mantazaris answered with a triple of his own and Hines hit his third basket for a 9-5 Olympiacos lead. Andersen and Lavrinovic scored to give Siena some inside production and keep the guests within 11-9. Olympiacos grabbed yet another offensive rebound and Spanoulis nailed a long ball and a driving layup for a 16-11 advantage. McCalebb then hit a tough long ball with a defender in his face for his first basket of the night to make it 16-14. Hines grabbed Olympiacos’ fifth offensive rebound of the first quarter and put it back for a 20-16 Olympiacos lead. A Hines free throw was his ninth point of the quarter and a 21-18 advantage before Shaun Stonerook nailed a three-ball from the right side to even the game at 21-21, which was the score after 10 minutes.

Rakocevic’s three-point play gave Siena the early lead to start the second quarter and his second basket of the period had the advantage at 22-26. Kostas Sloukas’s jumper and a Georgios Printezis score kept Olympiacos close. But Andersen nailed a turn-around jumper and a three-pointer to give Siena its biggest lead, 28-33 and Rakocevic’s layup made it 30-35. Siena had a chance to have an even bigger cushion but committed five turnovers in six possessions. In the meantime, Spanoulis made two free throws and Hines continued his phenomenal game with another offensive rebound and put-back to cut the deficit to 34-35. Andersen hit a big inside hook to stop the Siena struggles and converted another hook for a 36-39 just before the end of the half. But Hines hit another basket just before the buzzer for a 38-39 game at the break.

After scoring just five points in the first half, McCalebb opened the second half with a triple for a 38-42 lead. Papanikolaou answered with a reverse layup and Pero Antic converted a driving layup to tie the game at 42-42 for Olympiacos. After a Zisis layup, Olympiacos missed a chance to even the game turning the ball over after four straight offensive rebounds on a single trip down the court. Lavrinovic nailed a long jumper and McCalebb’s fast break layup after a second straight turnover by Antic pushed the Siena lead to six points, 42-48. Olympiacos would knot the game at 48-48 with free throws by Spanoulis, Printezis and Hines before David Moss nailed a triple for a 48-51 advantage. And the Siena gap was 50-55 after a Rakocevic jumper. Olympiacos again used the charity stripe to keep close with two free throws by Kostas Sloukas and Law to pull within 54-55 after three quarters.

Hines got Olympiacos on the board first in the fourth quarter and Antic nailed a three-ball for a 59-55 lead for the hosts and a Siena timeout. Montepaschi still could not score and the Olympiacos cushion was 61-55 after a lay-in by Hines. Siena missed its first eight shots from the field in the quarter and scored its first points with 5:42 remaining on two Lavrinovic free throws. Another two foul shots by the Lithuanian international brought Siena to within 61-59. And Andersen’s two free throws evened the game at 61-61 with five minutes to play. Printezis’s inside basket gave Olympiacos the lead again while Spanoulis nailed two free throws and Law converted a fast break layup for a 67-61 advantage and another Siena timeout. Spanoulis hit a jumper to make it 69-61 and Zisis finally scored Siena’s first basket from the field in the fourth quarter with a triple with 1:40 to play for a 69-64 game. Sloukas answered with a three-ball of his own to re-establish the seven-point lead but Zisis raced back for a layup and then hit three free throws to cut the deficit to 72-69 with a minute remaining. Siena watched Printezis miss a triple but get his own offensive rebound and Spanoulis was fouled and made two free throws for a 74-69. Zisis then missed two three-pointers and McCalebb missed two foul shots with 8 seconds to give Olympiacos the victory.

Friday, March 30, 2012
Euroleague.net

[alexocfp]

that 4th quarter was total lockdown D. Well done! We got rid of all the overpaid players and look at the result.

[Dimitri]

Bravo stin omada! Konstantinoupoli, here we come!

THRYLE GERA!

[Attilio]

[adamosthegreek]

What a fucking awesome ride this has been. Overachieving to the max. Bravo palikaria.

Well we won at home. Let's see if we can take our home back now.

[Attilio]

Sorry guys, but can someone tell me why this year they have both Greek clubs not facing each other as they normally do in the semi-final?

[accor6]

It was just a decision made prior to the beginning of this year's league.

[Axiotis91]

whos watching??????

[Hellas Fan]

whos watching??????

Nice victory. Some horrible calls at the end but they came through and Spanoulis took care of business. I thought he killed the momentum with his air-ball 3 pointer but when it counted he knocked one down and drove and dished it nicely.

Would have been nice to see an all-greek finals but who knows maybe this will inspire Diamantidis to reconsider and come to the Olympics so that he can try to win something big in 2012. But then again why give up another summer in the "caffenneio" to compete against the best when you are still in the prime of your career.

Go Olympiacos..One more upset.

[molon_lave_2012]

Hooray for Thrylos! ! ! !
one win away from our 2nd European title ! ! !
let's get it done this time !! ! !!

[RED DEVIL]

Unbelievable but true Olympiacos did it and won again!!! 68 -64 adios Barcelona!

Got to love Spanoulis , Printezis and co.. they are just flying right now

final here we come!