A fair win for Olympiakos was Zeljko Obradovic’s take on the clash, also adding his congratulations towards the Panathinaikos’s fans for their presence in the gym.
The clover head coach stressed: “First of all I would like to congratulate Olympiakos because in the end they deserved to win. The last three minutes they competed in a smart way at both defense and offense hence they beat us. We were very nervous in offense and that is the reason we lost the game. We had similar ball possession, 74 across from 73 for Olympiakos but we had very bad shooting stats. One of the reasons we were so bad at scoring is that Olympiakos played great defense at the low post, while we were very uneasy. We were not patient enough to read their defense correctly. In defense we performed certain good defenses, but some times we committed turnovers and received “cheap” baskets, like we did in the end of the game. We could have reacted better. I am proud for the atmosphere in the arena. Our fans set an example for the entire country. Before the game Mr. Schinas had informed us that at the slightest incident we should all desert the arena. This is a good thing and it should happen in every game. I will watch very closely to see what will happen in the rest of the games. The fans respected the referees’ actions. It is an entirely different approach to what would have happened last year. No one can close their eyes on what happened last year”. When questioned about Diamantidis, Obradovic answered: “After the game against Ikaros, Diamantidis came to only one practice and for 30’. This was Sunday. Since them he came only to the morning relax practice today. He came and told us he felt better. And this is the captain we are talking about, our best player and leader of the team. I do not think there is a person I trust more than Diamantidis. The fact that he played in such a way, without energy, is due to a cold he has. Diamantidis’s bad image was not our only problem. Our big-men had 5-for-17 under the basket. It is not normal for Vouyoukas and Batiste to shoot with such range. In any case I believe that this game will help us. It was an important game, but so much in this month as in the next we have many more important games”.
Antonis Fotsis noted: “I believe it was a hard game for both teams because it was close in score. Olympiakos proved in the end to be the team that wanted to win more and won. Tougher games are up ahead, we must find were we are bad and get better”.
Olympiakos’s coach Dusan Ivkovic stated: “In such game, under such pressure you can’t wait to see an exciting game. We were more focused. At a certain point we lost it and I started it with the technical foul I received. In the end we were lucky to turn the game around. For no reason we went for 4-for-23 three pointers. Our control over the game was good and we had a few turnovers we were a problem. It was teamwork basketball. I believe that ultimately the top of the bunch were Nesterovic and Vassilopoulos. Halperin will help us this year. He is a very experienced player”.
Thodoris Papaloukas, Olympiakos’s guards, added: “We had nothing to lose. We played in a clever manner and knew were to aim. We managed not to commit many turnovers and have more assists. The important thing is that we instrumented character on a court were we had problems on many occasions. We had our mind in the game and managed to control Panathinaikos’s game not allowing it to score many points. This victory is important for us mainly for the ensuing season, but also on a mentality level”.
