Refereeing was a topic for discussion during the post-game press conference. Olympiakos’ coach, DusanIvkovic, spoke about different criteria that affected his team, only to get a retort by Zeljko Obradovic, who referred to the last quarter and the fact that the visiting team did not get assessed to having committed even four fouls.
“It was a very difficult and very tough game in which we saw two different parts, since we did not play properly at the beginning. Many speak about the players’ state of readiness and this is true. I told my players that I need all of them, even if they have to play for only two minutes. In the third quarter we played very well and got a lead advantage over our opponents that ultimately brought us victory. We underlined in that period of time that we should perform the same way up until the last offense. I believe that in the last quarter two things happened. First of all, we initially played well in offense, made good shots, but once you have taken the shot you must be ready to return in defense. Secondly, some players were very tired.”
Answering Dusan Ivkovic’s remarks he noted: “Speaking of refereeing and its criteria, it is easy for one to watch the game and understand what has happened. After two minutes into the last quarter we had already completed the number of team fouls allowed and Olympiakos reached the end of that period without the bonus situation. These are the criteria that we must see. In any case, it has been a very tough game and for the next one every one must understand that they all have to be ready to play. Congratulations to our fans for creating a really excellent atmosphere”, he said and added: “We will try to play at the same pace on Sunday too. We know what goes on in these games where we are facing a very strong opponent. The next game is very difficult, but also very important.”
“Good defenses, shots and fast-breaks”
Kostas Kaimakoglou noted on his turn: “The momentum that we had in the second half, where we got some good defenses, made the shots, and ran the fast-breaks correctly, gave us a broad lead. Unfortunately, for yet another time this season, we lost our concentration, committed turnovers, and came close to losing the game. All is well that ends well, but nothing is over yet. Olympiakos has the home advantage. Today, we simply showed that if we play tough in defense, if we perform powerfully at that, we can clinch victory. This will be the key to the game.”
“We lost control in the third quarter”
Olympiakos’ coach, Dusan Ivkovic, said: “It was once again a very tough game. I expected to see my team reduce its turnovers and played much better, but we absolutely lost control in the third quarter. We received 28 points and Panathinaikos made a 16-0 run in a very brief period of time. We had the ball at the end; in fact, Papadopoulos caught the ball after Spanoulis missed the free throw, but… We must learn a lot from this game, but I believe that as the series progresses my team will be getting better and better. I believe that refereeing was not at the level it should be. The criteria regarding fouls were not on equal footing and had in fact warned Panathinaikos’ players for toying about with their hands. But also at the end, not only Batiste’s offensive foul but also Diamantidis’ stepping on the line, were not called; OK, they did not see either of them, but it is not possible to make so many mistakes in such a crucial game, in a final. Watch the video and you will understand. In the third quarter we had no control, neither in defense nor in offense. This is the point where we must all draw lessons from; learn from all our turnovers, our hasty choices. We must learn from this 16-0 run.”
Kostas Papanikolaou added: “We started out well and controlled the tempo in the first half. In the third quarter we did not come out focused on the court. We committed turnovers without pressure and rushed things in offense. Panathinaikos is an experienced team and made the most of it with a 16-0 run. In the end, we were trailing close behind, but again we made mistakes and did not properly execute our coach’s instructions exactly the way he had given them to us. Now the series returns to SEF and we must be ready.”
