For a record 10th time in a row, Olympiakos heads to the Euroleague Playoffs. TheĀ 86-75 win overĀ Anadolu Efes lead by the Reds’ former coach Dusan Ivkovic was their ninth in twelve games keeping them in close distance of second place and a subsequent home advantage in the playoffs.
Before tip off, Dusan Ivkovic, former Euroleague champion with the Piraeus club, received an awardĀ for his multiyear contribution.
For the first three periods of the game theĀ Turkish side was superior than the Greek one (17-16, 35-35, 53-57). Add Stratos Perperoglou’s phenomenal performance to theĀ mixĀ and it was obviousĀ that Vasilis Spanoulis absence was going to be a costly one. It was notĀ until 20-year-old Ioannis Papapetrou stepped up that the Reds were able to stare their opponents in the eyes and look for the win. He scored 12 points in the last quarterĀ and with the help of Giorgos Printezis (15 points and 12 rebounds) and Oliver LafayetteĀ (17 points) he took the Reds by the hand and lead them to a remarkable victory.
Stratos Perperoglou’s huge 23 point game went straight down the drain, though he eventually walked out with a bittersweet taste as he was also awarded for his years of play for Olympiakos BC.
The 2013 Euroleague Champions’ next task is in freezing Moscow against CSSKA the following Friday, a game which will determineĀ which team will keep home advantage in the playoff round.
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