First, undefeated and with a record
Olympiacos finished the regular season with an easy victory (83-44) against Iraklis in Thessaloniki.
With this victory, the “reds” of Dusan Ivkovic scored a 26-0 record in the regular season and they are the first team to achieve this from the foundation of the professional HEBA League with the participation of 14 teams.
There is not much that can be said on the game. Dusan Ivkovic’ players were serious and focused from the beginning and never lost control of the game from the beginning.
The Piraeus team will be facing Kolossos Rhodes on April 30 in the Peace and Friendship Stadium and on May 4 in Rhodes for the first play-offs round.
Τhe quarters: 12-20, 21-51, 33-69, 44-83
Per quarter: 12-20, 9-31, 12-18, 11-14
IRAKLIS (Hougaz): Petalotis 4, Demertzis 9(1), Αngelakopoulos, Petrovic 10(2), Traianos 4, Despos 10, Eliades, Εutavicious 7(1)
ΟLYMPIACOS (Ivkovic): Gordon 7(1), Bourousis, Κeselj 7(1), Pelekanos 2, Μavrokefalides 14, Halperin 11(3), Glyniadakis 17, Papanikolaou 4, Erceg 7, Τeodosic 3(1), Κatsivelis 4
The quotes…
DUSAN IVKOVIC: It was a very bad feeling to play without any fans in a gym where I have lived many experiences. I wish that Iraklis makes it back to the big League and becomes an esteemed figure for Greek basketball. About the game now, we tried to control the rhythm having many injuries to face. Spanoulis and Papaloukas did not come with us because they are having some problems. I hope that after Easter we are all ready. I think it’s only fair that we are first after the end of the regular season, but having finished without a defeat means nothing to me. We have to continue the same way. I don’t think that home court advantage is all that important in the play-offs if conditions are normal and just like in the regular season games and in particular, like in the last one where not even a coin was thrown on the court. We will start with our immediate opponent in the play-offs, there is a long way until we meet with Panathinaikos.
ANDREAS GLYNIADAKIS: It was a game that sealed an undefeated record, but that will mean nothing if the season is not completed as I want it to, and what we need and should do is to achieve our goals. It’s tough to play such a game with no motivation and what we are happy about is that no one got injured.
CHRIS HOUGAZ: The game does not stand criticism. We have had very few players and there is a great quality gap between us and Olympiacos. We tried to do some different things on the court, but I think that what’s most important for this team is tomorrow. Iraklis should find the way to be healthy in all aspects to be able to return to the big category. When there are ashes around you, you also have the opportunity to build something new from the scratch. I would like to thank all the guys for the cooperation, the guys that have stayed with us till the last game, all my associates and the staff, the administration for honoring me with their trust and the healthy proportion of the Iraklis fans. The game against Aris and everything that has happened there has played a key role to what we are facing right now. The administration knows that I have a very positive disposition against the team and I think that if the foundations are right, all Greek coaches will want to come and work for Iraklis.
GIANNIS DEMERTZIS: We tried to do some things we had worked on and we managed to in some parts of the game. The season is not ending in the best possible fashion, but all of us who have stayed here have even given our souls to finish this in dignity. Iraklis is a big team and I think that they will eventually find their way. Everyone has their share of the failure. Great teams are tested in rough waters and now everyone should show what they are made of for Iraklis to come back to the big League.