Angelopoulos brothers: «Let’s go all the way!»
Olympiacos will be present in one more big European tournament and the goal is none other, as stressed by the Presidents, Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelpoulos, than winning the title.
“It is especially important that we are Euroleague title contenders for the second year in a row. We feel pride and joy for this team”, Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos pointed out.
On his part, Mr. Giorgos Angelopoulos added the following: “I think that participating in a back-to-back final four hasn’t happened for a Greek team in ten years now, and we had been the last to do that also. It’s something really significant, very hard to do and very rare also. Congratulations to the whole team. Last year we ‘touched’ the final, but it didn’t happen. I hope this year we go all the way to the end!”
Asked if more beautiful moments are to follow, they replied:
P. Angelopoulos: “The other nice things are next week for starters. That’s where we aim right now. The team has history. This is the 8th final four during our tenure, the 6th one since 2012…”
G. Angelpoulos: “I think that the most important thing during all that time are the number of the final fours participated and winning the titles. Just like we have said before, Olympiacos is a global phenomenon. The team has been competing on a budget two or three times lower than that of all the other teams that made the TOP8 and we still succeed in being at the top. I think this is a magnificent accomplishment and we are proud”.
The Presidents believed in the team and its roster much earlier than tonight and the early renewals of Vezenkov, Walkup and McKissic are proof enough. They said about that:
P. Angelopoulos: “We believe in the team. We finished second in the regular season last year and first this year. The core must remain the same to continue being among the European elite. That’s the goal”.
G. Angelopoulos: “We believe in the team and we want it remain the same. We have done all we can about that and we are going to continue doing all we can”.
About Fener and the difference in the budget of the two teams, they commented the following:
P. Angelopoulos: “The budget differences are real. Fenerbahce was not the team you expected to finish in 8th place. They had been top seeds for a long time in the beginning of the season. They weren’t your typical 8th team. This series was a battle of titans, just like last year with Monaco. But Fener has a special weight. Monaco had been a new team, Fener has won European titles, we lost the 2017 final in their home court, but tonight, game 5 had been in our home”.
G. Angelopoulos: “We have great respect for Fener. The series has been thrilling. I think that this was the most competitive Euroleague of all time, so wins and achievements are even more special. Congratulations to Fenerbahce on their course”.
Asked which phrase resonates with them more, ‘hungry dogs or symphonic orchestra’, they replied:
P. Angelopoulos: It’s ‘hungry dogs’ for me.
G. Angelopoulos: “We are a team that deserved to be at the top. We have gone through a lot and there’s still extremely thirsty for success”.
On whether the fact that never before a team that finished first seed in the regular season succeeded in winning the title scares them, Panagiotis Angelopoulos made clear that: «No, it doesn’t scare us. Last year we lost the game at the last second to the best team of the last few years, Efes. What should we be afraid of this year? We are waiting to find out tomorrow who we play for the semis».
Asked if they think the last couple of years to be the most dominant ones for Olympiacos, they said:
P. Angelopoulos: “They are objectively so. We won back-to-back Euroleague titles in 2012 and 2013, but we hadn’t been the favorites then and of course, the Euroleague was not the same. The last two years, with 34 games in the regular season, when the last team can beat the first one, it’s a giants’ battle, not merely a league title”
G. Angelopoulos: “This one is another year, and we are talking about other teams. The team knows what it needs to be done. Everyone is determined, everyone wants it, we deserve it, we have shown that we play the best basketball throughout the season. We’ve had praises sang for us and everyone has admitted accordingly, the coaches and players of all the other teams in the competition. I don’t think this has ever happened before. I don’t know what is going to happen in Kaunas and whether we are going to succeed or not, but the acknowledgement of our team is overwhelming”.
When asked to make predictions or at least reveal which team they prefer to play against in the semi-final, they answered:
P. Angelopoulos: “I neither predict, nor have any preference. We are going there to win the semi-final”.
G. Angelopoulos: “It doesn’t matter. Tonight is a night to rejoice”.
Finally, on whether there is anyone on the team about whom they believe to really deserve being a member of Olympiacos, they pointed out:
P. Angelopoulos: “They are a team. Everybody deserved to be here. We’ve done this for the second year in a row. I think that eight out of the twelve had also been with us in last year’s final four. Only Black, Peters, Bolomboy and Canaan were not. So, everyone deserves to be here. For instance, Canaan was cut from the Greek League playoffs and he’s playing superb defense and gives all he’s got. Everyone deserves to be with Olympiacos”.
G. Angelopoulos: “We are going to finish the season and then assess and evaluate. We are not done yet”.