by Bilal Baran Yardimci / info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos Piraeus crushed Fenerbahce Beko 93-73 in Round 22 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, improved to a 15-7 score, and sat at the top of the standings.
After another victory over the Istanbul team, Piraeus team’s star Sasha Vezenkov, who recorded a double-double in Ulker Sports Arena with 12 points and rebounds, spoke to Eurohoops about the match and the season so far.
“We played really solid together and had a great defensive approach, especially in the first half, when we built the difference and shared the ball. Of course, we shot great outside the arc, made good choices in offense, had good spacing, and moved the ball well. We knew they’d react in the second half, but we managed to play good in the third and finished the game in the fourth quarter,” Vezenkov said.
In the first part of the season, Olympiacos defeated Fenerbahce 94-67 at home. Is it fair to say they are an antidote for Dimitris Itoudis’ team?
“No, I don’t think we have to think like this. Every game is different. We saw Fenerbahce beat Monaco two times, we beat Fenerbahce two times, and Monaco beat us two times. Euroleague is really exciting this year. We concentrate on every game differently and only watch the next game.”
The Greek champions got six wins out of their last seven games and are usually at their best against top-seeded teams. It seems the sky is the limit for Vezenkov and his teammates.
“Yes, when we play like we want to play, but sometimes something different happens. We just look at every game differently. We now have Efes, which is a great team, fighting for the Top 8, so we have to leave this victory behind us and concentrate on the game on Friday.”
With another double-double, the Bulgarian forward improved his position in the MVP race, and at the moment, he is leading the EuroLeague with an average PIR of 22,9.
“I don’t like to comment on my own performances; it’s a team sport. I have great chemistry with my teammates, sometimes I’ll score a lot of points, and sometimes like against Fenerbahce, I have to do different jobs on the court, so the most important is for the team to win when the team is winning, everybody is happy,” Sasha Vezenkov concluded for the Eurohoops.