By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos Piraeus’ guard Kostas Sloukas hit many big shots during his illustrious career, but the one against Fenerbahce Beko in Game 3 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs will be one to remember.
He took down Fenerbahce in their home, in front of the packed Ulker Sports Arena, that cheered for him during his five-year stay in Istanbul from 2015 to 2020, and gave Olympiacos a second win of the quarterfinal series, with one more to go for the Final Four in Kaunas.
“I’m not afraid to take responsibility. I did it when I was at Fenerbahce. I think with the time I had, I did the best I could. I told Sasha to give me a good screen; I wanted to shoot because I felt good. For another season, you can see that real dogfights are going on. The last month I’ve been feeling good; whether the coach puts me in more is his choice. I want to help my team,” Sloukas said after the game.
Fenerbahce was on the verge of a triumph after Marko Guduric gave the Turkish team a 71-69 lead with less than four seconds on the clock, but it was enough time for Sloukas to beat the buzzer from beyond the arc.
“The tactics in the playoffs are completely different. Fenerbahce has one of the best coaches in the competition. You saw how they cut off our flow and played with our minds. In those types of defenses, you either give the ball to the big man, or you hit the shot. Tarik Black can lock down his defender well inside the rim, but I also took the right lane several times when they gave it to me and scored.”
The experienced guard expects a reaction from Fenerbahce in Game 4 and is aware it will not be easy for his team to book a place in Kaunas.
“It will be a completely different game next time. After losses, Fenerbahce is getting a reaction, and that’s what I expect them to do. We now want to rest and correct our mistakes, which we made too many in the offense. Good players and good teams react after losses. We weren’t good in SEF, but we improved. Expectations in Olympiacos are high as we finished first in the regular season.”
Teamwork will make the dream work, Sloukas emphasizes.
“I will not take the team alone to Kaunas. I am well-trained and of a good age. Earlier Sasha took a difficult shot, but he is a quality shooter and made it. The reaction you saw was an expression of joy. These things are ours; you don’t need to know them all. Sasha works every day, and he deserves to be here. I hope we go to the Final four and he comes out the clear MVP,” Kostas Sloukas concluded.
Walkup: We didn’t steal the game; it was ours for taking
Thomas Walkup is in awe of Sloukas’ overall performance, as he scored 25 points in around 23 minutes on the court, with 10 of his points coming in the final period.
“Тhis was our game to take. I didn’t feel like we stole the game, but it was up in the air to take, and we took it. The last five minutes played great; Sloukas made a big play, after a big play, facilitating, passing, shooting, driving… He was really, really great,” Walkup said.
Olympiacos is going step by step, and after Game 3, they regained a home-court advantage.
“It’s huge; this is what a playoffs is about. We gave away home court advantage; we hadn’t even thought about Friday, and nobody even said anything about it; it was all about today. We knew it was not going to be easy, so for us to come here, and get a close one, do it on the back of Sloukas, it was great. That’s why he is our guy.”
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net