By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos tried almost until the last minute, but Real Madrid proved to be better, got the 83-69 win and the ticket to Milan’s Final Four, where they will face Barcelona in the semifinal. The finalist will be decided from the game of Maccabi Tel Aviv against CSKA Moscow.
Led by Sergio Llull in the first half, when he scored 15 of his 20 points, and Rudy Fernandez in the second (15 p.) the Spaniards beat the back to back defending champions in Game 5. Felipe Reyes was the key player with 15 points and 8 rebounds, five of them offensive. That was the most important detail of the game. Real had 39 rebounds against 27 grabbed by the Reds. The offensive rebounds of the Spaniards were 17, as many as the defensive rebounds of the Greeks and that was the story of the game. Vasilis Spanoulis with 19 point made a valiant effort, Matt Lojeski added 15, but the quality of Real, the rebounds and the home court advantage finally played their role.
Coach Bartzokas admitted that Olympiacos run out of gas: “We ran out of strength and chances. This loss will make us wiser as a team in the future. We had seven new players this season and arrived to this series with Printezis back in the team after a six-week injury and Spanoulis not being 100%. In the end, the best four teams reached the Final Four and the winner is the one who is better prepared in that moment. It is difficult to win a game when you had 13 rebounds less than your opponent. We didn’t manage our foul situation well. There are no favorites in the Final Four, whoever is better prepared and ready when that time comes will win it”. As for winner coach Laso he added: “I am very happy; making it to the Final Four is not easy. You start the season in November and it all comes down to one game on April 25. Madrid was the winner tonight, in every sense of the word. We had great fans and it was a really tough series. We grew as a team in this series and that has allowed us to eliminate the reigning champion. We will try to get Jaycee Carroll ready, physically and mentally. I have told my players several times how important being a team is and being able to win as a team.”