May 23, 2013
Top 16 Game 4 - March 08, 2007 CET: 19:15 Local time: 20:15 - ABDI IPEKÇI SPORTS HALL
Efes Pilsen 65 - 79 Panathinaikos

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
1-0 Regular Season 1-0
8-9 Overall 14-3

Referees

Crew Chief
REMS, IZTOK, Slovenia
Referee
ARTEAGA, JUAN CARLOS, Spain
Umpire
BITTON, MOSHE, Israel

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
75.2 Points 81.7
31.3 Rebounds 32.7
8.3 O. Rebounds 11.2
23.0 D. Rebounds 21.5
11.7 Assists 12.6
7.5 Steals 9.9
3.1 Blocks 2.6
12.5 Turnovers 14.1
51.7 % 2PT 56.4 %
36.5 % 3PT 37.5 %
72.5 % FT 69.4 %
77.0 Index 90.1
Team Stats - Efes Pilsen
Team Stats - Panathinaikos

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
14.3 / Nicholas Points 14.2 / Batiste
6.3 / HAISLIP, MARCUS Rebounds 7.0 / Batiste
1.9 / Gonlum OR 3.1 / Batiste
4.8 / HAISLIP, MARCUS DR 3.8 / Tsartsaris
3.4 / Nicholas Assists 4.1 / Diamantidis
0.9 / PRKACIN, NIKOLA Steals 2.5 / Diamantidis
1.9 / HAISLIP, MARCUS Blocks 0.8 / Diamantidis
2.1 / Nicholas Turnovers 2.5 / Diamantidis
57.1 % / PRKACIN, NIKOLA 2PT 70.3 % / Batiste
46.5 % / ERDEN, CUNEYT 3PT 45.9 % / HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS
80.0 % / HAISLIP, MARCUS FT 81.7 % / BECIROVIC, SANI
15.7 / HAISLIP, MARCUS Index 14.4 / Diamantidis
Team Roster - Efes Pilsen
Team Roster - Panathinaikos

THE TAKE

Two Euroleague powerhouses meet again with plenty at stake on Thursday when Efes Pilsen welcomes Panathinaikos to Athens for a key Group F encounter. Efes (0-3) needs to start winning right away in order to keep its playoff chances alive. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos (3-0) will advance to the Quarterfinals Playoffs if it beats Efes and will inch closer to clinching first place in the group. Panathinaikos and Efes enjoy a spirited rivalry, having played six vital games in the last three seasons. The Greens hold a 4-2 edge in that series, but each team has won on the other's home court. When these teams faced each other in Athens, Greece last month, Panathinaikos thrashed Efes 84-57 behind 20 points from Demos Dikoudis (7-8 ppg.). Efes has sinced released Horace Jenkins (14.5 ppg.), its top scorer in that first game, while Cenk Akyol (5.9 ppg.) stays sidelined this week. Under the circumstances, Drew Nicholas (14.3 ppg., 41.4% 3FG) will be the go-to guy in the Efes backcourt, while Cuneyt Erden (4.9 ppg., 46.5% 3FG), who fired in 5 triples against Barcelona last week, will take on extra responsibility. Small forward Antonio Granger (5.3 ppg.), meanwhile, is fully recovered and ready to see extended playing time. Fikret Can Akin (2 ppg.) is expected to share the point guard duties with Erden while Mustafa Abi (1.5 ppg.) will help at both wings. Erden and Akin will have the tough mission to go against two-time Euroleague Best Defender Trophy winner Dimitris Diamantidis (8.9 ppg., 4.1 apg., 2.5 spg.), who has his perfect backcourt complement in Sani Becirovic (10.3 ppg., 40.4% 3FG), who has averaged 21 points in the last two games. Both players highlight a star-flooded backcourt featuring Ramunas Siskauskas (9.3 ppg., 44.7% 3FG), Milos Vujanic (4.3 ppg.), Nikos Hatzivrettas (9.1 ppg., 45.8% 3FG) and Tony Delk (9.5 ppg.). The battle in the paint will be crucial, as Efes bases its game on a battery of big men. Marcus Haislip (13.9 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) is a mismatch for every team to due his shooting range, athleticism and quickness, while Nikola Prkacin (6.6 ppg., 3.6 rpg.) can be dominating in the low post. Ermal Kuqo (9.3 ppg.) has improved his offensive game, adding a long-range shot to his trademark turnaround jumper, while Kerem Gonlum (4.9 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) is an excellent rebounder at both ends. Prkacin and Kuqo will have a big challenge against Mike Batiste (14.2 ppg., 70.3% 2FG, 7 rpg.), who has returned to his best level after a long injury. Dejan Tomasevic (7.5 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) stays as one of the best high post centers in the competition, while Dikoudis and Kostas Tsartsaris (8.3 ppg., 5.1 rpg.) will try to stop Prkacin down low, as will Robertas Javtokas (2.6 ppg.) with Haislip. Above all, Efes is in a do-or-die situation, so Panathinaikos can expect another tough battle in Istanbul this week.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Euroleague.net - Gokhan Ture, Istanbul - Kostas Sotiriou, Athens

Quotes Head Coaches

MAHMUTI, OKTAY
Efes Pilsen
"We are going to play one of the best teams in Europe, one which has a tradition in top competitions like the Euroleague. However, our luck is not only in our hands. We have to wait and see the other results until the last game of our group. We will try to do everything we can to win the game on our home court in order to continue hoping for the next stage."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"The game in Istanbul is very important for us. After three losses so far in the Top 16, Efes Pilsen will try to accomplish a big win to stay alive, but our goal is to stop that. I watched their game in Barcelona and realized that Cuneyt Erden has a bigger role after the club released Horace Jenkins. Panathinaikos cannot rest because we count three wins in three games. We always want to perform at the highest level and win as many games as possible in order to get closer to our initial goal: the Final Four in Athens!"

Players

ABI, MUSTAFA
Efes Pilsen
"This is a kind of a do-or-die game for us. We had a very bad start to the second phase and it is still going the same way. We played better in the last game against Winterthur Barcelona. We could have won that game if we had played better defensively. But to win against Panathinaikos, we have to play our best on both defense and offense. What we also need a little bit luck on our side, which we haven't had since the beginning of the season."
TOMASEVIC, DEJAN
Panathinaikos
"We know that if we beat Efes Pilsen in Abdi Ipekci, we are 99-percent to get first place in Group F. So it is a very important game for Panathinaikos and we will be ready when it's time for the tipoff. Definitely, they want to prove they have a good team, especially those players who didn't see much time in the previous games. Perhaps they are obliged to win after three losses, but we have to look at ourselves and play our game to win the fourth in a row. Our goal is to perform like in the first game in Athens, when we played hard defense and achieved easy points on the fastbreak."
Sani Becirovic - Panathinaikos The dream of Panathinaikos to play a Final Four on its own court came closer than ever as the Greens downed Efes Pilsen 65-79 on the road Thursday to advance to the Quarterfinal Playoffs from Group F. The vicotry by Panathinaikos (4-0) also assured that Winterthur FC Barcelona (3-1) advances, and the two will now battle for first place and homecourt advantage in the best-of-three playoffs. Efes (0-4) is eliminated at an earlier moment than in any season of the last five despite playing the Greens close right into the final quarter. Niksa Prkacin's free throw put Efes ahead 56-55 before Panathinaikos burst ahead with a 0-9 run featuring triples by Ramunas Siskauskas and Dimitrios Diamantidis. Efes never recovered. Sani Becirovic led the winners with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Siskauskas added 14 points and Kostas Tsartsaris 10 to go with 9 rebounds. Efes got 21 points from Drew Nicholas, 14 and 12 rebounds from Marcus Haislip and 10 points from Ermal Kuqo, but it wasn't enough to avoid a season-ending loss.

Mustapha Abi and Niksa Prkacin got Efes on the board, but it was the hosts' pressure defense that starred early, keeping Panathinaikos almost scoreless through four-and-a-half minutes, after which a layup by Nicholas put the hosts ahead 6-2. However, Panathinaikos then forced consecutive turnovers by Efes and took advantage when Becirovic's layup-plus-free throw put the visitors ahead 6-7. He had all his team's points until then, but Dejan Tomasevic added free throws to complete a 0-7 run with Panathinaikos ahead 6-9. Next, Efes took its turn. Haislip, who had already made 3 huge blocks, dropped a triple to tie it up and detonated a huge dunk to make put the hosts back in front, 11-9. Nicholas joined joined by making a pair of free throws and striking from the arc to complete a 10-0 run that had Efes in charge at 16-9. Dimitris Diamantidis revived the Greens with a triple, but they could only get as close as 20-15 after 10 minutes.

Marcus Haislip - Efes PilsenErmal Kuqo opened the second-quarter scoring with a layup that made it 22-15. Soon, Efes would have its biggest lead, 28-19, on an inside basket by Kerem Gonlum. Panathinaikos had to respond, and did, with offensive rebounds as Dimos Dikoudis scored back-to-back baskets to get the guests back in the game at 30-27. Becirovic then went to the line and hit 4 of 4 free throws to tie it up, 32-32. In the next-to-last minute of the first half, Siskauskas completed the Panathinaikos comeback by dialling long distance for a triple just before the end of the 24-second shot clock that returned the lead to the visitors, 33-35. Nikola Prkacin responded for Efes with an inside basket for the last points of the first half as the teams went to their locker rooms all even, 35-35.

Panathinaikos, which had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, kept working well offensively, moving the ball cleverly and staying focused on the boards to start the second. It paid off as Mike Batiste shot his team ahead 35-39 with the first baskets of the third quarter. Haislip picked up Efes now with a pair of triples to make it 41-41, but Batiste answered with a big dunk to keep the Greens ahead. Becirovic got the next offensive rebound for Panathinaikos and put it back in. Panathinaikos tried to open the gap as Dikoudis hit from downtown and Batiste dunked, but Granger and Nicholas answered for Efes, keeping the hosts within 50-51. That duel continued through the final minutes of the quarter as Becivoric and Siskauskas kept Panathinaikos one step ahead until Nicholas beat the clock with a driving basket to forge yet another tie, 55-55, after 30 minutes.

Dimitrios Diamantidis - PanathinaikosEfes led to start the final quarter on a free throw by Prkacin, but Diamantidis matched him before Siskauskas rained a triple that boosted Panathinaikos in front, 56-59. Tomasevic soon added a layup and Diamantidis a big triple that extended the lead to 56-64 after a 0-9 blast. Efes got 3 points back through Haislip and Nicholas, then tried a zone defense, but it changed little as Panathinaikos moved the ball quickly to find Kostas Tsartsaris for a layup and Siskauskas for a triple that supplied a double-digit lead, 59-69, with 5 minutes left. Kuqo tried to rally Efes with a couple baskets, but Tsartsaris bettered him with a tirple, a jumper and a free throw as the Panathinaikos lead climbed to 63-75. By the time Diamantidis dunked in the final minute, it was all over. Panathinaikos was moving on and Efes was eliminated.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Gokhan Ture, Istanbul
Referees: REMS, IZTOK (SLO), ARTEAGA, JUAN CARLOS (ESP), BITTON, MOSHE (ISR)
Attendance: 10500
By Quarter1234
Efes Pilsen20152010
Panathinaikos15202024
End of Quarter1234
Efes Pilsen20355565
Panathinaikos15355579
Head coach: MAHMUTI, OKTAY
Efes Pilsen
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 NICHOLAS, DREW 36:15 21 4/6 1/7 10/10   1 1 5 1 3     2 8 23
6 AKIN, FIKRET CAN 14:15     0/1         1   1     4 1 -4
8 PRKACIN, NIKOLA 19:15 5 2/3   1/2 2 1 3   2 3 1   3 3 6
10 ABI, MUSTAFA 20:30 5 2/3   1/3   4 4         1 3 1 3
11 ERDEN, CUNEYT 22:30   0/2 0/3     2 2 3 1 1     5 1 -4
12 GONLUM, KEREM 4:30 2 1/2   0/1   1 1             2 3
13 HAISLIP, MARCUS 36:45 14 1/2 3/6 3/6 5 7 12   3 3 2 2 2 4 21
14 HERSEK, BARIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
17 BAYAV, ENGIN EMRE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 GRANGER, ANTONIO 25:45 8 1/1 2/4     1 1 1   1     1 1 7
23 KUQO, ERMAL 20:15 10 4/9 0/1 2/2 4 2 6     1   1 1 1 8
Team                     1     1   -2
Totals 200:00 65 15/28 6/22 17/24 11 19 30 10 7 14 3 4 22 22 61
53.6% 27.3% 70.8%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 ALVERTIS, FRAGISKOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 DELK, TONY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 BECIROVIC, SANI 30:15 16 5/8 0/3 6/9 3 4 7 4 1 1   1 4 6 19
8 BATISTE, MIKE 20:00 9 4/10   1/1 3 1 4 1 1 2     3 2 6
9 SISKAUSKAS, RAMUNAS 33:45 14 1/2 3/6 3/4   2 2 2 1 1 2     2 17
10 HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS 23:45 8 4/5 0/2                   4   1
11 DIKOUDIS, DIMOS 17:30 9 3/7 1/2   3 2 5           4   5
12 TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS 25:15 10 3/6 1/5 1/2 3 6 9 2   2 2 1 3 1 10
13 DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS 35:45 9 1/3 2/5 1/2 1 3 4 6 5 1     1 9 25
15 TOMASEVIC, DEJAN 13:45 4 1/3   2/2 2 3 5   1     1 3 1 5
18 VUJANIC, MILOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
19 JAVTOKAS, ROBERTAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Team           4   4     1         3
Totals 200:00 79 22/44 7/23 14/20 19 21 40 15 9 8 4 3 22 21 91
50% 30.4% 70%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

MAHMUTI, OKTAY
Efes Pilsen
"We got 19 defensive rebounds and Panathinaikos had 19 offensive rebounds. This is a good explanation for the game and the result. We challenged well but this is not enough to win against a good team like Panathinaikos. We gave them too many second-chance points and in this kind of game, you can not handle this kind of weakness. There's nothing much to say."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"I was expecting a tough game and so it was. They started the game with a very aggressive defense. They are a good team defensively and they tried to keep rhythm in their hand in the first half. They tried to put the ball inside to Kuqo, Prkacin and Haislip. We didn't play good in the first half. In the second half we played faster, not only fastbreaks but also the five on five in the half court. We were better in offensive rebounds for most of the game and that was the main reason of our win. Anyway congratulations for Efes because they have problems in the roster and despite that, they fight to win the game with all their soul. I also congratulate my players that this victory is very important for us. It can be the key for us for the first place in the group."

Players

ABI, MUSTAFA
Efes Pilsen
"This was our last chance. We were planning to survive with a good game in front of our home fans supporting us with emotion. We challenged well but made mistakes when the game was going on head to head. We played well in some periods of the game but when we give that kind of 19 offensive rebounds to our opponent, we weren't able to control the game in our hands. We lost our chance for this season for quarter finals and now we are looking forward to Turkish League."
SISKAUSKAS, RAMUNAS
Panathinaikos
"We came here to win here and this is what we needed. We knew that Efes Pilsen would try to do everything they could still to be competitive in the Top 16. But we really stayed focused for forty minutes. We played exactly how we had in the game plan. At the end, it was a really deserved win for us."
BECIROVIC, SANI
Panathinaikos
"It was a very tough and important game for us. In the first half and the third quarter we were not in good shape. But of course, we played againt a very good team. It doesn't matter that they had 0-3 record. Now we have to look forward to the next game. The result shows that we were stronger."
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