May 18, 2013
Top 16 Game 5 - March 05, 2009 CET: 20:45 Local time: 20:45 - ARENA BEOGRAD
Partizan 63 - 56 Panathinaikos

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
3-1 Top 16 4-0
5-5 Regular Season 7-3
8-6 Overall 11-3

Referees

Crew Chief
FACCHINI, FABIO, Italy
Referee
GARCIA ORTIZ, JOSE RAMON, Spain
Umpire
CHAMBON, DAVID, France

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
70.8 Points 79.1
35.3 Rebounds 31.7
12.6 O. Rebounds 9.0
22.6 D. Rebounds 22.7
12.2 Assists 14.1
5.7 Steals 8.7
4.1 Blocks 2.9
15.6 Turnovers 14.4
49.7 % 2PT 59.3 %
35.9 % 3PT 36.8 %
69.2 % FT 76.2 %
68.9 Index 89.1
Team Stats - Partizan
Team Stats - Panathinaikos

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
11.4 / VELICKOVIC, NOVICA Points 12.7 / Batiste
6.8 / Lasme Rebounds 5.1 / Batiste
2.6 / Lasme OR 1.9 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA
4.1 / Lasme DR 3.5 / Diamantidis
3.6 / Tepic Assists 3.4 / Diamantidis
0.9 / Lasme Steals 1.3 / Diamantidis
1.8 / Lasme Blocks 0.8 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA
2.6 / Lasme Turnovers 2.2 / Batiste
100.0 % / BOZIC, PETAR 2PT 83.3 % / SAKOTA, DUSAN
50.0 % / S. Milosevic 3PT 53.8 % / KECMAN, DUSAN
100.0 % / BOZIC, PETAR FT 100.0 % / KECMAN, DUSAN
14.7 / Lasme Index 16.1 / Diamantidis
Team Roster - Partizan
Team Roster - Panathinaikos

THE TAKE

Another chapter will be written in a budding Euroleague rivalry on Thursday when Partizan Belgrade hosts Panathinaikos with first place in Group G on the line. The buzz around this game has reached new heights with the contest moved to the Belgrade Arena and some 20,000 fans expected to fill the stands. Both teams have already clinched Quarterfinal Playoffs berths and now want to lock down home-court advantage for the next stage. Panathinaikos trumped Partizan 81-63 behind a season-high 26 points from Partizan product and All-Euroleague center Nikola Pekovic, a result that has great bearing on this game. If the Greens, who are 4-0 in the Top 16, win in Belgrade, they win Group G. If Partizan (3-1) wins by more than 18, it would control its own destiny. A win by 18 or fewer for head coach Dusko Vujosevic’s men would leave Panathinaikos in the top spot and able to clinch first next week with a win or a Partizan defeat. The game is the sixth between the two teams in the last two seasons. They met last season four times, including twice in the Top 16 with Partizan knocking out the then-Euroleague champs on the last day of the round. If that weren’t enough to spice up the rivalry, Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic played for Partizan and later coached the club to its only Euroleague crown in 1992. And in addition to Pekovic, the Greens plucked swingman Dusan Kecman away from Partizan over the summer. Partizan has been red-hot of late, winning three in a row – including a pair of thrillers over Unicaja. The heart of the team has been forward Novica Velickovic, who was named Euroleague Basketball’s MVP for February for his performances in those wins. He teams with Stephane Lasme, Jan Vesely and 2.29-meter center Slavko Vranes to anchor the Serbian champs’ frontline against Pekovic, Mike Batiste and Kostas Tsartsaris. While the hosts boast the depth up front, no one can match the size of Panathinaikos’s backcourt with the likes of Sarunas Jasikevicius, Vassilis Spanoulis, Dimitris Diamantidis, Drew Nicholas and Kecman. Partizan turns to the young and hungry Milenko Tepic, Aleksandar Rasic and three-point marksman Uros Tripkovic to play the bulk of its minutes at guard. Small forward Stratos Perperoglou of Panathinaikos will have an interesting role, needing to match up with the taller Vesely, the athletic Lasme or even Velickovic depending on the lineups Partizan uses. Games like these have no favorites. The quality of the players and coaches and the atmosphere created by 20,000 Partizan supporters will come together on Thursday to create a classic basketball experience where everyone involved will go home a winner.

GAME NOTES

Partizan
  • Forward Novica Velickovic was named Euroleague Basketball’s MVP for February after leading Partizan to a 3-0 record with 16 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
  • Guard Uros Tripkovic has made at least one three-pointer in 12 consecutive Euroleague games. He is shooting 45.3% from downtown over that span.
  • Tripkovic achieved his career-high in steals, 5, against Panathinaikos in a January 2006 game. Tripkovic also scored 24 points in that game.
  • The magic number for Partizan has been 80 points. The Serbian champs have won 11 of the last 12 games in which they have scored at least 80.
  • Big man Stephane Lasme has blocked a shot in six consecutive games. Lasme scored a season-high 20 points in last week’s win at Unicaja.
Panathinaikos
  • Head coach Zeljko Obradovic served Partizan as both a player and a coach. He moved there from Borac Cacak and when he retired from his playing career, immediately became coach and led them to a fantastic 1991-92 season, as they won the club’s only Euroleague crown as well as the Yugoslavian national championship and the Yugoslavian Cup.
  • Center Nikola Pekovic and swingman Dusan Kecman will play against their previous team. The duo helped Partizan to beat the Greens at home, 82-73, in last season’s Top 16 finale to make it to the Quarterfinal Playoffs.
  • Pekovic scored a season-high 26 points against his former team in the Top 16 opener in January.
  • Pekovic leads the Top 16 in free throws made (27), attempted (28) and his free-throw percentage (96.4%) is best among any player with at least 15 attempts.
  • Kecman will play in his 100th career Euroleague Basketball game this week.
  • Forward Antonis Fotsis is 1 three-pointer away from 100 for his Euroleague career.
  • Guard Sarunas Jasikevicius is just 1 steal shy of the 100-steal plateau for his Euroleague career.
  • Five Panathinaikos players will return to the site of one of their biggest triumphs. Dimitris Diamantidis, Vassilis Spanoulis, Fotsis, Kostas Tsartsaris and Nikos Hatzivrettas were members of the Greek national team that won the 2005 European Championships by beating Germany in the gold medal game at Beogradska Arena, site of this week’s contest.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
"We know well it is not easy to sell 20,000 tickets. That is a heavy task even for pop stars. If we needed proof for our success, this is the proof. Our game with Panathinaikos in Belgrade Arena is a crown of our long term work. The game has no importance like our last season game but sporting motivations exists. Panathinaikos shall be motivated too, I am sure. They are players with character, champions, Pekovic, Kecman, coach Obradovic, we know them well. We have an obligation to our fans. I believe they could show that their support can move the team even in a huge arena like this."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"We are playing for first place, so that makes the upcoming game very important for us. Partizan has showed how good a team they are. They play good defense and with 20,000 fans supporting them, our mission is going to be really difficult. Nevertheless, this situation will not be new to us. We are not thinking about the recent game against Olympiacos or any other previous game, because they belong to the past. We are aiming for the next games and the goals we put at the beginning of the season. And we move on."

Players

TRIPKOVIC, UROS
Partizan
"The game with Panathinaikos doesn't feature competitive importance because we both reached the Quaterfinal Playoffs but we will fight for the win like always. We are playing in the Belgrade Arena for the first time and we are aware people will not come to see our bad performance. There is a pressure but we played under pressure so many times. We are accustomed to play under pressure."
PEKOVIC, NIKOLA
Panathinaikos
"There is no doubt that the game in Belgrade will be difficult. Everybody knows how Partizan plays. Especially this season they are excellent. I guess that the upcoming game will be a little bit different, since the fans will be around 20,000, many more than in Hala Pionir. So for them it is going like they compete in a new gym, exactly like it goes for us. We want to win combining a good game with a positive result. Our goal is to avoid turnovers and improve our game, since we know we can do much better as a team. Personally, I don’t know what to expect in this game. The certain thing is that I will see many friends there."
Uros Tripkovic - PartizanPartizan came out on top over Panathinaikos 63-56 in an epic Group G battle in front of a record 22,567 fans on Thursday at Belgrade Arena in the Serbian capital. Partizan used a 10-0 run that bridged the third and fourth periods to pull ahead for good and even threatened the 17-point margin that Panathinaikos had achieved in their first matchup of the Top 16 before the Greens rallied late behind Dimitris Diamantidis. Panathinaikos's first loss of the Top 16 coupled with the fourth straight win for Partizan sees the two sides tied for first place in the group at 4-1. Panathinaikos will win the group if it beats Unicaja at home next week or it Partizan falls at Lottomatica Roma. There were many heroes for the hosts, starting with Uros Tripkovic and Stephane Lasme, who paced the attack with 12 points apiece. Lasme also came up big on defense with 3 blocked shots. February MVP Novica Velickovic added 10 points, while Zarko Rakocevic had 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and the key plays in the aforementioned 10-0 run and teenager Jan Vesely scored 9 –including a big three in the fourth quarter –excelled on defense and played a team-high 30 minutes. Diamantidis carried Panathinaikos with a career-high 21 points plus 5 rebounds and 4 steals and Antonis Fotsis and Nikola Pekovic added 10 each. Partizan;s defense also help big man Mike Batsiste scoreless for the first time in nearly five years.

Dimitris Diamantidis - PanathinaikosPekovic opened the scoring when he went around former teammate Slavko Vranes for a basket. Vranes remained at the focus as he had a rebound stripped from him by Diamantidis for a score before he recorded Partizan's first basket. The incredible atmosphere did not seem to help the shooters on either team. Finally Diamantidis stepped up with a triple to make it 2-7. Milenko Tepic got the crowd singing with a basket-plus-foul and Tripkovic’s baby hook made it a 1-point game. Sarunas Jasikevicius and Tepic traded threes as the pace picked up. Partizan managed to hold Panathinaikos on defense, but a pair of offensive fouls on Lasme silenced its own attack. Velickovic’s first basket was a triple that knotted the score at 12-12. A Vassilis Spanoulis free throw made it 12-13 after 10 minutes of action.

Tripkovic gave Partizan its first lead of the night from the free-throw line, but Batiste put quickly the visitors back on top. Diamantidis swooped in for a steal that resulted in a foul and 2 free throws only for a red-hot Tripkovic to drill a triple at the other end that tied the score. Diamantidis matched his magic with a three-point play in the paint and PAO increased the lead when Spanoulis scored in transition. Partizan head coach Dusko Vujosevic was whistled for a technical foul for protesting the lack of a foul call fir Jan Vesely. Diamantidis sank the free throws to make it 17-24. Kostas Tsartsaris rifled in a three from the corner to stretch the lead to double figures. Vranes responded with a rare long shot, Aleksandar Rasic followed from downtown and Lasme swatted a Tsartsaris shot to the delight of the crowd. A minute later, Lasme spun inside and drew a foul to cut the deficit to 3. Pekovic banked in a shot at the other end, but Partizan raced down court in the final seconds and Petar Bozic fed Vesely for a dunk at the buzzer to cap a low-scoring, but very exciting first half with the visitors ahead 26-29.

Jan Vesely - PartizanThe defenses owned the show early in the third quarter with Lasme rising to block another shot. Jasikevicius was called for an offensive foul and then a technical for arguing, which allowed Tripkovic to convert 2 from the line. A Velickovic tip-in put Partizan ahead 30-29, but Pekovic drew a foul and scored 2 at the other end. The lead continued to switch hands as Lasme buried a jumper and Antonis Fotsis fired in a three. Pekovic put PAO up by 4 only to see Lasme – surrounded by four Greens – battle for a basket and foul. Spanoulis stepped up and scored on back-to-back possessions to make it 35-40. Rakocevic’s put-back and Lasme’s tough basket in transition brought Partizan right back. Rakocevic flipped in a basket inside to put the hosts on top 41-40 bringing the excitement to new heights heading into the deciding period.

Rakocevic shined with some of the biggest minutes of his career, throwing down an alley-oop slam in transition and then swatting a Spanoulis at the other end as the din reach a peak. Rakocevic went to the well once more, but missed, however Vesely swooped in for the offensive rebound, was fouled, and capped a 10-0 run with 2 free throws. Pekovic ended the Greens' drought, but only when Rakocevic's block attempt was deemed goal-tending. A Velickovic three made it 48-42, but the home team’s momentum would soon suffer a blow when Tepic limped off the floor with a knee injury. After a timeout, Velckovic further extended the Partizan lead. Diamantidis tried to rescue Panathinaikos with a pair of free throws, but Tripkovic nailed a wild triple to put Partizan up by 9. Rakocevic started perhaps the prettiest play off the night with an alley-oop pass to Vesely as Partizan began to eye the big win it needed for first place. Rasic sliced the Greens’ defense for another basket to make it 57-44. Fotsis muscled his way to a basket and a minute later Diamantidis fired in a clutch three-pointer. Vesely got the arena rocking again with a triple, however Diamantidis came through with free throws and then Fotsis threw down a dunk on the break as Panathinaikos squashed Partizan’s momentum. Diamantidis made it a 5-point game and set a career-high in points when he netted 2 more from the line. Lasme made a free throw for the hosts, but with time winding down it began looking clear: Partizan would win, but not by a big enough margin to take first place, which would be decided only in Week 6.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Euroleague.net
Referees: FACCHINI, FABIO (ITA), GARCIA ORTIZ, JOSE RAMON (ESP), CHAMBON, DAVID (FRA)
Attendance: 22567
By Quarter1234
Partizan12141522
Panathinaikos13161116
End of Quarter1234
Partizan12264163
Panathinaikos13294056
Head coach: VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
# 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
5 TEPIC, MILENKO 26:39 5 1/4 1/2 0/1   4 4 4   5     1 1 3
8 MILOSEVIC, STRAHINJA 3:32   0/1                     1   -2
10 RASIC, ALEKSANDAR 15:52 5 1/1 1/3   1   1     1     3 1 1
11 TRIPKOVIC, UROS 27:48 12 1/2 2/6 4/4   3 3 1   3   2   2 8
12 VELICKOVIC, NOVICA 23:33 10 2/3 2/5   1 3 4     2     3 2 7
13 LASME, STEPHANE 23:54 12 4/6   4/6 1 3 4 1 2 4 3   4 5 15
14 ALEKSIC, VUKASIN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 VITKOVAC, CEDOMIR 3:49         1   1               1
20 BOZIC, PETAR 12:18     0/2         2   1     4   -5
22 RAKOCEVIC, ZARKO 19:09 6 3/5     1 7 8 3   3 1   5 1 9
24 VESELY, JAN 30:02 9 2/5 1/3 2/2 1 3 4     1       5 12
33 VRANES, SLAVKO 13:24 4 2/3       6 6     1     3 1 6
Team           2 1 3           1   2
Totals 200:00 63 16/30 7/21 10/13 8 30 38 11 2 21 4 2 25 18 57
53.3% 33.3% 76.9%
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
5 KECMAN, DUSAN 5:42   0/1 0/2             1         -4
6 SPANOULIS, VASSILIS 25:20 9 3/6 0/2 3/4 1 1 2     1   2 2 5 5
7 PERPEROGLOU, STRATOS 25:10   0/1 0/1   1 2 3 2   3 1   3   -2
8 BATISTE, MIKE 16:53   0/5       1 1 1 2 1     2 1 -3
9 FOTSIS, ANTONIS 32:14 10 3/4 1/2 1/2 3 5 8   1   1     2 19
10 HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS 6:55   0/3 0/3                       -6
11 NICHOLAS, DREW 17:36   0/1 0/3     1 1 1 2       1 1  
12 TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS 7:46 3 0/1 1/2     2 2         1 1 1 2
13 DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS 30:59 21 2/3 2/5 11/11 2 3 5 1 4 3     1 6 29
14 PEKOVIC, NIKOLA 23:07 10 3/8   4/4 2 3 5     2   1 4 7 10
15 SAKOTA, DUSAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
19 JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS 8:18 3 0/2 1/3             3     4 1 -7
Team           3 4 7           1   6
Totals 200:00 56 11/35 5/23 19/21 12 22 34 5 9 14 2 4 19 24 49
31.4% 21.7% 90.5%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
"Both teams wanted the win in that wonderful atmosphere which proved that Belgrade is a basketball city. Panathinaikos played very tough. Both teams were playing excellent defense all the time. We were under pressure in the first half and in the locker room my players refreshed and showed their best face in second half. I was not even thinking about win by over 18 points' difference."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"Thanks to the Partizan fans for the warm welcome addressed to me. That was spectacular tonight. But my team was really bad on offense. I think the worst in this season so far. We did not manage to stop Partizan's fastbreaks and we had too many missed shots. Maybe my players are tired."

Players

BOZIC, PETAR
Partizan
"I played for the first time in front of 22,500 people. The feeling is fantastic but I personally prefer Pionir. I am more at home there. We played there for years and I think it is better to play there. Anyway, thanks to all our fans. I was dreaming about something like this."
VESELY, JAN
Partizan
"Our defense and rebounding were the keys. Crazy. I never seen something like this in my life. I was dreaming about this kind of night as a boy and my dreams came true tonight."
TEPIC, MILENKO
Partizan
"Most important is that we played one more good game. It was not easy to be good in an atmosphere like this. In the second half, we raised our defensive intensity and we were 13 points ahead in the final period. But Panathinaikos is an excellent team and it is impossible to beat them by more than 18 points, like we needed to do to get first place in our group."
VELICKOVIC, NOVICA
Partizan
"Thanks to those 22,000 people. This is really incredible. We disappointed in the first half, that was obvious. But the most important thing is that we won at the end. I don't know where is better to play, in the Belgrade Arena or in Pionir."
KECMAN, DUSAN
Panathinaikos
"Excellent atmosphere. Fantastic. I can compare that to OAKA Arena in Athens. The atmosphere is almost the same. But the feeling that 22,500 people were here is incredible. The Partizan fans were on their feet all 40 minutes and I am happy I was part of this historic game."
PEKOVIC, NIKOLA
Panathinaikos
"It was wonderful here in the Arena. Partizan fans are the best in Europe and they proved it tonight. I expected a tough game and it was. Congratulations to Partizan for the win they deserved."
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