Top 16 Game 4 - March 08, 2007 CET: 18:15 Local time: 20:15 - SPORTS COMPLEX KRYLATSKOE

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
0-0 Regular Season 0-0
12-5 Overall 6-11

Referees

Crew Chief
JUNGEBRAND, CARL, Finland
Referee
HIERREZUELO, DANI, Spain
Umpire
PEREZ PIZARRO, EMILIO, Spain

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
82.9 Points 70.5
32.3 Rebounds 33.2
8.1 O. Rebounds 9.7
24.2 D. Rebounds 23.5
10.7 Assists 10.5
13.9 Steals 13.7
2.7 Blocks 2.1
15.6 Turnovers 12.8
52.9 % 2PT 46.4 %
37.6 % 3PT 32.4 %
75.0 % FT 72.6 %
94.1 Index 74.6

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
13.9 / Fotsis Points 14.7 / SCALES, A.
6.5 / Fotsis Rebounds 8.2 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
2.3 / Fotsis OR 2.8 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
4.2 / Fotsis DR 5.4 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
2.0 / POPOVIC, BOJAN Assists 2.3 / CASTLE, T.
1.9 / POPOVIC, BOJAN Steals 2.1 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
1.0 / PAPADOPOULOS, LAZAROS Blocks 0.8 / WILKINSON, MIKE
3.2 / PAPADOPOULOS, LAZAROS Turnovers 2.9 / CASTLE, T.
66.7 % / Khvostov 2PT 57.6 % / WILKINSON, MIKE
46.6 % / Fotsis 3PT 41.2 % / ILIADIS, SAVVAS
90.0 % / Monya FT 100.0 % / PANTELIADIS, S.
17.1 / Fotsis Index 19.8 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH

THE TAKE

Two teams will fight for different goals in Group G on Thursday when Dynamo Moscow welcomes Aris TT Bank in the Russian capital at 18:15 CET in a rematch between last year's ULEB Cup finalists. Dynamo (2-1) is part a three-way tie atop the Group G standings and will keep sharing first place with a victory. Meanwhile, Aris (0-3) needs a win to stay alive in the playoff race, even though it will have last-minute absences in Mahmoud Abudl-Rauf and Spyros Panteliadis. Both teams faced each other in Thessaloniki, Greece in Top 16 Game 1 and Dynamo beat Aris 74-86 behind 18 points from center Lazaros Papadopoulos (15.8 ppg., 7.1 rpg.). Once again, Papadopoulos will be Aris's main concern, as Dynamo runs its offense through him. In a home win against Unicaja last week, Papadopoulos took 12 of Dynamo's 17 field goal attempts in the first quarter. He highlights a deep frontcourt that also features Antonis Fotsis (13.9 ppg., 46.6% 3FG, 6.5 rpg.) and Yuri Vasilyev (3.1 ppg.), but is missing Obinna Ezekie (6.3 ppg., 65.5% 2FG) and Miroslav Raicevic again due to injury. Mike Wilkinson (12.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 2 spg.) will try to give Papadopoulos trouble with his mid-range shots and quickness, while Jeremiah Massey (12.9 ppg., 8.2 rpg.) is set to guard Fotsis. Giannis Giannoulis (2.4 rpg.), who was a Papadopoulos teammate when both won the Euroleague title with Panathinaikos in 2002, will also try to stop Dynamo's franchise player. The point guard battle will also be interesting, as Bojan Popovic (11.8 ppg., 61.6% 2FG, 1.9 spg.) has been so sensational lately for Dynamo that he leads the Top 16 index rating standings. Popovic and Eddie Gill (6.8 ppg., 42.1% 3FG) will share playmaking duties against Terrell Castle (9.6 ppg., 1.7 spg.) and Giorgos Kalaitzis. Savvas Iliadis (8.3 ppg.), who earned MVP honors in a road loss against Benetton last week, will be ready to give Aris a boost off the bench. Giorgos Sigalas (2.7 ppg.), small forward Dimitris Tsaldaris (3.5 ppg.) and scoring machine Alex Scales (14.7 ppg.) complete a deep Aris backcourt. Tsaldaris and Sigalas will test their defensive skills against Taquan Dean (11 ppg., 45.5% 3FG) and Sergey Monya (3.7 ppg.), while Scales will have the tough mission to go against defensive stopper Dmitri Domani (5.8 ppg.). If Aris gets Scales, Massey and Wilkinson involved, it will have the chance to upset Dynamo, the favorite in this game. Expect intensity in Krylastkoe Arena.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

IVKOVIC, DUSAN
Dynamo Moscow
"Aris is an interesting team, a good combination of experienced American and young Greek players. Yes, after an 0-3 start, they have only a theoretical possibility for classification, but like good professionals they will play for personal pride and also without pressure. We won by 12 points in Thessaloniki, but the game was very tough in the first three quarters. Also, they lost their other two games by just 1 and 2 points, so we must respect this team. Our target will be play good defense, control their one-on-one play and stop their three-point shooters. If we do this, we will be close to our third victory."
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
“The games that we lost were due to a lack of experience, and experience is something that you can’t buy. Competing at the Euroleague level we have a great opportunity to learn a lot of things and gain experience. Going to Moscow, we should not feel scared or weak. The goal of our team is to try always for the best and give 100 percent on the court. Against Dynamo, we will no doubt put all our effort toward getting the win."

Players

PAPADOPOULOS, LAZAROS
Dynamo Moscow
"If somebody looks only at the standings, they can make the very wrong conclusion that Aris is a bad team. But they lost two games by 1 and 2 points. Their total point difference in the Top 16 is minus 1, and ours, with two victories, is minus-13. I want to say that in the Top 16 there are no easy games and we must give our best to win this one. In our first game, their outside shooting, especially for three points, was very dangerous, so we must control this element. But it's clear that if we want to go to the Quarterfinal Playoffs, we must win, and I hope that we will do this."
SERAPINAS, SIMONAS
Aris TT Bank
“Mathematically, we still have a chance to qualify. So we will not give up and will do our best in the next three games. We lost the previous games by just a couple of points, but we will not stop fighting until the end. I believe that the game against Dynamo will be a close one and the team that will play better and avoid turnovers in the last minutes will win the game."
Antonis Fotsis - Dynamo Moscow Dynamo Moscow moved closer to reaching the Quarterfinals Playoffs for the first time in club history by beating Aris TT Bank 71-69 in the Russian capital on Thursday night. Dynamo improved to 3-1 in Group G and will remain tied for the group lead at the end of the night regardless of the result between Benetton Treviso and Unicaja. Meanwhile, Aris dropped to 0-4 and lost any remaining mathematical chances of advancing to the next round. In a presentation prior to tipoff, Dynamo center Lazaros Papadopoulos was given his Euroleague Basketball award as January MVP by Sergey Chernov, President of the Russian Basketball Federation. Antonis Fotsis paced the winners with 28 points on 7-of-9 two-pointers and 10 rebounds. Papadopoulos also posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds while Taquan Dean had 10 points for Dynamo. Alex Scales had 25 points for Aris, Terrel Castle added 12, while Mike Wilkinson and Jeremiah Massey each got 10 for the guests. Fotsis had 18 points in the opening half, but Scales fueled a 1-12 run that bridged between both halves and get Aris a 47-55 lead late in the third quarter. Fotsis led his team in crunch time, but Aris still led 64-65 with 2 minutes to go. In the end, Dmitry Domani, Fotsis and Bojan Popovic fueled a 7-1 run that sealed the outcome.

Wilkinson got Aris going with a close basket, but Fotsis answered by burying his trademark triple from the top of the key. Wilkinson came right back with a mid-range jumper to give Aris a 3-4 lead. Dynamo started to run its offense through Papadopoulos, who scored down low and then fed Dean for a three-pointer. Scales stepped up with a jumper, prompting Dynamo coach Duan Ivkovic to call timeout at 8-7. Domani dunked off a steal before Scales and Papadopoulos traded layups. Fotsis stepped up with a jumper that gave Dynamo a 14-9 edge after 7 minutes. Dimitris Tsaldaris hit a free throw, but Fotsis shined with a layup-plus-foul, causing Aris to call timeout at 17-10. Popovic hit free throws, but Scales answered from downtown. Popovic added more from the line and Fotsis added a jumper, but back-to-back triples by Scales brought Aris within 21-17 after 10 minutes.

Terrel Castle - Aris TT BankGiannis Giannoulis kept Aris in the game with a close basket, but Fotsis bettered that with a three-pointer. Massey found his first points on free throws, which Eddie Gill erased with a layup. Terrel Castle stepped up with back-to-back layups to get Aris within 26-25. Dynamo kept looking for Fotsis, who shined with a dunk and then added a bomb from downtown to keep the hosts ahead 31-25. He then fed Popovic for a layup, which capped a 7-0 run, but Scales took over with his third three-pointer in as many attempts. Dynamo kept dominating the boards and Scales did not find much help around now. Papadopoulos scored after a Dynamo timeout and Popovic added a free throw, but Giannoulis followed a layup with a three-point play to give Aris some fresh air at 37-33. Scales found space for another layup and Massey added a basket-plus-foul to tie the game, 38-38, at halftime.

Aris completed its rally right after the break, as Wilkinson followed a layup with free throws to give the guests a 38-42 edge. Sergey Monya scored down low, but Massey took over with a three-point play. Papadopoulos shined again with a second-chance basket and Andrei Trushkin added a put-back layup for the hosts, but Castle fired one in from downtown to keep Aris ahead, 44-48. Dean stepped up with a triple, but Castle immediately answered with a layup and Scales nailed another three-pointer for a 47-53 Aris lead. Massey hit free throws to cap a 0-7 run as Dean tried to wake Dynamo up with a layup. The hosts kept struggling to score and even when Gill scored in the middle, a red-hot Scales hit a jumper to keep Aris's momentum going. Dean fed Fotsis for a dunk, but a final layup by Giorgos Sigalas gave Aris a 53-59 advantage after 30 minutes.

Bojan Popovic - Dynamo MoscowDynamo improved its defense early in the final period and followed its initial game plan. Free throws by Fotsis ignited a 6-0 run, during which Dean buried a jumper and Papadopoulos added a put-back layup to tie it at 59-59. Aris went scoreless for 3 long minutes, but the ever-present Scales buried another shot to keep his team ahead, 59-61. Fotsis took over with a put-back dunk and Papadopoulos added a free throw for a 62-61 Dynamo lead midway through the final period. Scales stepped up with free throws only to see Fotsis erase them with another dunk. However Giannoulis scored again to return the lead to Aris 64-65. Domani fired in a critical triple and Aris missed two crucial shots down the stretch. Fotsis made free throws for a 69-65 Dynamo lead with 2 minutes to go. Dynamo improved its defense right when it mattered and after Castle got Aris within 69-66, Popovic sealed a key win with a crucial jumper.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Euroleague.net
Referees: JUNGEBRAND, CARL (FIN), HIERREZUELO, DANI (ESP), PEREZ PIZARRO, EMILIO (ESP)
Attendance: 2000
By Quarter1234
Dynamo Moscow21171518
Aris TT Bank17211714
End of Quarter1234
Dynamo Moscow21385371
Aris TT Bank17385569
Head coach: IVKOVIC, DUSAN
Dynamo Moscow
# 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 POPOVIC, BOJAN 28:00 9 2/4 0/3 5/8 2 4 6 2 2 5   1 1 7 11
5 IVANOV, ANDREI DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 KHVOSTOV, DIMITRIY 12:00           1 1   2 1   1   2 3
8 GILL, EDDIE 16:45 4 2/2 0/1   1 1 2 3   5   1 3   -1
9 DEAN, TAQUAN 27:00 10 2/7 2/5 0/2 1 6 7 1 1 1     4 4 8
10 BYKOV, SERGEY 7:15         1   1           2   -1
11 MONYA, SERGEY 5:45 2 1/2                 1 1     1
12 PAPADOPOULOS, LAZAROS 30:15 11 5/12   1/2 4 6 10 3   2     2 2 14
13 TRUSHKIN, ANDREI 8:15 2 1/1     1   1           1   2
14 DOMANI, DMITRY 24:00 5 1/1 1/2     3 3 1 1       3 2 8
15 FOTSIS, ANTONIS 34:15 28 7/9 3/5 5/5 3 7 10 1   1 1   2 5 38
17 VASILYEV, YURI 6:30   0/2     1   1 1   1     4 1 -4
Team             2 2   5 1         6
Totals 200:00 71 21/40 6/16 11/17 14 30 44 12 11 17 2 4 22 23 85
52.5% 37.5% 64.7%
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: MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
# 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 CASTLE, TERREL 40:00 12 2/6 2/3 2/4   1 1 1 1 3     3 6 8
5 SIGALAS, GIORGOS 16:00 2 1/2 0/4     1 1 2   2 1   2   -3
7 SERAPINAS, SIMONAS 3:00           1 1           2   -1
8 SCALES, ALEX 34:15 25 5/8 4/7 3/6   4 4 1 3 2     2 5 25
9 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS 6:45     0/2         1         4   -5
10 ILIADIS, SAVVAS 15:15   0/2       1 1     1         -2
11 WILKINSON, MIKE 20:00 10 4/5   2/2 2 1 3 1 1 1     2 3 14
12 FLETCHER, KEVIN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 MASSEY, JEREMIAH 26:45 10 2/6 0/1 6/6 1 2 3 1 1   1   3 5 13
15 GIANNOULIS, YANNIS 17:00 9 4/6   1/1 3 2 5   2 2 2 1 4 2 11
16 TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS 21:00 1 0/1 0/1 1/2   2 2 4       1 1 1 3
Team             2 2   9           11
Totals 200:00 69 18/36 6/18 15/21 6 17 23 11 17 11 4 2 23 22 74
50% 33.3% 71.4%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

IVKOVIC, DUSAN
Dynamo Moscow
"It was a hard game, Aris is a very experienced team, played a high-rhythm game. We made 10 turnovers - our playmakers Gill and Popovic made 5 turnovers. Also every player of our team showed his character and Dynamo played a good team basketball. Fotsis was great. We have to be more concentrated for the next two games, they will be very important for us. We passed the period of the injures, so now we are in a good shape."
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
"In the first 28 minutes we played a very good game, but then we made some mistakes and Dynamo was back to the game in the third quarter. Domani made very important three-point shots, and we missed some balls. We knew that we would play against a team with good athletic shape, so we prepared to fight under the basket. We could win tonight, but we didn't."

Players

PAPADOPOULOS, LAZAROS
Dynamo Moscow
"We played at home – it always gives you a chance to come back when you are losing. That's why we made a run at the fourth quarter. We stopped Aris' team basketball; they couldn't pass the ball right in the final, decisive moments. Our defense was on the level – forcing them playing one-on-one offense, we killed them with steals and fastbreaks. Fotsis was great – you can't lose when your teammates play like that. And speaking on our "Greek" alley-oop there is no secret in it – we’ve known each other for ages and we feel perfectly the right time to give a pass."
SERAPINAS, SIMONAS
Aris TT Bank
"We are a new team here. Dynamo - while being a debutant, too - has a much more experienced squad. I am considering the Russian club as one of the best in Europe. At endings of such games it all comes to these little details which you even may not catch from the crowds. I am sure, everybody from my team tried to give his best for a win. It still led us to an opportunity of qualifying for the playoffs. It could be only mathematical chances – but it’s better than nothing. Well, it didn’t happen – we lost."
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