May 18, 2013
Regular Season Game 3 - November 07, 2007 CET: 20:45 Local time: 20:45 - PIONIR
Partizan Igokea 90 - 94 Panathinaikos

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
2-0 Regular Season 2-0
2-0 Overall 2-0

Referees

Crew Chief
MITJANA, JUAN CARLOS, Spain
Referee
ZIEMBLICKI, GRZEGORZ, Poland
Umpire
TAURINO, PAOLO, Italy

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
84.5 Points 76.0
33.0 Rebounds 22.5
12.0 O. Rebounds 2.5
21.0 D. Rebounds 20.0
14.0 Assists 12.0
6.0 Steals 3.0
4.0 Blocks 1.5
14.5 Turnovers 8.0
67.5 % 2PT 55.4 %
23.1 % 3PT 32.4 %
76.9 % FT 77.0 %
87.0 Index 80.0
Team Stats - Partizan Igokea
Team Stats - Panathinaikos

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
26.0 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA Points 12.0 / Spanoulis
7.5 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA Rebounds 4.0 / Spanoulis
4.0 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA OR 2.0 / Tsartsaris
5.5 / VELICKOVIC, NOVICA DR 4.0 / Spanoulis
5.0 / PALACIO, MILT Assists 3.0 / Diamantidis
1.5 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA Steals 1.5 / Diamantidis
1.5 / VRANES, SLAVKO Blocks 0.5 / Batiste
3.0 / Tepic Turnovers 2.5 / Spanoulis
100.0 % / TRIPKOVIC, UROS 2PT 100.0 % / TOMASEVIC, DEJAN
37.5 % / TRIPKOVIC, UROS 3PT 100.0 % / Diamantidis
100.0 % / Tepic FT 100.0 % / Jasikevicius
33.5 / PEKOVIC, NIKOLA Index 20.0 / Diamantidis
Team Roster - Partizan Igokea
Team Roster - Panathinaikos

THE TAKE

Partizan Igokea hosts Euroleague champion Panathinaikos in an early top-of-the-table clash in Group C at Pionir Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday. The two teams are undefeated after two games this season and share first place in the group with Real Madrid. The Serbian champs boast the most dominant player in the Euroleague so far this season, center Nikola Pekovic. After earning Euroleague Week 1 MVP honors for his heroic performance in a home win over Barcelona, last week Pekovic, who isn't even a starter, scored the game-winning three-point play with 7.8 seconds remaining to beat Brose Baskets on the road. Pekovic has averaged 26 points on 79.3% shooting and 7.5 rebounds this season. Partizan's 67.5% two-point shooting is the best in the league so far and the Serbian champs are among the best in offensive rebounding. Panathinaikos has a slew of proven Euroleague stars with 2007 Euroleague Final Four MVP Dimitrios Diamantidis, 2005 Euroleague Final Four MVP Sarunas Jasikevicius and Vassilis Spanoulis leading the way from the backcourt. The Greens have been tested twice in their first two wins – both at home – before beating Lottomatica Roma and Brose Baskets Bamberg. The game will be a homecoming for Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic, who played seven seasons for Partizan in the 1980s and then guided the team to its lone Euroleague title in 1992. Obradovic brings with him two more former Partizan greats, Milos Vujanic, who led the Euroleague in scoring with 25.7 points per game for Partizan in 2003 and center Dejan Tomasevic, who won two domestic titles with the club in the 1990s. Tomasevic, however, has been sidelined the last week and might not participate in Wednesday's game. Nonetheless, Panathinaikos's biggest advantage all season may be its incredible depth, which can allow Obradovic to tailor suit hit lineups to the opponents when needed. To matchup against Partizan's big men, Pekovic and Slavko Vranes, Panathinaikos will try numbers in the paint: Mike Batiste, Demos Dikoudis, Andrija Zizic and Kostas Tsartsaris. Milt Palacio and teenage sensation Milenko Tepic will try their luck against a Panathinaikos backcourt that boasts Saras, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Vujanic and others. Forward Cedomir Vitkovac, who also been a key performer for Partizan head coach Dusko Vujosevic, will face off with Kennedy Winston. This will be Panathinaikos's first road game of the season and the tightly knit group from Partizan knows what kind of statement a victory over the champs would mean. Those reasons, along with a packed Pionir Arena, could give the hosts the edge they need for the win in a game that every basketball fan should make it his business to see.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Euroleague.net - Alexander Ostojic, Belgrade - Kostas Sotiriou, Athens

Quotes Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan Igokea
"Wishes and reality are two different things. Our hope is somewhere in between. I believe we are able to fight for the win if we play at the highest level. Our guest is the Euroleague champ and no more words are needed to describe the strength of Panathinaikos. But first of all our guests are our close friends. Coach Obradovic, Dejan Tomasevic and Milos Vujanic used to be members of our club. Our friendship applies before and after the game. The Euroleague is stronger than ever. Pao has ambition to reach another trophy and that is the guarantee for a great game."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"We are facing a team with great quality and playing on the road, so the game against Partizan will be very difficult for us. They run the floor very well, but they are also effective in five-on-five halfcourt situations, while they also play very good defense. In addition, they play in a very hot atmosphere, since their gym is always full. For me, it is very pleasant when I return to Belgrade, which is my home. I have many friends at Partizan and definitely it is going to be a very interesting basketball battle."

Players

PALACIO, MILT
Partizan Igokea
"Lots of things are new to me. It was total madhouse here during our first Euroleague game with Barcelona. I believe that it will be more madness on Wednesday against Panathinaikos. I am sure we are able to handle the madness and win."
TOMASEVIC, DEJAN
Panathinaikos
"I know Partizan very well, since I have played there for four years and our relationships are excellent. Partizan plays with great enthusiasm and since this is not the rookie season for the most of these guys, they have bigger experience and won the first two Euroleague games. We know Hala Pionir is a tough arena and that they have great motivation against the Euroleague champs, so we have to play really hard and show our quality for 40 minutes. We come from a big win over Olympiacos in the Greek League and have to continue with the same passion."
Sani Becirovic - Panathinaikos Defending Euroleague champion Panathinaikos survived a tough challenge from Partizan Igokea before sneaking out a 90-94 win at Pionir Arena on Wednesday night in Belgrade. Dimitrios Diamantidis made two clutch free throws at the end and Novica Velickovic missed a potentially game-winning three-pointer as the Greens took the victory. Panathinaikos improved to 3-0 and now shares first place in Group C with Real Madrid. Head coach Zeljko Obradovic's team hosts AXA FC Barcelona next week. Sani Becirovic and Diamantidis led Panathinaikos with 16 points apiece, Vassilis Spanoulis added 15 and Kostas Tsartsaris posted 13. Meanwhile this season's Cinderella, Partizan, lost for the first time this season despite another monster effort from Nikola Pekovic, who finished with 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. Milt Palacio added 23 and Velickovic had 14 for the the Serbian champs, who travel to face Real Madrid next week.

Panathinaikos got on the board first on a second-chance Becirovic triple, before Velickovic dunked for Partizan's first points. Diamantidis converted a layup and continued to cause problems for Palacio as he added 2 more points from the line. When Diamantidis was finally contained, Becirovic continued to score and Nikos Hatzivretas joined him with points from downtown as the visitors completed a 1-10 run and took a 9-21 run. Palacio managed to stop the Greens' storm with Partizan's first triple. The hosts switched to a zone defense with giant Slavko Vranes in the middle, but coach Obradovic answered with new backcourt featuring Sarunas Jasikevicijus and Spanoulis, who helped keep the visitors ahead 16-24 after 10 minutes.

Nikola Pekovic - Partizan IgokeaUros Tripkovic hit a bomb from a fifth chance, but shortly after that Milenko Tepic committed an offensive foul and Panathinaikos took advantage to go ahead 19-30. Pekovic came through with points in the paint for a 9-2 Partizan surge. Panathinaikos brought Diamantidis back and he took command with his defensive actions as Spanoulis was busy in scoring and Panathinaikos soon reestablished a double-digit lead. Partizan answered with a big defensive effort and a 9-2 run including triples from Dusan Kecman and Velickovic to get within 39-41. Diamantidis closed the first half with buzzer-beating triple as the visiting side went into the locker room leading 41-46.

Both teams looked nervous at the start of the second half and committed many turnovers. Partizan was first to establish its own game and the result was an 8-0 run and the hosts' first lead, 51-50. Velickovic scored from behind the arc and the Panathinaikos bench took a timeout. Spanoulis and Tsartsaris came back and Mike Batiste finally scored for the visitors. Spanoulic hit a triple and Becirovic did the same, making it 53-59 after a 0-7 run. Velickovic's dunk showed Partizan wasn't done. The home team pushed to 63-62 and Palacio added a three-point play, but Jasikevicijus answered with a three-pointer. He scored two more from the line, but Pekovic hit after an offensive rebound and Partizan led 70-69 at the end of third period.

TVassilis Spanoulis - Panathinaikoshe final period started with Tsarstaris and Spanoulis hitting jumpers and Kennedy Winston scoring on the fast break as Panathinaikos added another 0-6 run. The teams both struggled for each ball as the Greek champs held Partizan scoreless for almost three minutes. Finally Vitkovac made a three-point play and the score was 73-75. Diamantidis hit a seven-meters bomb as Panathinaikos led 76-82 with five minutes left. Shortly after that, Dusan Kecman fouled out and Diamantidis added 2 more points from the line. Palacio kept Partizan alive with 4 straight points and Andrija Zizic committed his fifth personal foul on offense. Pekovic scored and Partizan cut the deficit to 84-88 with two minutes left. He and Pekovic made an 8-2 run and the score was 88-90 in the last minute of the game. Spanoulis missed a triple and Pekovic tied it with 30 seconds remaining. With the crowd on its feet, Diamantidis scored twice from the line and Velickovic missed a potentially game-winning three-pointer, allowing the Greens to take a hard-earned win.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Aca Ostojic, Belgrade
Referees: MITJANA, JUAN CARLOS (ESP), ZIEMBLICKI, GRZEGORZ (POL), TAURINO, PAOLO (ITA)
Attendance: 6825
By Quarter1234
Partizan Igokea16252920
Panathinaikos24222325
End of Quarter1234
Partizan Igokea16417090
Panathinaikos24466994
Head coach: VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan Igokea
# 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 PALACIO, MILT 33:37 23 4/10 2/4 9/9   1 1 2 1 5     3 7 18
5 TEPIC, MILENKO 28:45 2 1/2 0/1   3 1 4 4   2     4 1 3
6 RIZNIC, BOGDAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 KECMAN, DUSAN 15:16 6 1/1 1/2 1/2   2 2 1 1 1     5 2 4
11 TRIPKOVIC, UROS 20:19 8 1/2 2/3     3 3   1 2     4 1 5
12 VELICKOVIC, NOVICA 27:00 14 3/5 2/9 2/2 1 7 8 1   1     3 2 12
14 PEKOVIC, NIKOLA 33:12 28 8/10   12/12 6 4 10     4   1 2 8 37
15 VITKOVAC, CEDOMIR 23:06 8 1/2 0/2 6/7 1 3 4     1     2 4 9
17 DJURKOVIC, MARKO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 BOZIC, PETAR 8:58 1   0/3 1/2 2 2 4 3 1 1     2 5 7
21 MILOSEVIC, STRAHINJA 2:59                         1 1  
33 VRANES, SLAVKO 6:48   0/1       1 1           2   -2
Team                                
Totals 200:00 90 19/33 7/24 31/34 13 24 37 11 4 17 0 1 28 31 93
57.6% 29.2% 91.2%
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
6 SPANOULIS, VASSILIS 28:27 15 4/5 1/4 4/6   2 2 3 2 3     3 6 16
7 BECIROVIC, SANI 16:33 16 4/5 2/3 2/5       1   1     4 3 10
8 BATISTE, MIKE 26:17 9 4/6   1/1 1 1 2   2 1 1   4 1 8
9 ZIZIC, ANDRIJA 7:48 4 2/3               1     5 1 -2
10 HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS 16:37 3   1/2     2 2           2   2
11 DIKOUDIS, DIMOS 9:23 4 1/1 0/1 2/4 1 1 2     1     2 3 3
12 TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS 21:29 13 3/3   7/7 1 3 4 2         2 4 21
13 DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS 28:03 16 1/3 2/3 8/8   6 6 2   1     4 5 21
14 WINSTON, KENNEDY 19:52 5 2/2 0/1 1/2   2 2     2     1 3 5
15 TOMASEVIC, DEJAN 5:55               1         2   -1
18 VUJANIC, MILOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
19 JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS 19:36 9 2/4 1/4 2/2       2   4     2 2 2
Team                                
Totals 200:00 94 23/32 7/18 27/35 3 17 20 11 4 14 1 0 31 28 85
71.9% 38.9% 77.1%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan Igokea
"Congratulations to Panathinaikos for the win they deserved. They led for most of the game. We managed to tie the score and to lead, but it was a narrow lead. This was a real basketball holiday and it would have been even bigger if Partizan won the game. We started discretely because of the honors to the legendary players and coaches and we managed to play equal with Panathinaikos. We had two problems: Defending the pick-and-roll game and bad three-point shooting percentage."
OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"It was a great game. At the end we were lucky to win after we missed making the win much easier. We missed three open shots in final minute. We were afraid of Partizan's offensive rebounding and we were prepared to stop it, but it was their main weapon anyway. Pekovic added one more great game. Congratulation to my players for the win in atmosphere like this."

Players

VITKOVAC, CEDOMIR
Partizan Igokea
"We played and lost like men. We struggled giving our maximum, but we were unlucky. Last week we had luck and tonight we did not. Never mind. Important games are in front of us."
BECIROVIC, SANI
Panathinaikos
"The game was just like we expected it to be. We knew that Partizan was going to drive 200 miles per hour, but we managed to stop their main weapon: Offensive rebounding. I think we deserved to win."
ZIZIC, ANDRIJA
Panathinaikos
"It was a hard game. Partizan has a young and talented team. Belgrade is a hot court, dangerous for each team in the Euroleague. We struggled for the win and that is the most important thing to us. Winning first place in our group is our only goal."
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