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 After back-to-back appearances in the Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs, Olympiacos Piraeus is back and ready to take the next step. Though around the continent some may think that the Reds are stuck in the shadow of rival Panathinaikos, fans in Greece who witnessed a classic best-of-five finals series last season know that very little separates Olympiacos from the reigning Euroleague champs. Olympiacos was founded in the 1930s and won the first of its nine Greek League titles in 1949. It would also add seven Greek Cup titles to its trophy case, but it was in the 1990s that the Reds made their biggest mark. The middle of that decade belonged to Olympiacos, not only in Greece, but all around the continent. Head coach Ioannis Ioannidis led Olympiacos to four Greek League titles between 1993 and 1996, and to the Euroleague title game in 1994 and 1995.
2006-07 RESULTS | Euroleague | R. Season | 10-4 | Top 16 | 3-3 | Quarters | 0-2 |
| Greek League | R. Season | 21-5 | Playoffs | Final | Cup | Quarters |
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When Dusan Ivkovic came to the bench in 1997, Olympiacos promptly won the Triple Crown – Greek League, Greek Cup and Euroleague – the latter by beating Barcelona 73-58 in Rome. Although there was a return to the Final Four in 1999, a few years went by before the Reds won another trophy. A drought ended in 2001-02 with a Greek Cup victory, while Olympiacos also reached the Greek League finals and came within a victory of the Euroleague Final Four. With the exception of a spot in the Greek Cup final in 2004, the next two years were rather quiet. However the Reds returned to prominence in 2005-06 by taking then-defending champion Maccabi Tel Aviv to three games in the quarterfinals and going to the finals in the domestic playoffs. Last season was also an exciting one, despite falling to Tau Ceramica in the Euroleague quarters. Coach Pini Gershon and co. took Panathinaikos to the distance before coming up short in the Greek League finals. That performance may serve as a warning that this season, the Reds are set to go the distance.
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Euroleague.net
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