By Stefanos Tatsios / info@eurohoops.net
Along with Kostas Slukas and Sasha Vezenkov, Kostas Papanikolaou stepped up against Fenerbahce in Game 5 of their best-of-five series, leading Olympiakos to the Final Four in Kaunas. The 32-year-old veteran had a double-double of 14 points (6/9 FG) and 11 rebounds in the 84-72 win.
After the win, the Greek expert spoke to Eurohoops about reaching the Final Four. “It was definitely a very difficult series. One of the hardest series I’ve ever played. Fener had a difficult season with injuries and ups and downs, which saw them finish eighth. It felt more like a penalty for us than a first-eight battle. We had the will, we found the way, we managed to take the series to the fifth game and there we all put a little effort in the qualification“, he said about the match with Fenerbahce.
The Arena of Peace and Friendship ignited against Fenerbahce and Papanikolaou admitted it. “We played our game at a very high level. The crowd pressure also helped us a lot. They gave us great energy, cheered us on and cheered us on. They pressured our rivals with their votes and all this created a good situation for us. The crowd was great, supportive and there was a great turnout” added the Oly captain.
Finally, he commented on his personal performance, which helped Georgios Bartsokas’ team win. “Thankfully it was a good game, but whoever does it, we won’t care. The point is for the team to win and achieve beautiful situations for the club by winning titles. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy series. We showed character and succeeded”concluded Kostas Papanikolaou.