Papanikolaou rolled back the years for Olympiacos in Game 5
Olympiacos Piraeus team captain Kostas Papanikolaou drew on all his experience to steer his side past Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in their enthralling playoff matchup, as the Greek side clinched the best-of-five series 3-2 to reach the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania.
In Tuesday’s Game 5, the 32-year-old forward posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double – just his third-ever double-double in 318 EuroLeague appearances – as Olympiacos beat the Turkish visitors 84-72 at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Fenerbahce forced a Game 5 by winning Game 4 back in Istanbul, but Papanikolaou got the Reds off to a strong start in Piraeus with an effervescent first quarter. In the opening 10 minutes, Papanikolaou scored 10 points without missing a shot, galvanizing a fervent home crowd.
The skipper steered his ship masterfully, having done heaps of hard defensive work which unleashed Kostas Sloukas and Sasha Vezenkov on offense. Papanikolaou showed nerves of steel and the selflessness of a leader which catapulted Olympiacos into the business end of the competition, as the Greek giant now aims for its fourth EuroLeague title.
Papanikolaou, who is now 4-0 in Game 5 fixtures, having missed the solitary Game 5 defeat to Barcelona, was as humble and gracious as ever in victory, having given Fenerbahce credit for taking the series down to the wire.
“Amazing job. Very tough series against a very competitive, very great team,” he said in a flash post-game interview.
“We had to work like hell in all of these games, all five games. I think it's, if not the toughest series I've ever played, one of the toughest for sure. But we showed character, we showed commitment to our goal, and now we're here to celebrate it all together.”
Papanikolaou also gave due credit to the home team’s fans, who turned Peace and Friendship Stadium into a cauldron: “We love [the fans].
They're amazing. They are there for us, they support us. They don't understand it, but their voice gives us so much energy and so much passion. And when we are down, they can really bring us up. This win is for them. Everything we do and try to do is to please our fans. And I hope we gave them something today."
Game Videos
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Follow the Barcelona-Monaco Game 4 post-game press conference
- 00:36
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Jabari Parker: 'The Barcelona fans are amazing'
- 00:54
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Youssoupha Fall: 'We will keep that same energy'
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FC Barcelona-AS Monaco | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
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Diallo's big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:07
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Satoransky's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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James finds Theis! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Blossomgame's two-handed dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:23
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Kostas Papanikolaou: 'We want to go all the way'
- 01:18
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Evan Fournier: 'We're getting closer to our goal'
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
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Vezenkov hits a crucial three! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Hezonja dunks off the baseline! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
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Peters’s dunk on the break! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:05
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Fall monster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:10
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We look forward to Abu Dhabi'
- 01:53
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Tarik Biberovic: 'I worked all my life for these moments'
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Paris Basketball-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Pierre and Birch combine to perfection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Fener’s perfect team play! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:23
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Wright rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Lee’s two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:24
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Nikola Milutinov: 'We know Real Madrid is capable of coming back from 0-2'
- 00:31
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'We go to finish the series on Tuesday'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:25
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Milutinov rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:55
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Tarik Biberovic: 'Nothing is finished yet'
- 01:48
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'Today we took a very big step forward'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
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Baldwin's buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:50
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Nikola Milutinov: 'We have to stay humble'
- 00:45
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'Real Madrid will come ready to play in Game 2'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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McKissic skies for a ferocious slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Fall detonates the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Milutinov rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:53
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Role players came up big for Fenerbahce
- 00:41
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Devon Hall: 'Taking care of home court is most important'
- 01:17
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We got the job done'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Baldwin seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Baldwin beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
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McCollum with a sweet dime for Hall! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:31
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We played probably 16 good minutes, which is not good'
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FC Bayern Munich-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:15
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Moses Wright: 'It's great to be back on the court'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
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Baldwin with the alley-oop dunk in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:37
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Alec Peters: 'Career high, but what's sticking with me are the zero rebounds'
