Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos: 'We were in the zone'

Olympiacos Pireaus head coach Georgios Bartzokas:
"First of all, I really appreciate this win in this environment; it is always difficult. How we entered the game in the first quarter was a statement, how we wanted to play in this game: being patient, finding open looks, shooting with confidence, grabbing rebounds and playing hard defense as we always do. So the first quarter was really crucial to the game, then we knew how we had to continue playing the whole game. We just lost our minds in the fourth quarter for 2 minutes, but then Fenerbahce took the game to 13 points, not less. Then the three-point shot from the corner of Walkup, I think, it finished the game. There is no game that can be similar to any other game. Different teams, different approaches. Now we play in our home court [against Efes], a sellout in front of our fans. We need to continue thinking the same way, the same attitude, going game by game, controlling our emotions, not getting crazy if we win, and not getting crazy if we lose."
"Obviosuly, we made a very good performance winning here. It is always difficult. The way we entered the game in the first quarter, playing hard defense, controlling the rebounds and moving the ball a lot, finding the open man, being patient and of course, scoring the open threes, it was a statement in the first quarter. And then we had more faith about the way that we have to play until the end of the game. Fenerbahce was honored with the pressure that the fans put on the court and responded in the fourth quarter, if I remember well, but our lead was never less than 13 points, and then Walkup hit a three-pointer from the corner, and I think that ended the game. We had a lot of open looks but our ball movement, for me, was the crucial part of the game. We found our shooters wide open and had a very good percentage for threes today. But generally, how we played against the very aggressive defense that they played was crucial for the game. Now, the most important game is Friday's game against Efes."
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
"First of all, congratulations to Olympiacos. They played better, they were the better team and they deserved to win, especially when a team on the road scores 17 three-pointers with 60%, that's an amazing thing. We were trying to really defend but they were better. Obviously, we have a lot of miles to reach that level, but the players tried, we tried hard. We wanted to be competitive but they were hitting shots and we were not hitting shots, especially in the beginning. We have to congratulate them. We have to gather our pieces to be more competitive in the game on Friday. Congratulations to Olympiacos once again.
"Olympiacos had answers to each and every situation, whatever defense, let's say, strategically we tried to do, they had answers. They are a great team and deserved to win. When they hit 60% three-pointers in a road game, it says a lot. Obviously, they were building this in the last three years, so congratulations to them, they deserved to win. We wanted to compete today and were competing. Obviously, we were not making shots in the beginning and this 10-24 start hurt us for the duration of the game. We made our efforts, came back to cut the deficit to 13, coming closer, but it couldn't happen today, so congratulations to them. And thank you to the fans. They helped the team tremendously, this is important. We know that they are disappointed, as we are, but we are not giving up."
Olympiacos Piraeus guard Isaiah Canaan:
"It was a team effort tonight. My teammates did a great job of finding me when I had open looks, and glad to see a go-through tonight. I am just trying to do whatever the team needs to help us win. Like I said, it was a team victory tonight. Fenerbahce fans are very passionate about their team. They are always going to show up. Whatever game that I have been a part of, that I played here, it has always been a great atmosphere. I love playing here, I love playing in this gym and I showed it tonight. We just have to continue to do the things that we have been doing all season long, and every game that we have a chance to win, we need to win. We did a good job with that tonight."
Olympiacos Piraeus forward Kostas Papanikolaou:
"I think we had an excellent performance. From the first minute of the game we were in the zone, focused, ready to play the game 100%, being aggressive, because we know it is a tough court to play at, and it is a great team to play against. So we knew that if we wanted to have good chances, we had to be strong, physical and fighting throughout the whole game, and that's what we did. And even in the small parts that we didn't do it, you saw Fener had great comebacks, small comebacks, and the game could be different. But we bounced back, got back into our concentration and got a very, very important win for us in a very, very tough place to play. Credit to the coaching staff, of course. they do the job and put the pieces in the puzzle. We just follow the instructions and the rules, and everything we have to do on the court. But I believe this team, this season, enjoys winning games, and they don't care who is going to score the ball. Today it is going to be me or Isaiah (Canaan), next game could be Sasha (Vezenkov), or Sloukas, who we missed today. He is a very good creator for us, he gives a lot to the team. We have to be more like a team, more connected, and we did it. And I think we did good."