Aris 90, Maroussi 69

Hmm. Looking for interesting things to write about this one. Aris defeated Maroussi 90-69. It was close in the first half, then Aris pulled away. Eh. Six Aris players scored in double figures. OK. And four in double figures for Maroussi (1-21). Blah.

Well, I did notice that Aris coach Vangelis Alexandris went ballistic several times. That’s kind of a trend here, where many coaches receive Messiah-like respect from fan bases and media. Alexandris coached Maroussi to its Saporta Cup (now called Eurocup) victory in 2001.

But still, it’s frustrating to see coaches lose their cool and yank a player off the court for daring to be just a little bit creative. Be a robot or you sit. For example, Sergio Kerusch had the ball and backed his defender toward the basket. He made a nice turn into the lane, went up and missed the shot. Ok, he should have sank it. But it was a good move. And apparently it wasn’t in the script. Alexandris immediately yanked him.

Discipline and team play are important. But when players are literally looking over their shoulders after every play to see if they’ll be benched or yelled at, it stifles the creativity coaches pray for when their teams are losing by 12 points in the fourth quarter to Panathinaikos or Olympiakos. Just sayin’.

Ok, so back to the game. Aris led 44-39 at the half. Prodromos Nikolaidis scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the first half for Maroussi. But the Thessaloniki crew clamped down defensively in the third quarter, and Dan Mavraides hit a couple of 3-pointers to give Aris some space. Princeton alum Mavraides had all 10 of his points in the second half.

Christos Tapoutos led Aris with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Ronald Davis chipped in with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Aris connected on 10 of 20 3-point attempts. Sam Muldrow (South Carolina) had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

For Maroussi, Giannis Demertzis recorded 11 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Seventeen-year-old center Lampros Tsontzos scored 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Andreas Kanonidis contributed 11 points off the bench, including two 3-pointers that kept Maroussi fairly close in the second half.

Aris (10-12) has won four consecutive games.

Panathinaikos wins; Maroussi teen scores 15 points (Videos)

Dimitrios Agravanis

This was a slightly more interesting game than I expected. For the record, Panathinaikos easily defeated Maroussi, 96-56, in a game that was pretty much over in the first quarter.

But no one was playing for today. Panathinaikos (18-2) was tuning up for Saturday’s Greek Cup final against bitter rival Olympiakos — think Celtics and Lakers, but add hooligans. Maroussi (1-19) was gaining experience in hopes of pulling off another victory this season.

For Maroussi, backup center Dimitrios Agravanis had a breakout game. He came off the bench and led Maroussi with 15 points and 7 rebounds. He was 3 of 11 from the field but sank 9 of 11 free throws. Not bad for a kid who turned 17 years old in December.

Fellow 17-year-old Lampros Tsontzos picked up his third foul just seven minutes into the first quarter, forcing Agravanis to eat up more minutes. He was aggressive on the offensive end (see video), which helped him get to the foul line.

Panathinaikos, the defending Euroleague champion, wasn’t going easy on Maroussi, pressing guards Lefteris Akepsimaidis and Giannis Demertzis the whole game.

In case anyone thought Panathinaikos wasn’t taking the game seriously, coach Zeljko Obradovic cleared things up just 39 seconds into the first quarter when he benched guard Nick Calathes. The 23-year-old had decided to ad-lib for a split second instead of methodically running the offense. Tsontzos stole the ball from Calathes at the foul line as he tried to drive.

Obradovic gave Calathes a talking to before the Florida alum sat on the bench. He returned after the first quarter, and led the team with 13 points. He also recorded 4 assists and 4 steals.

Obradovic, a Serb who is considered one of the greatest European coaches ever, also gave the business to Alexis Kiritsis after a turnover. He wasn’t pleased by much of anything (see video), even as the Greens shot 60 percent from the field and out-rebounded Maroussi 55 to 23.

Aleks Maric, 6-foot-11 and 275 pounds, had 9 points and 11 rebounds for Panathinaikos. Kostas Kaimakoglou, who played for Maroussi from 2004 to 2010, scored 8 points and added 5 rebounds. Sarunas Jasikevicius chipped in with 12 points.

Maroussi connected on just 5 of 25 3-point attempts and shot 28 percent inside the arc. Three-point specialist Prodromos Nikolaidis was 2 of 10 from downtown.

DIMITRIOS AGRAVANIS FINISHES:

 

COACH ZELJKO OBRADOVIC:

Game of Week: Christmas leads team to road victory (Videos)

Dionte Christmas

This was just downright fun. Fourth quarter lead changes. Emphatic dunks. Clutch 3-pointers. Hostile crowd. In a possible playoff preview, Rethymno defeated Panionios 77-76 in Athens tonight.

Dionte Christmas paced the visitors from Crete with 19 points, including a steal and dunk (see video) that gave his team a 75-73 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Billy Keys (9 points) answered for Panionios before Rethymno’s Brent Petway was fouled and sank two clutch free throws with 17 seconds on the clock.

Up 77-75, Rethymno decided to foul Alex Stepheson — as they had done all night, with considerable vigor — and gambled that he’d miss a free throw. He was 8 of 14 from the line before he was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. The gamble paid off. The USC alum missed the first shot and hit the second. Panionios got the ball back with 3 seconds left but Marios Batis‘ half court shot missed.

Christmas, the league’s top scorer (19.5 ppg), also hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer (video below) going into halftime.

Jon Diebler led Panionios with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The league’s top 3-point shooter hit 3 of 6 from downtown, including two in the fourth quarter. His fast-break layup gave Panionios a 68-67 lead with just over 3 minutes to play.

Petway (8 points, 6 rebounds) saved his best for last. His putback two-handed dunk gave Rethymno a 56-49 lead to end the third quarter. He flirted with a technical, though, when he stared into the crowd after landing. He connected for two more hoops in the fourth quarter, followed by the two free throws. He played nearly the entire fourth quarter with 4 fouls.

Zack Wright also scored 19 points for Rethymno and pulled down 8 rebounds. He had four turnovers, one leading to the Diebler layup, but created many opportunities for his teammates. And he had a memorable steal. Laying belly up on the floor (after a missed shot and no call), he reached and poked the ball away from a Panionios player, directly to Christmas, who laid it in.

Wright’s penetration also freed up shooters including Damir Latovic, who sank some big outside shots (video below). Latovic finished with 18 points (three 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds.

Stepheson, who recently returned to the lineup after a knee injury, finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Panionios (13-7) and Rethymno (12-7) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings. Rethymno has won four in a row. Panionios has lost its last two games, and three of its last four.

DIONTE CHRISTMAS STEAL AND DUNK:

ZACK WRIGHT TO CHRISTMAS FOR HALFTIME BUZZER-BEATER:

WRIGHT TO DAMIR LATOVIC FOR 3-POINTER:

Coach: Victory for players, family

Nikos Linardos

Maroussi coach Nikos Linardos dedicated his team’s 58-52 road victory over Peristeri to his players and family.

“It’s a very nice feeling, especially for the kids, for the assistant coaches, the trainers and my family,” he said after the post-game press conference.

At 1-18, once-proud Maroussi is sure to be relegated to a lower division next season. Ownership simply stopped paying bills. Former players are still owed money. Four veterans, frustrated by late paychecks, recently left the team. It’s a sad fall for a team that spent the past decade competing with league powerhouses Panathinaikos and Olympiakos.

Giannis Demertzis, a Maroussi guard, said: “We play just for us now.”

Peristeri coach Argiris Pedoulakis said Maroussi deserved the victory because they fought harder. He said Maroussi’s young players are seizing their opportunities to showcase their skills, and that Peristeri’s youngsters should learn from the example.

Like Maroussi, Peristeri has serious financial problems and has seen top players depart, although it still has American import Gavin Edwards and Greek scorer Charalampos Giannopoulos.

Coaches and players around the league understand Maroussi’s situation. They’ve credited Linardos and the players for fighting through the troubles this season.

Last night, Greek league leading scorer Dionte Christmas took note of Maroussi’s big win. The Temple alum plays for Rethymno, which defeated Maroussi 92-80 last week.

Christmas tweeted a shout-out “to Maroussi finally getting their first win of the season. I knew they would get 1.”

Victory at last: Maroussi wins 58-52 (Videos)

Maroussi ended its four-month-long losing streak tonight by defeating Peristeri 58-52, earning its first win in a season marked by financial troubles and departures of star players.

Players pumped their fists and embraced coach Nikos Linardos when the final buzzer sounded in Peristeri’s unheated, sparsely filled arena. This was the type of game Maroussi (1-18) typically loses. They scored just 9 points in the fourth quarter.

“You have to fight,” said Linardos, who is getting the most out of a young lineup that includes a 17-year-old center. “You have to fight like we did tonight. It was our night.”

Maroussi led 49-35 with 2:30 remaining in the third but failed to score for the next 8 1/2 minutes. Peristeri scored 11 points in that span punctuated by a dunk-and-foul three-point-play by Gavin Edwards, before 20-year-old Andreas Kanonidis sank two free throws with just over 4 minutes left, giving Maroussi a 51-46 lead.

Maroussi managed just two field goals in the fourth quarter, and they were vital. Giannis Demertzis (9 points) drove past his defender and laid the ball in, putting Maroussi up 53-47 at the 2-minute mark. Peristeri’s Charalampos Giannopoulos (11 points, 6 rebounds) responded to make it 53-49. Lefteris Akepsimaidis (11 points) then drove, pulled up for a shot but passed to an open Kanonidis for an easy lay-in, giving Maroussi a 55-49 lead (see video) with just over a minute left.

Giannopoulos nailed a quick 3-pointer but on its next possession, and within three points, Christos Marinos was whistled for a charge with 25 seconds remaining. Akepsimaidis was fouled and sank one of two free throws, making it a two-possession game, 56-52. Giannopoulos missed a 3-point attempt and Prodromos Nikolaidis finished the scoring with two free throws.

“The truth is we played very good in a lot of games but we didn’t win,” Demertzis said. “We were waiting for this victory. We believed in ourselves.”

Maroussi has called up amateur players from its junior team to fill roster spots left vacant by veteran starters who left the cash-strapped team. Nestoras Kommatos (Italy) was the league’s leading scorer and Yannis Gagaloudis (Cyprus) was tops in assists. Big men Frank Elegar (Turkey) and Dimitris Haritopoulos (France) also departed.

A win is a win, but this one was ugly. Peristeri was just 3 of 24 on 3-point attempts, compared to Maroussi’s 7 of 28. Maroussi shot just 37 percent inside the arc.

Nikolaidis led Maroussi with 16 points (four 3-pointers). He also had four steals. Kanonidis, playing his second game for Maroussi, finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Edwards, a 6-foot-10 Connecticut alum, had a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds). He had eight points in the first quarter. It looked like the game plan was to feed Edwards in the paint and get young Lampros Tsontzos in foul trouble. Giannopoulos even passed up short jumpers and forced a few passes inside. He didn’t find a scoring rhythm until much later.

Tsontzos didn’t score but had three blocks and three rebounds. Fellow teen-aged center Dimitrios Agravanis contributed a late steal and block.

VIDEO – KEY HOOP:

VIDEO – FINAL BUZZER:

Christmas records double-double; gives shout-out to young Maroussi

Lampros Tsontzos

This one is what they call a “good loss.” Maroussi’s veterans are gone, so the back-ups and some teen-aged kids from the junior squad gave it their best shot. The visitors from Cretewon 92-80, but young Maroussi (0-18) was in the game the whole way, and led by six points in the third quarter.

Halftime adjustments: Dionte Christmas (center) and Zack Wright talk strategy with an assistant coach.

Even the league’s leading scorer, Dionte Christmas, was impressed. Maroussi “held” Christmas to 21 points and 13 rebounds — his first double-double of the season. After the game, the former Temple star tweeted that he likes the team.

“Those young guys played real hard and had a lot of heart. I respect that team,” he tweeted.

Zack Wright also scored 21 points for Rethymno (11-7) on 9 of 11 shooting. Wright added four rebounds and three steals.

Considering Rethymno’s firepower and Maroussi’s lack thereof, they must feel pretty confident coming out of this one. Five Maroussi players scored in double figures, led by Lefteris Akepsimaidis (18 points, 7 assists). Giannis Demertzis had 16 points and 6 assists. Seventeen-year-old center Lampros Tsontzos pulled down 10 rebounds.

Maroussi led 44-41 at halftime but Rethymno’s Giorgos Koumoulos hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 47. Wright put Rethymno ahead for good late in the third when he drove, was fouled and hit both free throws for a 61-59 lead.

The visitors gave themselves breathing room when Koumoulos hit back-to-back 3-pointers again, making it 77-66 with seven minutes remaining. A Wright steal and long pass to Brent Petway for a dunk (see video) made it 83-71 at the 3:30 mark. Maroussi pulled within six points, but got no closer.

For Maroussi, it was the first time this season not having either leading scorer Nestoras Kommatos (20.4 ppg) or leading playmaker Yannis Gagaloudis (15 ppg, 6 apg) on the court. Like two starters before them, Kommatos (to Italy) and Gagaloudis (to Cyprus) left because of Maroussi’s financial problems.

Petway dunk:

Christmas 3-pointer:

Maroussi loses ugly; Diebler hits six 3s

So many of Maroussi’s games — OK, losses, — have at least been fun to watch. Last-second shots that missed. Close games against powerhouses Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. The point guard getting ejected for arguing with the referees. I could go on.

Tonight, though, was a night to learn Greek. Panionios defeated Maroussi 97-57 in a game that was over shortly after the opening tip-off. So to stay entertained, the fans in the section I sat in during the second half collectively counted up Jon Diebler‘s 3-pointers. “Tessera” they said when he sank his fourth, “penta” for the next, and finally “exi” for his sixth and final long ball.

Maroussi, its losing streak at a season-long 17 games, has just six professionals on its roster because of serious financial problems. Two starters left the team recently but until now they’ve been able to get by on adrenaline, plus two teen-aged centers. Perimeter defense has not been their forte, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post. And actually, defense in general has suffered because they simply don’t have extra bodies if someone gets into foul trouble. Panionios shot 65 percent inside the 3-point line, 45 percent beyond it.

Diebler, the league’s best 3-point shooter, scored 22 points and added 11 rebounds — both season highs. He was 6 of 8 on 3-point attempts (six 3s ties his season high). His buzzer-beater before halftime gave Panionios a 46-24 lead. Not that it mattered much, but the score was 41-24 with Maroussi trying to set up the final shot of the half, when guard Yannis Gagaloudis lost the ball out of bounds, then kicked it in frustration. A technical foul was called. Ex-Maroussi star Billy Keys, to whom Maroussi still owes money, sank the two foul shots and Panionios retained possession, leading to the inbounds pass to Diebler with 2 seconds on the clock. He sank it from the corner.

Gagaloudis, the fiery, bearded and super-quick playmaker, led Maroussi with 16 points and 10 assists, along with 7 turnovers. His drives and shooting kept the game from turning uglier than it already was. Nestoras Kommatos, the league’s leading scorer (21 ppg) entering the game, finished with 14 points. He was 1 of 6 from 3-point range. Kommatos was coming off a 40-point performance Saturday but Panionios wisely doubled-teamed him and successfully harassed him all night, clearly borrowing on Bill Belichick‘s ‘Make ’em go to Manningham’ game plan.

Seven-footer Zisis Sarikopoulos scored 17 points and guard Marios Batis added 16 points for Panionios (13-5). Both are former Maroussi players. Alex Stepheson (knee) did not dress.

Panionios outrebounded Maroussi 44 to 21. The winners connected on 13 of 29 3-point attempts and held Maroussi to 2 of 13 from behind the arc.

Kommatos scores 40 points in Maroussi loss

Nestoras Kommatos had such a good game today, he probably could have solved Greece’s debt crisis, just on sheer willpower. Maroussi lost 86-82 to PAOK, extending its season-long losing streak to 16 games. But his display of blood — literally; he elbowed a defender in the mouth — and guts leadership was instant-classic worthy.

Nestoras Kommatos

Kommatos scored 40 points, and added 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He found his inner Kobe Bryant — probably more Paul Pierce, actually — by scoring on spin moves in the paint, mid-range jumpers, 3-pointers (seven), and from the foul line, not to mention a dunk. All this from a veteran who turns 35 in May. He played 38:19 minutes, getting just a quick breather in the third quarter.

Fatigue may have been a factor in the fourth quarter, however. Kommatos scored 8 points in the quarter, but he went 0-5 on 3-point attempts. PAOK outscored Maroussi 14-6 in the final three minutes.

The outburst was all the more impressive considering Kommatos, the league’s second-leading scorer (20 ppg) entering the game, was Maroussi’s only real scoring threat. Point guard Yannis Gagaloudis (15 ppg) didn’t make the trip, because of a long-running dispute with PAOK, his former team, over money owed to him. Frank Elegar, a center, and Dimitris Haritopoulos, a power forward, recently left the team, which has been underpaying its players all season.

Only in the fourth quarter did PAOK find a way to slow Kommatos, a two-time Greek league All Star. The Thessaloniki club switched to full-court presses to disrupt Maroussi’s offensive flow — which largely amounted to ‘get the ball to Nestoras and set some picks,’ and with great effectiveness. Gagaloudis’ absence was more evident at this point.

Still, Lefteris Akepsimaidis performed well at the point. He scored 13 points and had three assists, playing all but 30 seconds of the game. Three-point specialist Prodromos Nikolaidis scored all 12 of his points from behind the arc. And Maroussi’s pair of 17-year-old centers — Lampros Tsontzos and Dimitrios Agravanis — played with increasing confidence. They combined for 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 9 fouls.

The game paralleled other Maroussi losses: lots of hustle, a late lead, but then something goes wrong. PAOK led 80-78 when Kommatos sank a long jumper with 45 seconds remaining. Giannis Kalambokis, who led PAOK with 16 points, put his team ahead 82-80 on two free throws.

Kommatos then missed a 3-point attempt with 15 seconds remaining and Serbian forward Milutin Aleksic (15 points) was fouled and hit both free throws, giving PAOK a 4-point lead, which effectively sealed the win. Kommatos and Kalambokis traded free throws to end it.

J.R. Giddens, a Boston Celtics draft pick in 2008, sat out with a wrist injury while his PAOK teammate Aaron Pettway had a quiet night — 2 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes.

Maroussi falls short again

As a fan of the Boston Red Sox, I know a crushing defeat when I see one. If Maroussi’s 89-81 loss tonight against Ilysiakos doesn’t shred the team’s soul, I don’t know what would. Maroussi is now 0-15.

Maroussi, forced to insert a 17-year-old into the starting five, found itself leading 81-76 with just over 2 minutes to play. Then it got ugly. Ilysiakos pulled even with a 3-pointer, followed by two free throws by Nana Harding (24 points, 14 rebounds) with 1:18 to play.

Tied at 81-81, a loose ball headed out of bounds — for a Maroussi possession — but Maroussi coach Nikos Linardos touched the ball at the sideline before it was declared out. That’s a technical foul. Nikos Chatzis sank both free throws, giving Ilysiakos an 83-81 lead with 47 seconds remaining.

Ilysiakos gained possession after a Maroussi miss, but point guard Yannis Gagaloudis (16 points) stole a pass and was fouled. He took the inbounds pass and drove toward the basket. Defender Darryl Thompson (12 points; all on 3-pointers) fell backward and Gagaloudis lost the ball, expecting a foul. No call. Chatzis stole the ball, was fouled, sank two more free throws, making it 85-81 with 18 seconds left.

Incensed, Gagaloudis badgered the referees at midcourt during a timeout that lasted a good 10 minutes as an assistant coach tried to steer him toward the bench. He received a double-technical and was ejected before removing his yellow jersey and walking toward the locker room.

Chatzis hit four more free throws — for the technical fouls — to make it 89-81.

Wait, there’s more. The three refs, one of whom was taking abuse from a fan, then walked off the court with 14 seconds remaining. Players and coaches on both sides weren’t sure what to do. They lingered on the court for about 15 minutes. Then, the refs reappeared and the final seconds were ticked off the clock.

Maroussi led by as many as 14 points (37-23) in the second quarter.

The end-game mess overshadowed a superb effort by Maroussi, which played without center Frank Elegar (see previous post), who is leaving to likely join a club in Turkey, and minus starting power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos, who signed with a French club. Overall, Maroussi played smaller and faster. They rotated two teenagers in the center spot. Ilysiakos finished with 37 rebounds to Maroussi’s 28.

Nestoras Kommatos led Maroussi with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Lefteris Akepsemaidis contributed 12 points and 6 assists.