The first round of the Stoiximan GBL wraps up tonight in Thessaloniki with a very intense and exciting game.
At 5:30 p.m., Heraklis will host Olympiacos at a packed Ivanofio Arena for the Greek league opener, in a game with… a touch of nostalgia.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The “Old Man” is coming off a fairly good season, the end of which, however, left a “bitter” taste. This is because, upon its return to the top echelons of Greek basketball, Zoran Lukic’s team performed very well for most of last season’s league campaign, coming within a hair’s breadth of making the playoffs. However, six consecutive losses at the end of the regular season dealt them a significant blow, leaving them in ninth place in the regular-season standings.
This past summer was very eventful for Heraklis, as the Thessaloniki-based team underwent a complete overhaul with eleven additions to their roster, with only Sylla remaining on the roster! After all, the team’s goal is to improve on last year’s performance and move up the standings, as well as the “challenge” of finding a balance between their Greek league commitments and the FIBA Europe Cup.
On the other hand, the “Red-and-Whites” are set to play their sixth game in ten days tonight! Two days ago, Giorgos Bartzokas’s team suffered its first loss in this year’s EuroLeague, losing 96-94 in the final seconds to Virtus in Bologna on a buzzer-beater by Kar. From Zalgiris, Bologna, and from there to Thessaloniki—the Piraeus team has been constantly on the move these past few days, traveling from airport to airport with a suitcase in hand.
As for the games, Heraklis will be led by Tasos Kouk, while Olympiacos will be without Nikola Milutinov and the suspended Tairik Jones.
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