Panathinaikos is at the Euroleague Final Four. Being better throughout the bigger part of the game, it defeated Maccabi Electra by the narrowest margin possible (86-85) and grabbed the fourth ticket to Istanbul, where it is going to be called upon to defend its title.
The reins in the game kept changing hands throughout the entire first quarter. None of the teams was able to dominate; none of them could impose its own tempo. Some missed shots, some correct offenses, some defenses that did not work out the way they should have, and the game became almost absolutely balanced. Maccabi Electra was the first to take the lead by a 0-4 run (1’50’’), Panathinaikos got the score to 8-6 (4’50’’), and from that point on up until the end of the first quarter none of the teams got a lead bigger than two points. With the exception of its …end and the score of 18-20.
In the first four minutes of the second quarter things followed the same competition pattern. However, Panathinaikos managed to take the extra step it needed to break away from its opponent with Dimitris Diamantidis in the spotlight. A score of a 24-24 tie (13’40’’), turned into 30-24 (15’40’’), only to reach 37-28 (17’) by a Sarunas Jasikevicius’ three-pointer. The nine-point lead sealed the first half of the game (41-32).
After returning on the court, Stratos Perperoglou took the lead to double digits for the first time (43-32, 20’15’’), and then followed Diamantidis taking the lead to 12 points (46-34, 21’17’’). It only took Maccabi Electra three minutes to make its comeback and get the game back to a zero margin, by tying it to 46-46 (24’10’’). Diamantidis, Jasikevicius, and Perperoglou, boosted by an amazing crowd, made a 10-0 run (56-46, 27’20’’) and just a tad latter got the score to 58-48 (28’20’’), only for the third quarter to end by 62-53.
The fourth quarter was painted green, with Zeljko Obradovic calling into the game the well-rested Logan and Maric, with the former adding four consecutive points to make the score 68-58 and the latter pushing the lead back to 12 points (70-58, 33’40’’). Maccabi Electra was trying to find solutions and managed to get back close again, as it did with Blu at 36’10’’, making the score 73-67. Panathinaikos had the first say, but the Israelis did not give up the fight. Offensive rebounds and second chances, along with downtown shots, helped it make a powerful comeback and crunch down the margin to two points (81-79, 39’07’’), making the most of the 0/4 success rate that the “clover” had at the free throw line. Nevertheless, Diamantidis was successful when it was his turn to go to the free-throw line. He made the score 83-79 with 15’’7 left on the clock. What followed can only be described as a “thriller movie”. The game required nerves of steel… when Pnini succeeded in three free throws after the referees assessed a foul against him in his attempt for a shot behind the 6m75 line, and tied the game (85-85 with 9’’8 left on the clock). A single free throw by Diamantidis was enough to send the Panathinaikos’ fans on seventh heaven once again. It was that particular free throw that sealed victory, since with just 5΄΄ left on the clock the Israelis committed a turnover, the “Greens” held on to the ball, with Batiste kicking it to the stands upon hearing the sound of the buzzer. Panathinaikos had once again achieved its goal. It will be there “present and accounted for” in a Euroleague Final Four for the 11th time.
Referees: Cerebuch (Italy), Radovic (Croatia), Sahin (Turkey)
By quarter: 18-20, 41-32, 62-53, 86-85
Panathinaikos (Obradovic): Maric 5, Perperoglou 9, Batiste 8, Logan 4, Sato 1, Tsartsaris 2, Diamantidis 25 (6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), Vougioukas 8, Calathes N. 4, Smith 2, Kaimakoglou 5, Jasikevicius 13
Maccabi Electra (Blatt): Papaloukas, Hendrix 8, Smith 9, Blu 14, Eliyahu 4, Mallet, Pnini 9, Burstein 10, Ohayon 10, James 2, Schortsanitis 8, Langford 11
