Last rival game of the season, with the Greek title as a prize. Read what happened below:
Panathinaikos- Olympiacos 82-71
Panathinaikos won the Greek League for 34th time, beating Olympiacos 82-71 in a sold out OAKA stadium. The great atmosphere was a result of a very good start, since they hit the open shots and closed the quarter in front 28-19. Olympiacos had to face a very good defense, and they could not find a solution again throughout the 2nd, since they only scored 13 points and let Panathinaikos take a clear lead 53-32.
After the break, Olympiacos knew that they had to play their best second half of the series. They managed to catch Panathinaikos off-guard and took control of the pace by playing with energy and putting the ball on the post. Despite some good shots by the “Greens”, Olympiacos brought the game to 70-56 after 30’ and got back in the game. Panathinaikos controlled the game and did not allow their opponents to have a shot at the game. With 2 minutes remaining Dunston took the game on his hands, cut the lead to 8 but after a Diamantidis steal on Spanoulis’ pass, it was clear that Panathinaikos was the Greek Champions, securing their position. Maciulis scored 15 points while Lojeski had 17. After a very difficult season, the “Greens” achieved to dominate in Greece, and reached one step from the Final Four. On the other side, Olympiacos closed a promising season, empty-handed hoping they will be able to return stronger next year. After the game, Spanoulis took full responsibility of the bad result, and Diamantidis cleared that Panathinaikos is his home and has nowhere to go.
