Greek Cup 2009 Final

[Black Urum]

The game will take place on Sunday 22nd February in the Hellenicon Arena, which is the home arena of Panionios.



The opponents? The usual suspects, Panathinaikos vs Olympiacos.



Some interesting facts although it is still early:



Josh Childress will miss the game due to an injury.

Olympiacos has never won in the Hellenicon Arena.

Last year's Final took place in the same arena between the same teams.

[Black Urum]

The game might be postponed until March 8th due to the police's inability to guarantee safety for teams and fans.



That is because at February 22nd a display show will take place in the arena.

[Black Urum]

According to the latest info the Final will be played as scheduled at February 22, but in Peristeri, a western suburb of Athens.

[Black Urum]

The game will take place in Hellenikon Arena on Sunday as scheduled at first.



The two teams will be given 600 tickets which means that the game attendance will be around 1300 people. Great.

[rikhardur]

I think PAO will win it.

[Black Urum]

I can't see how can Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos at this given moment considering their forms lately and Childress' being out.



PS: I added a poll to make to add some spice to the thread.

[markosemm]

Panathinaikos is in great form during the last month, they are clear favourites.



But its a big derby, you never know..

[rikhardur]

PAO won as expected. Oly was very much in the game until late, but they lacked some intensive defense. Diamantidis was completely unguarded in two 3-point shots that turned the game and were key. Oly had more offensive boards, but those did not translate into made shots.

Congrats to PAO, although I was rooting for Oly on this particular one <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Black Urum]

Panathinaikos won yet another Cup, as many expected. Diamantidis was mediocre in the 1st half but then he got wild in the 2nd half and won the MVP award having 18 points, 8 rb, 5 ass



This was Panathinaikos' 12th Cup (the most in competition), and the 5th in a row.

[rikhardur]

GRE – Greece’s Diamantidis serves up timely reminder of his excellence on the court





ATHENS (Greek Cup) – Same old, same old.



That’s the best way to describe Sunday’s Greek Cup final between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos on Sunday.



The Greens were in danger of losing when trailing by a single point in the fourth quarter but Dimitris Diamantidis showed yet again he is the man for the big occasion by hitting three consecutive three-pointers.



The best defensive player in Europe, Diamantidis used his offense (16 points) to propel Panathinaikos to an 80-70 win.



Zeljko Obradovic, the long-time Panathinaikos coach, gushed about the play of his backcourt after the game and specifically Diamantidis.



“Our guards were excellent and I must refer especially to Diamantidis,” he said.



“In the second half of the game, he played with great confidence and it’s very important for every player.”



Diamantidis prefers to do his talking on the court and not off it, but he has made the big plays on so many occasions that the 28-year-old often finds himself answering questions by the media.



“I want to congratulate my teammates, my coaches and the fans of the team,” he said.



“We were concentrated during the whole game. Olympiacos got us, even got the lead at some points, but some crucial baskets helped us find our way back into the game and our psychology to rise.



“It was our first trophy for this year, but we have to keep going. We have difficult games ahead in the Greek League and Euroleague.”



Diamantidis has quite a winning streak going.



In every final that he has played in for Panathinaikos, the club has won.



“My wish is that this can go on!” he said. “I came to a team that has a leading role. I am in a team aiming for and conquering titles. There is no secret. We keep going and we are happy, giving joy to our fans and ourselves!”



On the Olympiacos bench was Panagiotis Yannakis, the man who coached Diamantidis with Greece’s national team from the 2004 Olympics through last summer.



Yannakis is now exclusively the coach of the Reds with Jonas Kazlauskas having recently replaced him at the helm of the national team.



He said to the fans of Olympiacos: “You have to build up basketball wise and psychologically for situations like this.



“During situations like this, we count those who love you the most and support your effort.



“By working hard, you can only have gains.



“The goal of this team is to keep building in a way that it will manage to win titles. It’s an effort that requires patience and support.



“If a team has patience, it can achieve something really important.”

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[Black Urum]