Panathinaikos…unlocked defensively in the second half, Kendrick Nunn took it…personally, especially since Kostas Slukas was injured and the “cloverleaf” printed a “ticket” for the Euroleague Final Four for the 12th time in its history and first since the distant 2012!
The “greens” won 81-72 against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the packed OAKA and in Game 5 they wrote 3-2 in the playoff series, grabbing the qualification from the Israelis! In the semi-final in Berlin, Panathinaikos will face the winner of the pair, Monaco-Fenerbahce, which will be decided tomorrow (8/5).
The quarters: 19-21, 41-41, 58-56, 81-72
How big of a shot could that be? pic.twitter.com/utHUmpAeB5
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 7, 2024
It’s unbreathable at OAKA!
The @paobcgr is ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv at the end of the 3rd quarter!
And it’s happening!@EuroLeague#SKWEEKLive #EveryGameMatters #SKWEEK #alwaysON pic.twitter.com/0BtoNWf3S1
— SKWEEK (@skweektv) May 7, 2024
! @paobcgr x @EuroLeague#SKWEEKLive #EveryGameMatters #SKWEEK #alwaysON pic.twitter.com/Wgct3qd7Uh
— SKWEEK (@skweektv) May 7, 2024
! ⛔️
What an incredible counter on Jake Cohen! @paobcgr x @EuroLeague#SKWEEKLive #EveryGameMatters #SKWEEK #alwaysON pic.twitter.com/v17aTKO90n
— SKWEEK (@skweektv) May 7, 2024
Josh Nebo doing his thing ✈️#FlightTime I @TurkishAirlines pic.twitter.com/8Yk6WhWFl4
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 7, 2024
The race
Panathinaikos AKTOR started with intensity in defense, but nervousness and anxiety in attack. In contrast to Maccabi Tel Aviv, who showed themselves to be very strong mentally and took the lead early on. Sometimes Lorenzo Brown and sometimes Josh Niebo did the work for the “people’s team” which reached +7 (8-15 in 7′), before Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sluka took action. The two went to personal phases (not always as the epitome of rationality, of course) and were justified, quickly gathering the difference until the end of the first period (19-21 at 10′).
The “bra de fer” continued with undiminished intensity in the second period, with Maccabi Tel Aviv maintaining a small lead. Of course, without having a clear superiority, since he mostly scored late in the 24″ and – in some cases – with a fair amount of luck. The job was certainly done against a team that couldn’t consistently defend Lorenzo Brown’s pick-and-roll (he was moving the strings) and had Hasiel Rivero providing valuable solutions, coming off the bench.
In this light, the fact that the two teams went to the locker room in absolute balance (41-41) seemed to be a small, but important, gain for Panathinaikos AKTOR, who was simply looking for a two- to three-minute burst to get out of his backs, all the stress he was carrying.
In the second half, the lead changed hands a few times. Again and again. The main issue for Panathinaikos AKTOR now, however, was the shots. By Matias Lessor. Ergin’s starting center Ataman won the fouls, but was 0/6 from the line, adding to the frustration and anxiety. Even so, of course, the home team had a small lead (49-46 at 25′), but Tamir Blatt and John DiBartolomeo from the perimeter erased it in the blink of an eye (49-53 at 27′).
At the moment when the whole field was worried and Ergin Ataman could not invest in the attacking game of Kostas Sloukas (thanks to calf problems), Panagiotis Kalaitzakis came from the bench to change the situation. The defenses he played on the ball made the basket too small for the Oded Katas players, who scored. Result; Panathinaikos AKTOR at +8 (64-56) with seven minutes to go.
Kendrick Nunn, who took everyone by the hand and with personal phases ensured the green lead until the end, to sign the victory – qualification to the Final Four in Berlin.
#Euroleague #Panathinaikos #amazing #Nan #defeated #Maccabi #years #returned #final