Undefeated and in front of almost 12,000 non-stop cheering fans, Panathinaikos rounded up round one of Euroleague Top16, as it prevailed over Lottomatica Roma by 92-67, in spite of having lost the services of Dimitris Diamantidis who shortly prior to intermission was benched due to injury.
The first half was a close-cut game, no team being able to escape its opponent. Lottomatica first, then Panathinaikos took over the reigns in the encounter. The Italians behind Ibrahim Jaaber and Adre Hutson got to lead even by 5 points (22-27, 10’30’’). This was the turning point for Panathinaikos’ game. It found its groove primarily through good backcourt attitude thereon by polishing up its frontcourt management, circulation improving the moment coach Obradovic used his three great ball handlers together on the floor (Diamantidis-Spanoulis-Jasikevicius) whilst Drew Nicholas seemed determined not to end his personal good performance streak, offering show-time moments and being joined by Fotsis, who came up with a more than healthy appetite for basketball glamour. All these elements concluded in the “clover” flying ahead to a+8 advantage (42-34, 18’40’’), before both adversaries headed towards the locker rooms score at 44-39, the whole stadium startled and frozen in its seats. Dimitris Diamantidis at minute 19’15’’ while trying to gain the defensive rebound twisted his ankle and left the court hopping on one foot, game time expiring prematurely for him. The severance of his injury and the amount of time he will be absent from action is a fact pending for tomorrow, when matters will be estimated.
In spite of the measurable deprivation of Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos was equipped sufficiently to enforce its law via team-work. Vassilis Spanoulis undertook the organizational hazards for the team and all input 100% towards victory. The “Greens’” game had TEAM written all over it thus managing to climb all the way up to the cozy +19 advantage (64-45, 29’20’’). Panathinaikos finished up the third quarter enjoying the same edge (66-47).
Point guard position now passed on to Sarunas Jasikevicius. The gap between the two rivals expanded to a 20 point distance (74-54, 32’45’’) thanks to a triple sunk by Stratos Perperoglou, only to be copied in the next play by Nikos Hatzivrettas who poured in a nothing-but-net three of his own (77-54, 34’20’’). The encounter was destined to be sealed in an unforgettable manner. Dusan Kecman pulled an unbelievable trifecta buzzer beater way behind his offending center line to bring the whole arena to its feet; Final score 92-67.
Referees: Hierrezuelo (ESP) – Pukl (SLO) – Ryzhyk (UKR)
Quarters: 22-25, 44-39, 66-47,92-67
Panathinaikos (Obradovic): Kecman 8, Spanoulis 11, Perperoglou 7, Batiste 10, Fotsis 9, Hatzivrettas 9, Nicholas 11, Tsartsaris 5, Diamantidis 7, Pekovic 6, Sakota, Jasikevicius 9
Lottomatica Roma (Gentile): Giachetti 2, Becirovic 6, Tonolli, Hutson 11, Jennings 11, Brezec 6, Datome 5, De La Fuente 11, Jaaber 10, Gabini 5
Crowd send-off for three
Dejan Bodiroga but also Nado Gentile and Sani Becirovic were cheered immensely by the Panathinaikos fans, who know how to show gratitude to team values that at some point wore the clover jersey. Panathinaikos basketball club honored all three through the hands of Pavlos and Thanasis Giannakopoulos as the crowed wholeheartedly applauded them.
