Panathinaikos took the first step towards sweeping the semis by downing Panellinios 88-58 at a home-game to lead 1-0 in the series, currently aiming towards 2-0 come game 2 on Tuesday (18/05).
First quarter was the tone-setter for the remaining of the game. Panathinaikos’s defense plus pace left no margin of reaction to Panellinios. The 23-5 score that closed the first qo minutes was a clear give-away of the performance of both opponents on the floor, the guests getting to 1 for 5 threes and 0 for 8 twos. The first two-pointer for Panellinios came at 12’15’’ praise to a lay-up behind Blakney of a fast-break.
The greens kept at it Vassilis Spanoulis driving to +30 (67-37), Drew Nicholas getting nasty range from beyond the arc, Mike Batiste almost perfect, Dimitris Diamantidis in quite a groovy mood even from minute one in the clash. Panathinaikos was threatened at no point of the encounter, reaching the wire at final score 88-58 and 1-0 to break open the semi-finals.
Referees: Schinas, Anastopoulos, Afentoulidis
Quarters: 23-5, 45-21, 67-44, 88-58
Panathinaikos (Obradovic): Tepic 7, Spanoulis 7 (3as), Perperoglou 3, Batiste 10, Fotsis 9, Nicholas 12 (4/4 3’s), Tsartsaris 8 (9rbs), Diamantidis 17 (5rbs, 4as, 3stls, 2bs), Pekovic 4, Calathes 2, Shermadini 9, Jasikevicius (3as)
Panellinios (Zouros): Xanthopoulos, Papamakarios 5, Charalambidis 4, Kalaitzis, Smith 15, Ostoic 8, Kolokas 8, Blakney 5, Kobodietas, Davis 5, Vouyoukas 8
*Game 2 of the semis will take place at the Kipseli indoor stadium on Tuesday the 18th of May (18:45 LT, SKAI TV).
Game quotes
Zeljko Obradovic, Panathinaikos head coach stated after the clash: “It was the first semi-final across from a game we truly respect. All we did was get to 1-0. We are certain that Panellinios will be a different team on Tuesday. We were good defensively but at many points in frontcourt we were bad. We got to 1-0 and we must be prepared appropriately for the next encounter. I do not wish to state what it was exactly that displeased me, but I think that we did not move as fast as we should have in certain circumstances. Even I games with 30 point gaps you can find things you do not like. And, without the ball are circulation was not what it should have been”. When questioned about Sarunas Jasikevicius’s performance, Obradovic stated: “There is no need to refer on a single player. Sarunas is a player who work very seriously. In the morning he was in the court making shots. He might not be at the level we desire but there is no need to talk about a player who know how to work strenuously. What matters is the team. The team has a superb team spirit and this is profoundly important”.
Mike Batiste stressed: “Prior to tip-off we had agreed in the locker rooms to play dynamically and seriously. First quarter was great for us. If we want to give ourselves the opportunity to became champions we must always start out in this fashion. Of course we did have a few bad moments. It is not an easy deal prevailing at Kipseli. In order to win we must keep at the same level of performance for the entire 40 minutes game time”.
Ilias Zouros, Panellinios head-coach clearly upset said: “Many congratulations to Panathinaikos. It won fair and square. The game is up for no comments. We continued vacations. We were very bad. But, this meeting is over, we look ahead towards Tuesday were we must improve our game. Today’s performance does not reflect this season’s Panellinios. Panathinaikos is in great shape, it worked a lot and got in to great form at the most appropriate moment. We know who Panathinaikos is. But this does not mean you should not fight for it. If you hope to ascend a level you must fight”.
Ian Vouyoukas, player for Panellinios added: “It was a hard game for us. We did not present ourselves prepared from the beginning, something we paid for dearly. We did play however well at certain points, but of course for the greatest part of the encounter we were bad. I hope that we improve next and reduce our mistakes. I, myself, personally must make better choices. Not only try to score but also pass to my teammates”.
