Panathinaikos prevailed 95-74 in the away game against KAOD, in an arena filled to capacity and with the presence of the European Champions’ fans being way more than noticeable, since they did not stop encouraging the “clover” players throughout the game.
The home team made it obvious from the very first minutes that they would give it their all to face Panathinaikos on equal footing. The “Greens” came into the game with Diamantidis, Logan, Sato, Smith, and Maric facing Karydas, Charalampidis, Flowers, Sanders, and Ceranic. Two consecutive 2-point shots by Dimitris Diamantidis made the score 4-8 (3’30’’) and 10-14 (5’33’’) respectively, giving PAO a slight lead, that did not however…dishearten KAOD. Armed with their 3-point shots and Ceranic going to the line, they tied the score (15-15, 7’15’’), and a little later they managed to take the lead (19-18, 9’). The home team ended the quarter ahead in the scoreboard (24-23), whereas upon returning on the court they even stretch the score to +4 points (27-23).
Mike Batiste was the one who temporarily provided some offensive solutions (27-29, 11’10’’); Ceranic at the free throw line helped KAOD look Panathinaikos in the eyes (30-30, 14’). Nevertheless, it was at this point that the scale tipped over the “clover’s” side. Kostas Kaimakoglou drew a foul on him, with Yannis Athineous’ protest bringing about a technical foul to go with it. Kaimakoglou and Dimitris Diamantidis dipped the ball in the basket in all four free shots, with the latter continuing with a successful three-pointer and passing on an assist to Nick Calathes for 30-39, halfway through the second quarter. The margin soared to +14 by the hands of Sarunas Jasikevicius (34-47). The Lithuanian also made the score 40-51, and the two teams headed to the locker-rooms.
Kostas Tsartsaris became the tip of Panathinaikos’ offense. By scoring 7 points of his own followed by two shots by Ian Vougioukas, the “Greens” were catapulted to +19 (40-59) only to go to +20 soon after by the hands of Nick Calathes (45-65, 27’20’’). Steven Smith took the score to +22 (45-67, 28’). At this point, though, things changed. KAOD managed to break free from Panathinaikos’ defense and pace and, as a result, cut the difference down to 11 points (60-71) by Michel’s slam dunk and soon after the same player cut the score further down to 10 points through a free shot of his own (63-73, 33’50’’). David Logan with six personal points led the score to +15 (66-81, 35’50’’). A steal that ended up to Diamantidis’ lay-up and two assists that ended up in Sato’s hands made the score 68-88 (36’50’’). The same player succeeded in the three-point shot that marked the final score 74-95 and the team received a prolonged applause by the fans that came to the “D. Krahtidis” arena.
Referees: Tanatzis, Georgiadis, Bikas
By quarter: 24-23, 40-51, 58-71, 74-95
KAOD (Kalafatakis): Sanders 17, Karydas 11, Charalampidis 8, Athineou, Ioakeimidis, Michel 8, Kitsoulis 4, Ceranic 10, Flowers 12, Kakaroudis 2, Benas, Stylidis 2
Panathinaikos (Obradovic): Maric 2, Batiste 6, Logan 15, Sato 9 (11 rebounds), Tsartsaris 15, Diamantidis 16 (6 assists, 3 steals), Vougioukas 5, Calathes Ν. 11, Smith 6, Kaimakoglou 2, Jasikevicius 8
*Stratos Perperoglou and Pat Calathes were not included in the 12 players that travelled to Drama
*Panathinaikos returns to Athens tonight
Obradovic: “Amazing atmosphere!!!”
The excellent atmosphere in the filled-to-capacity “D. Krahtidis” arena became a reference point in the coaches and players statements during the press conference following the KAOD-Panathinaikos game.
Zeljko Obradovic underlined that: “We came to play a serious game against a serious team. KAOD had extra motivation against us, therefore they were very competitive on the court. It was a nice game and congratulations to KAOD and their fans for creating such an amazing atmosphere. Congratulations not only to Drama’s fans, but also to our own, and I hope that all arenas this season are as exemplary as this: full of fans and with such an atmosphere. I want to also congratulate my players for treating this game seriously and thus managing to win without problems.”
Kostas Tsartsaris said: “After our victory in Croatia we came here to play a good game and give the chance mainly to the new players in the team to get more in the spirit. We committed many turnovers, which gave KAOD the opportunity to close the score gap from time to time; however, some good defensive plays of our own gave us the solutions, and we managed to once again stretch ahead and get the victory we wanted. We would like to thank Drama for the welcome. Today, there was a fantastic atmosphere in the arena! I hope that KAOD remains in the division without any problems.”
The coach of KAOD, Giorgos Kalafatakis, stated: “I want to thank you for your kind words. We had to face not just a good, not simply the best team in Europe, but quite possibly the best team in the world outside the NBA! Maybe a team that is even better than some of the NBA teams! We definitely had extra motivation playing against Panathinaikos, but also playing in front of our fans that flooded the arena. We are not walking on clouds. We knew that even when we took the lead in the first quarter, or cut the margin down to ten points in the fourth, it would be impossible for us to clinch a victory. At times, we played well with both teams offering an enjoyable spectacle and that was the most important thing. As team, we are not yet ready. This sort of games will help us become better. If you do not play well all 40 minutes of the game against such teams as Panathinaikos, you pay the price for it. I am satisfied with the effort my players have put into the game and also with the fact that we managed to satisfy the people who came and filled the arena to capacity and we want to thank them for that. Good luck to Panathinaikos to the rest of the games and I wish them that they fulfill all the goals they have set for this season.”
Garry Flowers, KAOD forward, stressed: “We played well against a very good team that has the chemistry and the players that have been together for many years. We tried to play as best as possible, but against such teams there is no room for blanks and turnovers. We would like to thank very much the fans for attending the arena today and also for their support and hope that they remain by our side throughout the season”.
