One team imposed its own law, its own will; one team had motivation; that team was none other than Panathinaikos. Zeljko Obradovic and his players left Maccabi Electra no leeway to react. They got victory by the final score of 93-73. The first step to the Istanbul Final Four was taken by the 1-0 in the series tonight, with the “clover” fans giving its own tempo from the stands. The same picture both on court and in the stands is what we all want to see on Thursday as well (22/3, 21:00) when the second game in the Euroleague playoffs series takes place.
Panathinaikos managed to get its fans on their feet. After the first minutes into the game, the “Greens” took the reins in their hands. They significantly limited the game in the paint to defense, went chasing after every single pass in defense, whereas in offense it displayed variety as is necessary in such kind of games along with ideal collaborations between players. Panathinaikos led by 11-5 (4’45’’), Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv tied the game twice (16-16 at 7’ and 18-18 at 7’30’’), by at this point Zeljko Obradovic saw his players bursting out. By playing the best basketball they have played inside the OAKA so far this season, they took the score to 40-18. Pressure on the ball, steals that led to easy baskets in fast-breaks, and highly accurate final passes did not leave much leeway for the visiting team to react. The “clover’s” dominance was obvious, with the coaching team making constant substitutions, reshuffling the deck only to watch all the players striving for the best and nothing but the best. As a result, PAO was leading by 55-34 in halftime, with the second quarter ending by a three-pointer that Romain Sato sank in right at the buzzer that ended the first half. That lead was coupled with other elements at high percentages, such as the assists at 16-5, steals at 9-5 and Panathinaikos’ success in three-point shots at 55% (6/11).
The game pace was “green”. The “Greens” reigned supreme on every level, and that was best depicted on the electronic scoreboard that displayed a scored that reached even a 33-point lead (68-35 at 23’50’’ and 70-37 at 25’05’’). Maccabi kept trying to cut down the margin, without however managing to become a threat, and with the third quarter ending at 79-52. The pace “dropped down a notch” in the last quarter, without Panathinaikos being at any point whatsoever threatened and winning by a final score of 93-73.
Referees: Pukl (Slovenia), Bulto (Spain), Lottermoser (Germany)
By quarter: 28-18, 55-34, 79-52, 93-73
Panathinaikos (Obradovic): Maric 6, Perperoglou 4, Batiste 11, Logan 11, Sato 6, Tsartsaris 3, Diamantidis 15 (8 assists), Vougioukas 7, Calathes N. 13 (8 rebounds), Smith 8, Kaimakoglou, Jasikevicius 9
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Blat): Papaloukas, Hendrix 6, Smith 17, Blu 5, Eliyahu 6, Mallet 3, Pnini 2, Burstein 4, Ohayon 3, James, Schortsanitis 6, Langford 21
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