The country’s two strongest teams Olympiacos and Panathinaikos face each other off for the 23rd time in the basketball finals in Greece, with the “Reds” taking the lead after Sunday’s match in Piraeus, by defeating the “Greens” 76-70.
As with the other games between the two teams this year, in both the cup and the championship, there was great tension before the match. Although Olympiacos was generally considered to be the favorite in the series, the “Greens” managed to take their challengers by surprise in the first quarter and took a 13-point lead early on in the second quarter.
The “Reds” however quickly managed to bounce back and took the lead with an 18-point streak, thanks to the efforts of Kostas Sloukas. By the end of the first half though Panathinaikos managed to balance the game and took a one-point lead (33-34), while Olympiacos missed all three-point shots.
In the second half though Yannis Sferopoulos’ team demonstrated why it was considered the favorite and took the reigns of the game, building a 12-point lead. Although Panathinaikos managed to bring the game close, primarily thanks to Lucas Mavrokefalidis, they lost concentration, allowing the “Reds” to continue building a lead.
Olympiacos dominated in the final quarter and built a 14-point lead against the “Greens” four minutes before the end of the game. Panathinaikos coach Sotiris Manolopoulos however did not have any tricks up his sleeve and despite covering some of the distance, his team was unable to challenge the “Reds”.
With this win Olympiacos took the lead in the series, with the champion being decided in a “best out of five” format. The next game between the two will take place at the OAKA stadium in Athens on Wednesday, the 10th of June, while the third game is scheduled for Sunday the 14th of June in Piraeus. Should a fourth game be necessary, Panathinaikos will host Olympiacos on Thursday the 18th of June, with the fifth and final game in the series scheduled for Sunday the 21st of June in Piraeus.
