Nikos Papadogiannis believes Panathinaikos have earned the right to dream and are the most in-form team in Europe over the past 35 days.
He left without returning on 7 December, as Panathinaikos suffered its third consecutive defeat and left the OAKA with a befitting bow to “Queen” Real. Of his next six matches, five were away from Greece and a losing team from the airport penciled in the horizon.
Since then, 35 days and 8 matches have passed, which chased away the clouds and made his visitors dream of greatness and Berlin. Who would have thought that In mid-January, Panathinaikos will be fourth in the table and tickets for their games will be hard to come by. Like the good old days?
“Showtime in OAKA,” Ergin Ataman rightfully boasted. In the eight games we've been talking about, his side have lost just one (at Vitoria) and that was in extremism, with what looked like a suspicious handshake. In total, Panathinaikos have suffered 8 defeats in the Euroleague this year, only three of which have seen him in a backup role: In Spain with Barcelona, in Turkey with Fener and Oka with Real.
The remaining matches were lost on points or in overtime. So why shouldn't his audience see visions? How many teams in this year's Euroleague can show such a record? I want to remind you that tonight he faces an opponent with recent experience in the final four, the same Monaco for whom Giorgos Bartzokas said the other day that they are “one of the 2-3 best teams in the competition”.
She certainly misses out on Eli Okobo compared to the lineup that threatened to defeat SEF. But Mike James kept the red and white flag flying at his old home And his fellow passengers entered OAKA, deciding to narrow the field and control air traffic because they were doing better than the others.
But, no. Panathinaikos had an antidote for James (swallowed up by Jerian Grant, with some help from Leser on the perimeter), but also for a hungry Monaco defence. In ten minutes, the counter was already showing 7/9 three-pointers, not the product of a sky-high streak, but the product of perfect ball rotation.Formation from the inside (again Lesor) outside (there were four pistols waiting to be armed).
Monaco were stuck for a while as they shuffled their defence, which led to a number of errors, but strengthened the fort at the back and kept James clean until the 25th minute. Missed defensive recoveries were the only source of bleeding, but the Greens had no danger from Motijunas, Zaid and Ouattara.
Monaco's “Detalest” was heard early in the fourth period when the multi-talented but small-minded Strassel was the only operator on the floor. This is the same team that started the season with a quartet of terror on the perimeter: James, Walker, Lloyd, Okombo. Gazoo with Kemba Walker in particular will be remembered by European basketball for years to come.
Matias Lessor filled his stats with goodies and had a career night, certainly his best since wearing the green. Take a deep breath before reading his numbers: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 9/10 shooting, 5/6 shots 7 fouls earned, 42 rating. I sold some balls, but earned the right to foul with 21 points. Although Mitoglou and Huatso have never learned to play together, they have enviable luxury at the “4” position.
Above all, however, Panathinaikos hosts a weekly self-defense seminar. “We stopped Larkin and James, two of the best goalscorers in Europe, within three days.”, Adaman boasted after the conclusion. Fodis Katsikaris of Nova Studios added: “Monaco have not scored a single point playing each other, which is their speciality.
Somehow, a team that “managed” 8 turnovers in one quarter (second) and lost 17 defensive turnovers, beating last year's third-place EuroLeague team by 25 points (preserving advantage in a possible tie), asserted itself. For good, he sees only three backs ahead of him in the top six of the standings: Real, Barca, Virtus.
Next week, it's finally not cruel. Panathinaikos will welcome Obradovic. After that, he will go to the city of Sots and meet the Maccabi Odette Katas in an empty stadium.: Another golden, double chance for big wins. On his immediate horizon, of course, he has no European partners, but the second derby of the Basket League with Olympiakos in OAKA on Monday, January 22.
However, the sky above Berlin now stars its visitors, The upcoming domestic derby is (until the next match) Panathinaikos' best match of the year, as it would give him a solid and irrevocable home advantage for the finals in May. It remains to be seen whether this will distract him, as it has done so many times in the past.
