The Round 2 clash between Panathinaikos Athens and FC Bayern Munich features a matchup of their new head coaches, Ergin Ataman and Pablo Laso, who share half of the last eight EuroLeague titles.
Panathinaikos and Bayern enter new era of their rivalry
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When Panathinaikos Athens and FC Bayern Munich crossed paths in previous Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons, their games didn't command too much extra attention in advance.
After all, Bayern did not make the playoffs until 2021, and by that time, Panathinaikos was on a downward trajectory toward finishing among the league's three worst teams in each of the last three years.
This new season, however, brought a lot of change to both Athens and Munich, and now their game on Thursday is full of intrigue.
Changing fortunes
This summer, both teams backed up their unambiguous ambitions with splashy signings.
The Greens brought in nearly a dozen new players, led by three-time champion Kostas Sloukas from archrival Olympiacos Piraeus, All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort and Spanish forward Juancho Hernangomez from the NBA. Bayern, meanwhile, added rookie scorer Sylvain Francisco, veteran big man Devin Booker among and world-class paint protector Serge Ibaka to an already-solid core.
But the biggest changes for both came on the benches, with Ergin Ataman leaving Anadolu Efes Istanbul after five years and two titles for Panathinaikos, while Pablo Laso ended a year outside the competitions by joining Bayern. Together, Ataman and Laso have combined to win four of the last eight EuroLeague crowns dating to 2015, and three of the last five since 2018. At least one of the two has coached in seven of the last 10 championship games.
Indeed, the last time Ataman and Laso faced each other was in the 2022 championship game in Belgrade, when Efes pulled out a thrilling 57-58 win over Real for its second straight title.
But that's in the past, and what's in the present is their shared challenge to start changing their new clubs' recent fortunes.
Panathinaikos, a proud six-time EuroLeague champion, has missed the playoffs every year since 2019 and last went to a Final Four back in 2012.
Bayern, on the other hand, made history in 2021 when it became the first-ever German team to reach the EuroLeague playoffs, then repeated that feat the following year. But Bayern was ousted in a five-game playoff series both times before making a step back and missing out on the playoffs last season.
Déjà vu
While the ultimate goal for both Ataman and Laso is to get their new teams to a Final Four eventually, their first task is to get on the path to playoffs contention.
Last week, both hosted national derby games to open the EuroLeague season, with mixed results. The Greens ended up on the losing end in an overtime thriller against Olympiacos Piraeus, falling 78-88, while Bayern overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to beat ALBA Berlin 80-68.
This week, Bayern will attempt to break a hex in Athens, where it has lost all six of its previous tries, including five games by double digits. Overall, 11 of 12 the games to date between these teams have finished with a home victory.
Panathinaikos badly needs to continue that streak, if for no other reason than to jump-start the Ataman era as soon as possible. While at Efes, Ataman started the past three seasons with 1-3, 2-5 and 0-4 records, and he certainly does not want another déjà vu.
With a combination of that early-season pressure and the intrigue of a high-profile coaching matchup, this rivalry enters a new era of its own, making this a battle fans do not want to miss.