Is the long wait over?
Revived Panathinaikos on track for Final Four
It has been a long and painful wait for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens fans to return to the pinnacle of European basketball, but now long-suffering Greens fans can start to seriously believe that their team’s overdue return to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the first time since 2012 could well become reality in the next few weeks.
Of course, there is still a long way to go in the regular season, never mind the playoffs. But if anything could ever instill genuine confidence, it’s surely becoming the first visiting team all season to win at the home of the reigning champ and current league leader.
That’s what happened on Thursday night as Panathinaikos delivered a dazzling display at both ends of the floor to down Real Madrid 86-97, strengthening Coach Ergin Ataman’s team’s position in a top four that, far more often than not, leads to a place at the Final Four.
The impressive win came after a strange preparation as most of the players, and Coach Ataman himself, returned from international duty just hours before the game, and the coach joked: “In the two-week break we didn’t see each other, we only met yesterday in Madrid! Maybe it’s better, maybe in the future we’ll prepare for road games like this.”
Reflecting more seriously on the action, Ataman singled out the contribution of a veteran leader who has plenty of experience in big occasions, playmaker Kostas Sloukas. The three-time EuroLeague champion has endured a tough first season with the Greens, missing the last four games with injury. But his 16 points and 6 assists were instrumental on Thursday night, especially during a 0-8 personal run midway through the final quarter that saw his team take control for good.
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"For sure it was a very important contribution from Sloukas after a long injury,” said Ataman. "He's very important to control the game with his assists and his scoring.”
And the veteran guard himself was in no mood to downplay the significance of the night, saying: “I can say this win is a like a double win, because Real Madrid will probably finish first and nobody will come to win over here.”
Until Thursday, indeed, nobody had conquered Madrid. But now that statistic has changed, and Panathinaikos looks every inch a genuine title candidate.