After finishing the regular season with nine consecutive home wins, Panathinaikos will look to stay strong in Athens with a visit on Tuesday from dangerous Maccabi, which cruised through its play-in test by crushing Baskonia 113-85.
Oded Kattash, Maccabi: 'For this we play basketball'
Maccabi is one of only three visiting teams to win in Athens this season, triumphing 81-86 after overtime in October behind 21 points from Bonzie Colson, who faces a great matchup with Dinos Mitoglou.
In the paint, two of the league's best big men will battle for supremacy. Mathias Lessort averages 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Greens, while Josh Nebo leads the league with 7.3 rebounds per game and has posted double-digit PIRs in 13 consecutive games.
The backcourt action will sizzle, too, as Greens' defensive ace Jerian Grant attempts to subdue Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin, who combined for 55 points in the play-in win. The hosts, meanwhile, will look for Kendrick Nunn to continue his hot streak after scoring at least 15 points in six straight games. The experienced leadership of Kostas Sloukas will also be crucial for Panathinaikos, while Maccabi offers serious long-range scoring threats from Tamir Blatt and John DiBartolomeo.
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"This is the playoffs, and after a very strong regular season, all the series will be very tough. There is no easy series. We finished second and Maccabi seventh, but the series will start 0-0. Maccabi has great, experienced players. They play especially well in offense, they have been together for the last two years. They move the ball really well. We must play our aggressive basketball, be ready for the rebounds and get the synergy with our fans to fight for all possessions, in defense and offense. Maccabi is the best offensive team this season, but we will play our defense, especially at home. We have to play aggressive transition and score more than Maccabi. It's not realistic to stop Maccabi at 65-70 points."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach
"We know that there will be a great atmosphere. We are familiar with OAKA. There is a lot of excitement for the playoffs. We are happy to be at this stage. There isn’t much that we have to change because of the way Panathinaikos plays. Fairly simple with a lot of individual talent; it’s more important to be aware of what each of their players can do. And we need to take a step up from last season in terms of aggressiveness. It will not be easy there, but for this we play basketball… We have to come with our best basketball on both sides of the court and try to play our game, of course with the relevant adjustments for this series."
Marius Grigonis, Panathinaikos player
"This is more on the line than the regular season, but we have to go game by game. We need to be concentrated, I know the arena will be electric, it's an important game. But we need to keep the distractions away as best as we can an do our jobs. Maccabi is a great team."