The Turkish side was forced into submission in Game 5 by its compatriots Cedi Osman and Ergin Ataman
Turkish delight for Panathinaikos as champs landed knockout blow against Efes
Article
3 Mins read
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is in dreamland as the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs returned to the Final Four after subduing Anadolu Efes Istanbul 3-2 in a captivating playoff series which went down to the wire.
The Greek giant subdued its Turkish rival, 75-67, in a decisive Game 5 and their victory was akin to a Hollywood script as Efes was undone by its compatriots Cedi Osman and Ergin Ataman, who came back to haunt their former club.
Osman produced his best performance of the season as he racked up a career-high 28 points to go with 8 boards, delighting Coach Ataman, who guided Efes to successive EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022 before he took over the Greens in the summer of 2023.
Having won Europe’s premier club competition in his first season at Panathinaikos, Ataman will lead his troops to the 2025 showpiece event in Abu Dhabi confident of claiming his fourth title in five seasons after last year’s triumph in Berlin.
Osman, in turn, brought his wealth of NBA experience as he moved from the San Antonio Spurs to Panathinaikos during the last off-season after a seven-year stint overseas, saving his best for last to inflict a tough loss on his boyhood club where he started his illustrious career in 2011.
Barely holding back the tears in a post-game interview, Osman revealed just how much he was touched by the support of Panathinaikos fans who will be heading to Abu Dhabi in droves for the semifinal clash with Efes’s bitter domestic rivals Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and a potential all-Greek final against eternal foes Olympiacos Piraeus.
“From the beginning of the season, we aimed to have home-court advantage, that was our goal. We brought the series back to Athens and although we could have finished the job in [Game 4 in Istanbul], it’s even sweeter when you qualify for the Final Four in front of your own fans. I am really proud of my guys and the way they did the job today,” Osman said.
“This team is full of great characters and we are back where we belong. Now we move on after getting some time to rest. The fans were amazing tonight and when I heard them chanting my name I was very emotional as I live for moments like this.”
Ataman was all smiles and heaped praise on his former club after emotions had boiled over in Game 4, when the Turkish tactician walked out following a spat with the home Efes fans who jibed and taunted him in the closing stages of an 85-82 defeat which forced Game 5.
“I want to congratulate Efes as they pushed us to the limit. They played amazing defense throughout the series and they never gave up. Tonight we were up by 23 points but they came back into the game with some great hustle,” he said.
“We didn’t play good basketball tonight but Cedi Osman came up with his best performance of the season and congrats to him. We also played good defense on Shane Larkin and we are back in the Final Four. Two games to the title, now is the moment to take some time off and enjoy.”
Efes head coach Luca Banchi was able to walk off the court with his pride intact, although he rued what he saw as a missed opportunity to stage a major upset.
The Turkish team defied the odd to reach the playoffs on the back of eight successive wins in the regular season’s home straight and then matched Panathinaikos in every department of the opening four games of the series.
However, Banchi’s men fell short and looked devoid of energy when the chips were down, although they launched a valiant fightback after trailing by 23 points midway through the second quarter.
“Many regrets, as in a do-or-die game you have to be disciplined and inspired and this certainly wasn’t our best night,” the Italian tactician said. “Poor percentages from the field and the foul line, but the last 25 minutes showed that we have the mental consistency to be a team that deserves to stay on this level.”