A 21-0 run in 5 minutes during the last period saw the Greens flip the script
Panathinaikos leaned on its defense to mount late charge against ALBA
Article
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Regular Season
Round 30 of 34
Group Regular Season
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When Will McDowell-White hit a three-pointer that set a game-high eight-point lead, 69-77, in ALBA Berlin's favor with 6 minutes to go against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, there was some concern inside OAKA. After all, the visitors were looking like they might get their second win in a row and second since coach Pedro Calles took over for the German powerhouse.
“It was a strange game,” Panathinaikos boss Ergin Ataman stated right after the final buzzer. “Because we seriously risked losing the game. Offensively it was a terrible day for us, we scored only 4 three-pointers on 20 attempts."
Aware that its offense was not firing on all cylinders against a team that had nothing to lose, Panathinaikos decided to shift things around. Ataman brought February MVP Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas to the bench and went with a defensive-minded lineup containing Lorenzo Brown, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Jerian Grant, Juancho Hernangomez and Wenyen Gabriel.
And, with this configuration, the Greens came back to life.
“We made some shots, we dug in deep for some turnovers and, you know, this was a must-win for us,” Gabriel explained. “I think it showed a lot about our character and [that we] understand that this game meant a lot to us. We played well at the end of the game. We're a good team, that's what good teams to do.”
Ataman’s changes to the rotation turned into a 21-0 run in less than 6 minutes totally turned the tables. The visitors’ offense was totally shut down as ALBA lost 91-81, having had just one field goal and a couple of free throws, which came in the last 30 seconds of the game.
“We managed the last five or six minutes well,” Ataman celebrated. “I believe [the key was to put together] that defensive team. We kept out [Kostas] Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn and we played these minutes with [Wenyen] Gabriel, [Panagiotis] Kalaitsakis, [Jerian] Grant, Lorenzo Brown, all defensive players.
“And with this defense, we stole the ball, we made them find difficult shots and won the game. You cannot win all the games with your best scorers; sometimes you have to win them with your defensive players. We took the risk. We needed to play these changes in the last 5 or 6 minutes and we were successful."
But the defensive effort would have been for nothing without offensive production, with Jerian Grant – who heard his name chanted by the OAKA crowd – finishing as the team's top scorer with 19 points.
“It was special," he admitted when asked about the fans' chants. “Definitely it’s one of the most special nights of my life. To hear 20 000 people calling my name. It really gave us a lot of energy and, you know, when we hear those fans like that we really feel like we can't lose."