Despite having only two players to have previously played at European basketball's premier event, the Greens from Athens had a fine showing on Friday night
Final Four inexperience didn’t bother focused Panathinaikos
Статьи
3 Минутное чтение
Final Four
Semifinal
Final Four
полуфиналы b
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
7357
Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFBB
полуфиналы b
Overview
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens blasted past Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, 73-57, in the opening semifinal on Friday, looking like a group of seasoned champions rather than a roster full of Final Four rookies.
The Greek team raced to a 12-0 lead inside the opening 5 minutes thanks to a perfect blend of poised offense and intense defense. And although Fenerbahce bounced back to keep on competing until the fourth quarter, Panathinaikos never trailed and used its early advantage as the firm foundation for a convincing win.
The Greens’ impressive start was even more notable for the fact that the team has very little prior experience at the Final Four, with only Ioannis Papapetrou and Kostas Sloukas appearing in the big event before this weekend.
With Sloukas in his usual role off the bench, Panathinaikos started with four players – Kendrick Nunn, Jerian Grant, Konstantinos Mitoglou and Mathias Lessort – who were tasting the unique atmosphere of the Final Four for the first time, and were faced with the further mental challenge of a delayed tipoff.
However, one man who certainly doesn’t lack experience in breathing the rarefied Final Four air is Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman, who won the trophy in consecutive seasons with Anadolu Efes (2021 and 2022) and has already fulfilled his preseason pledge of guiding the Greek giant back to the big stage for the first time in 12 years.
Game Videos
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Final Four MVP Nigel Hayes-Davis hops aboard The Crossover
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Championship Game, Mic'd Up: Nigel Hayes-Davis, Daniel Theis
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Top 5 Plays | Championship Game | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Championship Game Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:21
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Hall throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:10
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Hall’s crazy putback! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Hayes-Davis denies Theis! Motorola Magic Moment
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | 3rd Place Game Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Championship Game Talk with Wade Baldwin
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Mic'd Up: Nigel Hayes-Davis | 2025 EuroLeague Semifinals
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Semifinal Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:31
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Hall on the highlight reel! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Baldwin feeds Melli for the slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Baldwin drives to dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Nunn beats the halftime buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:24
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Yurtseven slams it home! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
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Lessort is back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Osman’s steal and slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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At the Final Four: Devon Hall, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
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At the Final Four: Omer Yurtseven, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
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Dimitris Itoudis, Mike Batiste remember their Panathinaikos successes on The Crossover
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Tarik Biberovic joined by two surprise guests on pre-Final Four EuroLeague & Friends podcast
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Cedi Osman takes center stage on the pre-Final Four EuroLeague & Friends podcast
- 01:50
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Cedi Osman's night to remember
- 02:03
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Cedi Osman: 'When I heard them chant my name, I was emotional'
- 00:44
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Jerian Grant: 'I've never seen anything like it in my life'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Playoffs Game 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
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Gabriel with a ferocious dunk! Motorola Magic Moment:
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Nunn with a deep three! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Yurtseven with a sublime dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
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Juancho rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Yurtseven on the alley oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:22
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Kendrick Nunn: 'I'm just glad it's not my tooth!'
- 02:06
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Konstantinos Mitoglou: 'We expect a tougher game in the next game'
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:25
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Crucial block by Juancho! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Cedi Osman steals and dunks! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:10
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We look forward to Abu Dhabi'
- 01:53
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Tarik Biberovic: 'I worked all my life for these moments'
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Paris Basketball-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Pierre and Birch combine to perfection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Fener’s perfect team play! Motorola Magic Moment
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:55
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Tarik Biberovic: 'Nothing is finished yet'
- 01:48
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'Today we took a very big step forward'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Kostas Sloukas with a crazy buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:26
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Baldwin's buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Jerian Grant shows big hustle! Motorola Magic Moment
Ataman revealed that he handled the Final Four inexperience among his players by instructing them to treat the semifinal like any normal night. “I told the guys in the locker room not to think that this is a Final Four game,” he said. “This is just a single game that we must win. That’s all.
“Just play like we have all season. We were the best defensive team in the EuroLeague this season. So put this aggressiveness on the court, and offensively just play our game. For me, it’s very important to not think before about the results of the game. Focus on the game, play the game.”
The team’s most impressive statistical performance came from big man Lessort, who registered a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. And the French powerhouse insisted that his team’s rookie status at this event was not a major issue.
“We don’t have much experience in the Final Four, but we have guys who have experience,” noted Lessort. “Like Kendrick [Nunn], he hasn’t been in Europe for long but you can see how quickly he adjusted. He’s played in the NBA Finals, so he’s got experience.”
Lessort also underlined coach Ataman’s emphasis on the importance of defense, saying: “The Final Four is not about who has the most talent or the best tactics – they are four great rosters, so it’s going to be about hustle. Fighting and playing defense. Taking care of the ball, rebounding.”
That same focused mindset also allowed Panathinaikos to overcome the disruption of the delayed tipoff, with Lessort adding: "It was tough because we didn’t know when we were going to start, but we focus on the court and what we can control. You've got to come out ready, you've got to come out focused. You can’t come out sloppy, you’ve got to play hard and give your all, and that's what we did.”
It wasn’t only the starting five who dealt calmly with the pressure – a notable aspect of the win was the contribution across the roster as Panathinaikos showed collective discipline and determination to hold onto its lead throughout the game, with everyone contributing.
A prime example was another Final Four rookie Kostas Antetokounmpo, who didn’t score any points but showed all the hustle and defensive energy that Lessort claimed were vital. And after the game, the Greek center revealed his mindset in a unique courtside interview with none other than his brother, superstar Giannis.
“Before the game I was excited, a little bit nervous,” Kostas told his sibling on EuroLeague TV. "But when the clock started everything went away. I was ready to play, come in and give an edge. The biggest key was the defense. Fener is a very good defensive team, but we played really hard defense and that’s why we won the game.”
Giannis himself then took the microphone to analyze what had impressed him about his brother’s performance, mirroring Lessort’s comments as he said: "You cannot control the outcome of the game but you can control your effort and your attitude. Kostas was out there doing whatever he could for his team to win. Rebounding the ball, setting screens, rolling, bringing energy off the bench. This is what you’ve got to do. Sometimes you’re not going to score 20 points but you can control those things, and his effort and attitude was A-Plus.”
And the same can be said about the entire Panathinaikos team, showing that with an A-Plus attitude, inexperience doesn’t necessarily matter.