Olympiacos and Panathinaikos rely all the way down to the journey to Berlin in an occasion stuffed with symbolism
Meirakia nonetheless within the worldwide enviornment, candy little ones subsequent to you Spanoulis, Printez, Hines and AntichThe Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou they walked hand-in-hand on the stage of the 2012 Remaining 4 and lifted the trophy collectively in Istanbul, protagonists within the unbelievable upset orchestrated by Olympic of Ivkovic in opposition to CSKA Moscow. Twelve years later the 2 outdated associates – companions for many years within the nationwide groups and virtually the identical age – will sit aspect by aspect on the press convention desk of one other closing 4, decked out in invisible captain’s armbands and dreaming of lifting the trophy on the night time of Could 26 . Within the Metropolis then they each wore crimson. In Berlin this 12 months, at 34, they are going to have a look at the cup from reverse sides. And some weeks later they are going to meet once more wearing blue, to hitch the nationwide group below the directions of Vassilis Spanoulis.
Syssomi the “official sweetheart” (apart from him John Antetokounmpo, who, nevertheless, could seem to help his little brother, Kostas) might be on the ramparts of the demolished Berlin Wall. However that is one other dialogue, which considerations July and the 5 circles of Paris. Within the metropolis that’s thought-about by many to be the capital of Europe within the 14-15 Greek internationals who will step on her ground Uber Enviornment they are going to produce other jobs.
The reborn Nick You are in a basketThe George Papagiannis and Tyler Dorsey will attempt to destroy the dream of Panathinaikos below the directions of a 3rd former “inexperienced”, the Sarah Jasikevicius. THE Sloukas by Ioannis Papapetrouhim Dino Mitoglouhim Costa Antetokounmpo and the Panagiotis Kalaitzakis they are going to look to convey him again Panathinaikos on the high, 13 years because the sixth star was sewn into his uniforms Diamantides and his Batiste. THE Papanikolaou by Thomas Walkup and the Giannouli Lorentzakis they are going to attempt to exorcise with steering him George Bartzoka the mess left behind by Kaunas and Belgrade. Greater than anything, the marketing campaign in Berlin is a triumph of Greek basketball.
Like outdated CINEMA
The matches will happen on the similar stadium the place Panathinaikos and Olympiacos gave it to us 2009 top-of-the-line semi-finals within the historical past of the competitors. Then the “greens” received each matches on the purpose with a miss shot by the opponents within the exhalation (Bourousis, Siskauskas) and celebrated the title with MVP Spanoulis, runner-up Saras subsequent to Diamantidis, Fotsis, Tsartsari, Dikoudis, Batiste, Pekovits, Perperoglou, Nikolas and their helmsmen Zeliko Obradovich, Dimitris Itoudis.
Olympiacos had coach Panagiotis Giannakis and stars Papaloukas, Printezis, Teodosic, Childres, Vuisic, Bourousi. The 19-year-old Papanikolaou was making ready to maneuver from the planet Mars to the port of Piraeus, whereas Slukas was current in Berlin wearing crimson, a freshman within the newly wealthy Olympiakos of the time however removed from his golden dozen. Solely Josh Childress had an annual contract of €6 million.
Throughout that four-day interval the Kassandras prophesied the entire razing of Berlin and the constructing of a brand new, bolstered Wall, able to protecting the “inexperienced” barbarians other than the “crimson” barbarians. Particularly the outdated sequence, who had lived by means of the martyrdom of 1994-95, foreshadowed a biblical catastrophe, with the few Spaniards and Russians unwilling witnesses.
Ultimately it was the Germans who made the distinction, not spectators, however law enforcement officials. And one thing… canines. The concern of the Berlin prisons and the skilled repression squads turned the Greek wolves into lambs and the ultimate 4 went calmly, with out chases within the streets of Kreuzberg and with out kicks within the stands of the stadium. Tel Aviv’s and Zaragoza’s custom of exporting vagrancy was honored three years later in Istanbul, however Berlin 2009 proved that the wild woofer desires.
The abolition of “excursions” backed by the administrations naturally performed its half, since there are only a few hooligans who can pay 700-800 euros out of their very own pockets to play wooden below the kisses. If there was toxicity in 2009, it appeared contained in the pitch, the place the Giannakopoulos brothers (then Pavlos and Thanasis) threw fifty euros on the toes of the ultimate referees. Panathinaikos defeated CSKA by the wire (7371, from 48-28 at halftime), however the legendary whistle of the Spanish referee Arteaga, which might have given the Russians two photographs in lifeless time for a ghost foul out of part, was written in historical past. The primary referee of the ultimate, Lithuanian Brazauskas, signaled to Arteagas to cease the nonsense and blew the ultimate whistle amid “inexperienced” cheers.
Parade of mugs
THE Panathinaikos has received six European titles and Olympiacos three, so Greek basketball hopes to achieve double-digit victories this 12 months. For the “greens”, Berlin would be the twelfth closing 4, whereas for the “reds” will probably be the thirteenth. Olympiacos already has 9 finals however has received solely three, having been invited to problem for the Cup within the nation of the opposite finalist on three events: in 1995 in Zaragoza and in 2015 in Madrid, it misplaced to Actual, in 2017 in Istanbul to Fenerbahce.
The “six star” Panathinaikos has misplaced 4 semi-finals in eleven makes an attempt and only one misplaced closing – in 2001 in Paris. This really occurred within the 12 months of the schism, with two Champions Cups being held on the similar time and with two “queens” straddling the identical throne. Maccabi defeated Panathinaikos to win the stillborn Suproleague, whereas Kinder defeated Taugres within the finals of the newly fashioned Euroleague. From the next 12 months the 2 occasions merged.
The champion of 2023 – with Sergi Yuletide’s magical successful basket in opposition to Olympiakos – Actual Madrid will seem for the 14th time within the closing 4 of the trendy period, whereas she is the establishment’s all-time winner with eleven titles in 20 finals, beginning within the distant 1964. Fener lifted it as soon as and solely as soon as, within the years of Obradovic and Kostas Sluka, the 2017 at “Sinan Erdem” in opposition to Yannis Sfeiropoulos’ Olympiakos (80-64 within the closing). A 12 months earlier, in… Berlin, the armada from the japanese financial institution of the Bosphorus was overwhelmed in further time by CSKA Moscow, who equalized on the finish of regular time with a follow-up by Hriapas. Dimitris Itoudis defeated “Zots” 101-96 within the dramatic closing of the most effective males. Giorgos Bartzokas was current in the identical closing 4, on the bench of the silver-winning Lokomotiv Kuban, which misplaced to compatriot CSKA within the semi-final (88-81).
THE Ergin Ataman he wrote the historical past of the four-year interval 2020-23 by successful with Efes two trophies that might properly be twice as many and he made positive to show his proverbial vanity into fertilizer in order that the “clover” of 2023-24 might flourish. So what if he acquired the seventeenth group from the earlier season? “I urge the buddies of Panathinaikos to order seats for the ultimate 4” he dared to say final November. “If we do not qualify for Berlin, I’ll depart the group” he mentioned after Maccabi’s 2-1 win. After a full decade of regressions and experiments, plainly Panathinaikos has discovered the brand new prophet who will stroll within the sneakers of Zeliko Obradovic.
A traditional “participant’s coach”, the Turk handed over the keys to the group to Sluka and Nan and travels to Berlin using on the backs of the 2 stars who’re vying for the title of MVP. He goals of the third title of his profession. Or perhaps the… sixth? Ataman has additionally received the Saporta Cup with Siena (2002) and the Eurocup with Galatasaray (2016), and even the odd Eurochallenge with Besiktas (2012). This 12 months he’s thought-about a favourite for the title of Coach of the Yr, now not in fringe occasions however within the Euroleague front room. He already beat him as soon as in 2021.
THE George Bartzokas has received the identical prize thrice (2013, 2022, 2023), in reminiscence of the blessed Alexander Gomelsky, and is hoping for a three-peat. He would clearly desire the cup with the massive ears as a memento, the one which slipped from his fingers final 12 months in Kaunas, regardless of the person distinctions. The sequence with Barcelona was a private rhapsody of the technician who is known as a “chessman” on social media, after Olympiacos knocked down the citadel of Palau Blaugrana twice and matched the Spaniards with the identical technique of strangulation: 59-63 within the fifth match , of protection the youngsters.
The “crimson and white” of Piraeus reached the third consecutive closing 4 (after the 4th place of Belgrade and the 2nd place of Kaunas) though they misplaced the Vezenkov and Sluka. They had been pressured to guess on gamers strained by Mundobasket, carried a sequence of accidents, shuffled the deck just a few instances and had been known as upon to interrupt the inauspicious custom of fifth quarter-finals for the guests. “Final February we had been in ninth place” recalled George Angelopoulos, one of many presidents. Nikola Milutinov returned in time so as to add the ending touches and Shaquille McKissick, who each summer season is taken into account “below steam”, all gone and all right here, gave Barca the free kick.
From Tel Aviv to Berlin
Within the 12 months of Tel Aviv, all of the gamers of right this moment’s Olympiakos (and Panathinaikos as properly) had been infants or unborn. The 28-year-old Ataman was beginning his teaching profession with Efes Pilsen’s youth group, whereas the 29-year-old Barzokas was brooding on the considered a promising profession at Maroussi that was ruined by accidents round 1992. At Yad Eliau they met that April within the civil semi-final (earlier than raised by Obradovic with Badalona) Yiannis Ioannidis and Kostas Politis. The 2 can have lots to recollect within the coming days on the courts of heaven.
The magic playing cards
Olympiacos expects round 3,000 of its personal followers in Berlin this 12 months, Panathinaikos a bit extra. Every of the 4 finalists acquired round 450 tickets for his or her rapid wants, however 20% of these offered in January to the impartial public, with costs of 229-709 euros, ended up in Greek fingers. The orgy of obscenity started with the quarter-final finale on resale websites. At midday on Thursday, the most cost effective package deal of tickets for the 2 days value 1,850 euros within the… eagle’s nests of the stadium. Anybody who desires to look at semi-finals and finals with out binoculars paid 7-8 thousand. On the similar time, the primary constitution flights from Greece appeared on journey web sites with an “introductory worth” of 798 euros, whereas rooms within the German capital are onerous to search out and naturally very costly. Nevertheless, many of the Turkish followers of Fenerbahce can have their houses in Berlin as the place to begin, whereas Actual is predicted to hold the same old 250, which aren’t properly stuffed…Uber. Maccabi’s Euroleague qualification nightmare was placed on maintain amid sighs of reduction. Berliners are politicized and do not give a rattling, Greeks stand en masse on the aspect of the Palestinians, Turkey is in a interval of chilly struggle with Israel and the four-day presence of 1000’s of excursionists from Tel Aviv would flood the town with gunpowder. Kendrick Nunn was an answer.
Learn additionally:
Euroleague: Remaining 4 schedule – When are Panathinaikos and Olympiacos enjoying?
Euroleague: What number of tickets is he giving to Panathinaikos and Olympiakos for the Remaining 4
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