Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are getting ready to co-exist for the fifth time within the remaining part of the Euroleague and reminiscences from the earlier competitions are awakening
Within the distant 1994, Greek basketball lived within the final days not of Pompeii however of Thessaloniki. As quickly as Aris and PAOK got here down from the rostrum, the middle of gravity and energy shifted to the basin of Attica and the newly wealthy Olympiacos and Panathinaikos instantly realized what a remaining 4 is. Thirty years and 9 trophies later, a dozen years after Istanbul, the 2 “eternals” of the south are getting ready to expertise the fifth joint remaining 4 of their historical past, in a good embrace, positioned in two separate semi-finals, with a secret dream of a Greek remaining below the thousand-sung sky of Berlin.
Towards his personal youngsters
Panathinaikos is first requested to rid Fenerbahce of his personal youngsters (Kalathis, Papagiannis, Saras), whereas Oly
Biakos will face champions Actual, with the wound nonetheless open from Sergio Yul’s profitable shot final 12 months in Kaunas. The 2 semi-finals might be held on Friday, the ultimate on Sunday. Anticipation for the back-to-back attracts between the 2 arch-enemies is at an all-time excessive and tickets for the matches are being bought for gold bars on the web’s black or grey market.
Coexistence-fire
The peaceable coexistence of roughly 4,000 Greek and lots of Turkish followers within the stands is a parallel wager, particularly for the older ones who bear in mind after their abomination
four-day “civil wars” and the local weather of terrorism in Tel Aviv (1994) and Zaragoza (1995).
Documento takes you on a psychological journey via the 4 earlier remaining fours the place Panathinaikos and Olympiacos traveled on the identical route. Within the first two years, the match between them within the semi-final had disastrous penalties within the competitors leg and two misplaced finals for Olympiakos, whereas within the subsequent two (Berlin 2009, Istanbul 2012) the celebration ended with Greek champagnes, one with a inexperienced and one with a purple label.
This 12 months within the German capital, will the great or the unhealthy prevail?
2 of the 9 European trophies that Panathinaikos and Olympiacos have received have been received in two of the 4 remaining fours they’ve co-existed
By Planes and Steamboats to Tel Aviv (1994)
The invasion of the (wild) Greeks in Tel Aviv for the primary “everlasting” remaining 4 might develop right into a naval battle. The ships that may carry 500+500 fanatical followers of the 2 groups docked aspect by aspect within the port of Piraeus, so hostilities started on Greek soil. They continued with unimaginable ferocity in Haifa the place the hooligans had been destroyed, within the Holy Land the place they went on a pilgrimage as a result of above all piety, in addition to in Tel Aviv on the day of the civil semi-final (Olympiakos – Panathinaikos 7772) and once more of the ultimate, the place the ” purple and white” had been defeated by the mediocre Badalona of Zeljko Obradovic.
Giannis Ioannidis celebrated the victory over the spineless enemy as if he had been giving a Cup and was deified from the purple platform as if he had been a prophet from the holy lands. The “blonde” made positive to succeed in the “Yad Eliau” half of the Patriarchate, nevertheless, the races didn’t convey luck within the remaining. Olympiacos was left with out a basket within the final eight minutes,
the essential 1+1 photographs of Zarko Paspali went into the iron and Cornelius Thompson hit the three-pointer of the upset (57-59) amid inarticulate screams from the followers (and a few gamers) of… Panathinaikos.
The mighty Olympiakos additionally had Sigala, Fasoula, Tomic, Tarlats and Roy Tarpley, who on the eve of the ultimate stayed up all evening and returned early within the morning drunk, inflicting a struggle along with his teammate Babis Papadakis. Panathinaikos of Costa Politis lined up Volkov, Vrankovic, Patavouka, Albertis, Economou and above all Nikos Galis, within the 4th shedding remaining 4 of his profession, six months earlier than his reluctant retirement.
“Somebody has cursed Greece to by no means win the Champions Cup” stated the neutrals after Olympiakos’ harakiri. Nobody imagined that the 2 spineless gladiators from Tel Aviv would win 9 trophies between 1996-2013. Solely Ioannidis and Galis proved to be “cursed”.
Extravagance additionally in Zaragoza (1995)
The Tel Aviv scene was set once more a 12 months afterward the opposite aspect of basketball Europe. Zaragoza acquired the anointing of the hostess and the wooden was drunk proper via the nationwide roads connecting Aragon with Barcelona. When the “scientists” arrived within the metropolis they had been chased via the alleys by slalom among the many pious Spaniards who had introduced out the floats for the mourning processions of the Catholic Easter. This time wooden additionally fell contained in the stadium (“Printhipe Felipe”). “We’ve got these followers and we do not need to change them” clarified Sokratis Kokkalis in all instructions on the official press convention. “That is the export of vagrancy,” stated Giorgos Vasilakopoulos from Athens. There have been some unusual rumors circulating within the corridors about an tried bribery of the Polish semi-final referee Wieslaw Zych, and the background was breaking right here and there.
Panathinaikos of Efthymis Kiumourtzoglou had wearing inexperienced Zarkos Paspali, who instantly grew to become persona non grata on the alternative platform, but in addition Panagiotis Giannakis, who was requested to put on the sneakers of the exiled Galis. The damage of the “dragon” within the second half modified the course of the Euro-Hellenic semi-final and Ioannidis’ Olympiacos received once more, 58-52, with Eddie Johnson because the hero who scored 27 factors. The final phrase was stated this time by Obradovic, now on the helm of the mighty but in addition “house” Actual Madrid, with Sabonis and Arlaukas main the way in which: 73-61 within the remaining.
Olympiacos and Panathinaikos rented luxurious places of work and handed out trinkets and beads to guests in a peculiar arms race, whereas the quiet “queen” stored her personal headquarters darkish till the morning of the semi-final with Bozidar Malkovic’s Limoges. When the Madrid gamers lastly rolled up the blinds and rolled out the white carpet, they’d one and solely exhibit of their showcase: the seven Champions Cups they’d received up to now! How do you say “hey” in Castilian?
The Canines of Berlin (2009)
Reminiscences of the disgraceful 1994-95 two-year interval postpone many would-be guests and Berlin didn’t expertise Tel Aviv and Zaragoza days, as tickets had been extensively bought, even on the morning of the “green-red” semi-final. A decade and a half had now handed, the 2 “eternals” felt fed up with trophies and romantic sports activities followers most popular tv.
About 5-6 thousand Greeks traveled to Berlin, who trembled like fish in entrance of the ferocious Scyllars and the armored commandos of the German police. The excursions sponsored by the administrations had already been abolished and one way or the other he didn’t open his nostrils. The 2 “eternals” had been residing the struggle of the celebs, because the Olympiacos of Angelopoulos and Panagiotis Giannakis had been making an attempt with hundreds of thousands to compete with the Panathinaikos of Obradovic and the already 4 European trophies. Jamball stuffed the ground with sparkle: Papaloukas, Childress, Teodosic, Vujicic, Bourousis, Printezis vs.
Diamantidis, Jasikevicius, Spanoulis, Batiste, Pekovits, Fotsi, Tsartsari. The neutrals took a have a look at the neighboring dressing rooms (CSKA, Barcelona) and spoke, in all probability rightly, concerning the strongest remaining 4 in historical past.
The “greens” received each video games on level, with a courageous dose of luck, after the opponents’ final shot stopped on the iron: Bourousis within the semi-final with Olympiakos (8482), Siskauskas within the remaining with CSKA Messina (73-71) . Within the unforgettable title match, the Russians overturned the match from -20 within the first half and virtually received it. Thanasis Giannakopoulos noticed the Spanish referee Arteaga name a ghost foul with the exhalation and was fast to throw payments at his ft. The primary referee, Lithuanian Brazauskas, canceled the whistle and Panathinaikos triumphantly left the stadium the place this 12 months’s remaining 4 might be held. With MVP Vassilis Spanoulis, who a 12 months later was to cross the Rubicon…
The Fall of the Metropolis (2012)
The ultimate 4 of 2012 in Polis discovered the Greek “eternals” in reverse trenches for the primary and solely time up to now: Panathinaikos – CSKA, Olympiacos – Barcelona. Those that made positive to satisfy on the day of the semi-finals had been the followers of the 2 groups, with a little bit of Turkish hooliganism to garnish. The movies which were launched present green-red scarves being chased even within the precincts of Hagia Sophia.
Within the stands of “Sinan Erdem”, nevertheless, the ambiance was peaceable, whereas there have been additionally pals of Panathinaikos who applauded the epic upset with which Olympiacos discovered the way in which to the throne room: 62-61 CSKA along with his unforgettable “petechtari” Giorgos Printezis in exhalation, from 34-53 of the twenty eighth minute. The armada of Kirilenko and Jonas Kazlauskas, Yiannis Sfairopoulos eradicated Panathinaikos (Diamantidis, Yasikevicius, Batiste, Tsartsaris, Kalathis) within the semi-final with 66-64, regardless that they discovered themselves shedding by 15 factors in the beginning. The dream for
purely Greek remaining mes in Istanbul was locked within the clock when the “greens” seared their final assault, however the younger Olympiacos of Dusan Ivkovic (and of Spanoulis, Printezis, Andits, Hines, Lo, Sluka) carried out his miracle towards Barca ( 68-64) and repeated it with CSKA as a sufferer two nights later. The “blessed” Duda was additionally boss of the “purple and whites” in 1997, after they celebrated their first title in Rome. The subsequent day discovered the “six-star” Panathinaikos in the beginning of a barren eleven years, after, aside from Obradovics, Itoudis and several other key gamers, Pavlos and Thanasis Giannakopoulos additionally left. Olympiacos, quite the opposite, celebrated a second trophy in a row (one thing Panathinaikos by no means achieved), third total, the next 12 months in London, with the same old MVP Vassilis Spanoulis once more. Giorgos Bartzokas was now on the helm, who was about to be ostracized by the fanatical “reds” after a defeat by Panathinaikos in October 2013.
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