A fantastic showdown between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos proved that both teams are title contenders, if anyone even doubted
Did Friday's unusual Greek derby put the rest of the teams on notice?
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Regular Season
Round 8 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Just minutes after the final buzzer of the first Greek derby of this Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, a thrilling Rivalry Series game on Friday night, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas spoke the truth about the game that just finished.
"It was an amazing game, great quality from two very good teams," the Olympiacos coach told EuroLeague TV.
The clash between Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Olympiacos had everything that each Greek derby usually has.
It had a fantastic atmosphere and packed stands. There were plenty of emotions on the floor and great hustle from everyone involved. There was high drama, a come-from-behind effort, and this game had big plays and clutch performances, just about what every Greek derby offers.
However, this clash also had something that high-stake, emotionally-charged games such as this one rarely have: scoring, and a lot of it.
Friday's game, an 89-94 road victory for the Reds from Piraeus over Panathinaikos was the highest-scoring non-overtime Greek derby in the modern EuroLeague. In none of the previous 21 games this century had the two teams scored as many points in 40 minutes of basketball as they did in this one.
The fast-paced game featured a total of nine scorers in double figures, and the two teams combined for 54 assists. The winners shot 12 for 24 (50.0%) from three-point range, but the hosts had an even better percentage shooting from downtown, albeit making one fewer triples, 11 for 21 (52.4%).
The curious case of the third quarter
"Our execution on offense was great," Bartzokas said, while Sasha Vezenkov who finished with 20 points explained: "Panathinaikos is a great team, it is a little bit difficult to limit them, but we played great on offense."
What really made this collision of two prime EuroLeague contenders so great was that players made plays, rather than succeeding thanks to opponents' mistakes.
And the third quarter will surely be remembered above the rest.
It was the highest-scoring quarter in the Greek derby this century, one which Panathinaikos won 33-30. It was the most points Panathinaikos has scored in any quarter in games against Olympiacos, and the reigning champs did so by making 10-of-10 two-pointers and 4-of-6 threes. The Greens dished 13 assists during those 10 minutes and committed just 2 turnovers. Ergin Ataman's side also did not have a single rebound that entire quarter.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos pulled down 5 rebounds during in the third quarter, including 3 on the offensive end, as they shot 8 of 10 on two-pointers and 4 of 6 on three-pointers. The Reds had 10 assists, too.
"This is the highest level of EuroLeague basketball. I think whoever watched was really happy with these two great teams," Bartzokas said.
Moving forward
The two teams kept trading blows as the game was going down to the wire, and in the end it was the heroics of Evan Fournier, who scored 8 of his 22 points in the final 3 minutes of the game, that decided this game.
There was also the feeling that this win meant more for Olympiacos than the loss did to Panathinaikos.
Yes, you never want to lose on your home floor against your archrival, but Panathinaikos has been acting, and playing, with the peace of mind of a reigning champion. The team was on a three-game winning streak heading into this one and seems to be gelling its new pieces quite nicely as we put the first quarter of the regular season behind us.
For Olympiacos, however, the win is a confirmation that the team is on the right path following heavy investments into the roster over the summer. This is now three straight wins in a super-tough stretch that has seen the Reds beat Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and now Panathinaikos.
And for a team that aims for one thing and one thing only, after Final Four appearances in each of the last three seasons, these statement wins were much needed.
Heading into a double-round week, sitting with 5-3 records, both teams will look to build on what they showcased on Friday as they aim to keep climbing up the standings. There is a long way to go, but this game gave all the fans a taste of what we could expect later in the season.
The Greens and the Reds might not have the best records in the league at the moment, but after seeing the level of basketball in this early-November matchup, it is hard to imagine these two teams not being heavily involved come the end of the season.