Panathinaikos named Greek A1 champions

Panathinaikos is the Greek A1 champions after overcoming bitter rivals Olympiacos Piraeus in a controversial third game in the finals series. The bad blood both on and off the court could not be subdued as fan trouble spilled over and the game was ended early. In the end Panathinaikos was awarded the victory which meant the team swept the series by three games to zero.

What happened on the court became secondary as trouble from the stands marred and eventually ended the spectacle of two Basketball rivals clashing head to head. It had been another breathless and tense game that was heading in the favour of Panathinaikos with just 1:27 remaining on the clock in the fourth and the score sitting at 72-76.

However, trouble was just around the corner as the Olympiacos fans erupted just like they had two years ago. That time the Greek Basketball Federation punished the team and it seems likely that there will be serious ramifications for this latest infringement. Panathinaikos too has had its fair share of fan trouble, with the team having to play behind closed doors at the start of next season’s Euroleague.

This time though the fault was firmly put on the Olympiacos faithful, who sensing their team was about to be humiliated in a 3-0 sweep decided to act. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that they decided to act out; as all they did was slow down the victory that ultimately came the way of Panathinaikos.

Olympiacos fans hurl flares onto the court during defeat to Panathinaikos

With the clock ticking away the Olympiacos fans hurled everything they could at the court and as Olympiacos was the home team, there were legions of trouble makers. The referees postponed the action and told all home fans to leave the arena, but even though this did eventually happen, two hours had passed and officials decided to just hand Panathinaikos the win.

Panathinaikos are now the Greek champions once again after last picking up the title in 2011, taking their total to 32, a record in Greek Basketball. As for Olympiacos, the team failed to pick up a consecutive league and Euroleague double, although what a consolation it is to have the Euroleague trophy for a second year. The club will likely be punished heavily by the Greek Basketball Federation for the poor behaviour from fans in the final game of the finals series.

With all the commotion in the stands, it is easy to forget that an actual game of Basketball also took place, even though it was ultimately cut short. The game itself had proved another quality affair that reflected the passionate rivalry between the two clubs.

Panathinaikos got off to a fine start and hit the hoop hard in the first period, managing to take away a 17-24 lead at the first interval. Olympiacos finally woke up in the second and restricted Panathinaikos to just 11 points, while hitting 22 of their own to head into half time leading by 39 points to 35.

Propelled by guard Dimitris Diamantidis and forward Kostas Tsartsaris, Panathiaikos took the game by the scruff of the neck in the third and cut the Olympiacos lead to just one point at 61-60. The away team pressed home its advantage in the fourth, carving out a 72-76 lead before the fans took control and ended the contest.

Diamantidis was the star of the show, racking up 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the 39 minutes played. The guard was admirably backed up by Tsartsaris with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists and fellow forward Stephane Lasme 12, 9 rebounds and 3 block shots. For Olympiacos, Vassilis Spanoulis with 13 and 7 assists kept the hosts ticking along nicely.