Panathinaikos
survived a stern test from Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv to win 90-88 on
Thursday night at OAKA Olympic Hall in Athens, Greece, to improve to
7-0 atop the Group B standings. Simas Jasaitas's game-tying basket was
waived off as the referees correctly ruled that the ball left his hands
after the buzzer sounded. The exciting game added another chapter to
the exciting Panathinaikos-Maccabi rivalry, as the Greens ended a
three-game losing streak against the Israeli champs. Panathinaikos, the
only remaining undefeated team in the Euroleague, opened a three-game
lead over Maccabi and Cibona in Group B. Maccabi, which fell to 4-3, is
winless in three road games this season. Mike Batiste led Panathinaikos
with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Tony Delk added 17,
Dimos Dikoudis 13 and Nikos Chatzivrettas 11. Will Bynum was the main
man for Maccabi with 22 points, 5 assists and 4 steals, while Nikola
Vujcic added 18. Panathinaikos led for much of the game, but was never
able to pull away. Lior Eliyahu put Maccabi ahead for the last time
73-74 with 6 minutes to go. Panathinaikos surged ahead to 84-78, but
Maccabi remained close and Noel Felix closed the gap to 89-88 with 16
seconds left. Dimitrios Diamantidis had a chance to ice the game from
the line with 3 seconds left, but his second shot rolled out. Vujcic
was first to the rebound and rifled a cross-court pass to Jasaitas, but
his shot was too late, allowing the Greens to celebrate a hard-earned
win.
Despite the noisy atmosphere, Maccabi started on fire and
raced ahead 0-6 behind three-pointers by Simas Jasaitis and Bynum.
However, Batiste showed why he was recently chosen Euroleague MVP for
November with two thunderous dunks, a free throw and a hook that
rallied the Greens to a 7-0 run. With Batiste and two-time Euroleague
best defender Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos flashed some of its
trademark defense, which strangled Maccabi and kept the guests without
a field goal for more than six minutes. On the other end, Delk scored 7
points during a 9-2 spurt that built a 16-10 lead for the hosts and
forced a Maccabi timeout. The Yellows had made 2-of-10 field goals
after their initial downtown display, yet Maccabi managed to pull
within 21-18 thanks to points from the charity line and a jumper by
captain Derrick Sharp at the buzzer.
Panathinaikos captain
Fragiskos Alvertis came out in the second period with his pistol loaded
and knocked down a triple to bring the momentum and send the noise
level to new heights. Sharon Shason picked up the scoring slack for
Maccabi, as he first scored on a jumper, then fed Lior Eliyahu for a
reverse lay-up and finally converted a three-point play to close the
gap to 30-27. Chatzivrettas replied with a bomb from beyond the arc,
yet it was time for All-Euroleague center Vujcic to step up, as he
scored 4 points that sliced the margin to 34-31. Sharp then connected
from beyond the arc and Vujcic added a pair of free throws to tie the
game and show that the guests were not willing to go down without a
fight. Vujcic was now dominating and poured in 4 more points, however
Alvertis upped the ante, as he nailed a triple and two from the line
that put the hosts up 47-45 at halftime.
 The
second half commenced with a Vujcic dunk and a Batiste turnaround
jumper. Felix responded with a two-handed slam, yet Kostas Tsartsaris
took revenge with a three-point play and Batiste scored a basket to
boost the Greens' lead to 56-50. Bynum found some open space against
the stifling Panathinaikos defense to slash to the basket, yet the
hosts found a go-to-guy in Delk, who kept the Greens in the driver’s
seat, 63-58, with 3:20 to go. Flashy Bynum was a big factor, as he kept
taking his opponents off the dribble and pulled Maccabi within 63-62.
Chatzivrettas connected from downtown and Milos Vujanic drilled a pair
of free-throws, but Bynum drove it to the basket again to trim the gap
to 68-65 with one period left.
The fourth period got underway
with Bynum looking like a man on a mission. He scored a wild layup and
then dished a pair of assists that allowed Maccabi to grab the lead,
71-73, with 7 minutes to go. It was Euroleague basketball at its best
now with both teams embarking on fascinating plays on both ends of the
floor, while the fans were wild and boisterous. Diamantidis tied the
game and after a Zelimir Obradovic timeout Dikoudis muscled his way for
a basket and a point from the line. Diamantidis then found Batiste for
a thunderous dunk and a 78-74 gap midway through the quarter. With the
hosts having tightened their defense, Maccabi struggled offensively and
missed six shots in a row - including a dunk by Eliyahu. Diamatidis
gave Panathinaikos an 82-76 lead at the 3:29 mark. Neven Spahja called
a timeout and managed to regroup his charges. Jasaitis hit four free
throws, yet Delk responded and Diamantidis emphatically rejected Bynum
to restore an 84-80 advantage. Vujcic made it a one-basket possession
until Diamantidis dished the ball to Dikoudis for a slam that gave
Panathinaikos an 86-82 lead with a minute left. Jasaitis came up empty
from beyond the arc, while Chatzivrettas made 2-of-4 from the line.
However, Bynum bettered him with a triple and a free-throw that cut the
margin to 88-86. After Felix narrowed the gap to 1, Diamantidis had a
chance to ice the game from the line with 3 seconds left, but his
second shot rolled out. Vujcic was first to the rebound and rifled a
cross-court pass to Jasaitas, but his shot was too late, allowing the
Greens to celebrate a hard-earned win.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Danos Tsakalos, Athens
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