May 25, 2012
HOW DID THEY GET HERE? Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Despite having to battle until the final game in Turkish Airlines regular season Group D to clinch first place, Panathinaikos has been able to overcome severe injuries with defense, team spirit and experience. Panathinaikos won 4 of its 5 opening Euroleague games, added a prestigious road triumph against CSKA in Moscow and downed Union Olimpija and AJ Milano in Athens to finish Group D with a 7-3 record. Its floor general has been, as usual, playmaker and elite defensive stopper Dimitris Diamantidis (12.8 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 5.6 apg.), who was chosen as the competition's December MVP. Stratos Perperoglou (9.4 ppg.), Drew Nicholas (8.3 ppg.) and Romain Sato (10.8 ppg.) have given Panathinaikos consistency at both wings. Despite losing All-Euroleague center Aleks Maric (5 ppg.) until April and being without Mike Batiste (12 ppg.) for a couple of games, Panathinaikos has relied on Antonis Fotsis (7.9 ppg., 5 rpg.), Kostas Tsartsaris (5 ppg.) and Ian Vougioukas (5.2 ppg.) to be rock-solid under the baskets. With Batiste back in action, expect Panathinaikos to stay as one of the teams to beat this season.
Romain Sato - Panathinaikos
Romain Sato

Top 16 Teams:
REGULAR SEASON KEY FACTS
  • Key win: Down by eight with 2:35 left in regulation, Panathinaikos rallied to force overtime and beat Union Olimpija in a critical win to win Group D. Diamantidis had 13 points in the final 75 seconds, including a basket on the offensive glass in the last second to tie the game and force overtime, in one of the most outstanding finishes by any player in Euroleague history.
  • Key stat: Aggresive as always, Panathinaikos leads the Euroleague in fouls drawn (247), free throws made (194) and attempted (257). It is also a Top 5 team in points scored (802), two-point (53.4%) and three-point (37.3%) percentages.
  • Key play: In a game that went down to the wire, Panathinaikos went once again to Diamantidis to grab a road win against CSKA Moscow. CSKA got within 64-68 in the final minute but Diamantidis buried the game-deciding three-pointer, leaving CSKA without a chance to return to the game.
  • Key contributor: Often overlooked and always a solid contributor, Perperoglou had five-double digit games so far and is posting a career-best scoring average of 9.4 points. Add his all-around game, outstanding defense and three-point accuracy and it is safe to say that Perperoglou is a key player for the Greens.
  • Key intangible: If there is anyone in Europe that knows how to win the Euroleague, that is coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic, the true leader of this team. Obradovic has lifted 4 Euroleague titles with Panathinaikos and 7 overall adding the trophies he lifted with Partizan, Joventut and Real Madrid. Obradovic will be more motivated than ever to keep adding quality hardware to his personal roll of honors.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Euroleague.net
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