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Greek League Finals, Game 2: June 10, 2007 |
After a game of fascinating runs, the Greek League's best-of-five finals are all tied up at 1-1 as Olympiacos downed archrivals and Euroleague champ Panathinaikos 76-72 at home on Sunday in Pireaus. The Reds rallied from slim deficits at halftime and the end of the third quarter to win thanks to good shooting in the fourth. They decided the game inside the arc, despite Panathinaikos making more three-pointers and free throws during the game. Arvydas Macijauskas scored 21 points that included 14-for-15 free-throw shooting in what was his best game in an Olympiacos uniform just when the Reds needed it most. Alex Acker added 19 points for the winners and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos 16, including 4 in the final minute to seal the victory. Milos Vujanic was the top gun for Panathinaikos with 16 points. The Greek League's best-of-five series for third place, the winner of which gets a Euroleague berth, is also tied 1-1 after Panionios stopped Aris 74-62 in Game 2.
Panathinaikos tried to take over Peace and Friendship Arena by racing to a quick 0-8 advantage in Game 2 thanks to game-opening triples by Sani Becirovic and Kostas Tsartsaris. The Reds fought back just as quickly with a 9-0 run in which Macijauskas and Vasilopoulos split all the points and put the hosts ahead 15-14. The first quarter ended tied 20-20, but Panathinaikos started the second quarter even stronger, with Vujanic exploding for 8 points in a 0-11 blast that made it 20-31. This time, the Greens guarded the lead a bit longer, until Giannis Bouroussis, Vasilopoulos and Macijauskas scored all the points in a 6-1 run before halftime that cut the difference to 37-42. Acker and Macijauskas tried gunning the Reds in front after the break, but a pair of triples by Ramunas Siskauskas saved Panathinaikos until help arrived to boost the lead to 49-57. Again, however, Olympiacos finished the quarter strong, and when Acker opened the fourth with a triple, it was 58-59. Scoonie Penn soon put the Reds ahead and Macijauskas made 6 free throws without a miss as the lead climbed to 70-63. Panathinikos had gone the first 6 minutes of the quarter without a basket, but Becirovic revived the greens and gave them their last lead, 70-71, with 90 seconds to play. Acker put Olympiacos back in front on the next shot and Vasilopoulos finished the scoring as the Reds' defense held Panathinaikos to a single free throw the rest of the game. Vasilopoulos proved himself an authentic clutch player, adding 7 rebounds and 3 assists to his scoring total. For Panathinaikos, Vujanic was followed by Siskauskas with 11 points, while Mike Batiste posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds and Dimitris Diamantidis added 9 points, 6 boards and 8 assists.
Kennedy Winston scored 21 points as Panionios held back Aris 74-62 in their second game. Panionios built a double-digit margin, 44-34, after 22 minutes of play, but a 7-1 Aris run cut the difference to 45-41. Panionios answered, however, with a 9-0 blast, good enough to create a 13-point gap, 54-41, and seal the victory. Winston got help from Stratos Perperoglou, with 11 points, while Panagiotis Kafkis posted 8 points, 4 boards and a playoff record of 7 steals. For the visitors, Mike Wilkinson scored 14 points, Savvas Iliadis 13 and Alex Scales 11.
GREEK LEAGUE: Final Playoffs, best of 5 games |
| Record | Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | 1 | Panathinaikos (1) - Final | 79 | 72 | June 13 | June 17 | June 20* | 1 | Olympiacos (3) - Final | 72 | 76 | - | - | - | 1 | Aris TT Bank (2) - 3rd place | 84 | 62 | June 12 | June 16 | June 19* | 1 | Panionios Forthnet (4) - 3rd place | 82 | 74 | - | - | - |
Final Playoffs Games | | Game 1 | Aris TT Bank vs. Panionios Forthnet - 3rd place | 84-82 | June 5 | | Game 1 | Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos - Final | 79-72 | June 6 | | Game 2 | Panionios Forthnet vs. Aris TT Bank - 3rd place | 74-62 | June 9 | | Game 2 | Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos - Final | 76-72 | June 10 | | Game 3 | Aris TT Bank vs. Panionios Forthnet - 3rd place | - | June 12 | | Game 3 | Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos - Final | - | June 13 | | Game 4 | Panionios Forthnet vs. Aris TT Bank - 3rd place | - | June 16 | | Game 4 | Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos - Final | - | June 17 | | Game 5 | Aris TT Bank vs. Panionios Forthnet - 3rd place | - | June 19* | | Game 5 | Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos - Final | - | June 20* |
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Sunday, June 10, 2007
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Vassilis Skountis, Athens |
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