It wasn’t exactly the most electrifying start to the Euroleague Final Four. Delays with crowd trouble outside meant we had to wait for Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce to square off. Once they did, it was Ergin Ataman’s Greens that proved strategically superior.
Well that was all a bit wild. Bizarre scenes outside led to a big delay to the game starting and Fenerbahce never really got out of bed.
Chaotic inside and out
There was drama before a ball was tipped. A group of fans without tickets charged the arena aiming to get in and that led to substantial delays. Speaking with supporters who got in on time, the general consensus was that on top of that the Uber Arena opened the doors too late to begin with and that itself would have been a cause for the delay. The security issue naturally compounded it.
After 27 minutes of waiting, and me doing on site news reports which just isn’t the norm, the Euroleague Final Four finally got underway. For about 90 seconds, both sides were nervy. Then Panathinaikos stopped being nervy. Fenerbahce didn’t and the Greens ran out to a 12-0 start.
Fener finally settled to ensure things did get beyond silly. The last thing anyone wants from the opener at the Euroleague Final Four is a laugher, unless it’s your team winning handily. Not that PAO were cooling off all that much. Hyper aggression on the glass at both ends proved useful.
Kendrick Nunn keeps it rolling
A missed three for Fenerbahce that would have cut the gap all the way back to 1 early in the second quarter was punished immediately. Kendrick Nunn is a man who lets you know when he is cooking. Alone on right of the arc. Boom and the pose after. A 7 point lead for Panathinaikos.
With Juancho Hernangomez going big from deep soon after, Ergin Ataman was getting the exact type of game he wanted to start the Euroleague Final Four. Fenerbahce had to do all the running. It was them getting tired and pushing hard. PAO simply took the punches calmly and reacted when the moment suited.
But Fener stay in there
There was one play that felt crucial to this game staying competitive. Marko Guduric had a steal and score late in the second quarter. It came after what looked like two fouls by Fenerbahce that weren’t called.
It gave the men in yellow some rhythm. That was enough to rally and do so hard. At the half they only trailed 38-36. Still, they had been the ones forced to exhaust themselves more. What they had in the tank after the break was going to be decisive.
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Getting into grind mode
Nigel Hayes Davis did the heavy lifting for Fenerbahce offensively in the first half. Upon the resumption, Sarunas Jasikevicius opted to take a far more deliberate approach to the game’s tempo. It wasn’t exactly a great one for neutral viewers of Euroleague but this situation is all about survival.
With Ergin Ataman going 9 deep in his rotation, Panathinaikos had the fresher group to work with. Jasikevicius had essentially gone with a 7 man approach, and his side were the ones doing all the work up to then.
Saras got what he wanted as this became a really slow game. Sexy basketball it was not but it was what Fener needed. Eventually, after what felt like the longest 6 minutes of basketball in history, a Tyler Dorsey three cut the gap to the minimum.
It was all going to plan for Saras until right at the end of the frame. Panathinaikos, frustrated throughout the whole of the quarter, finally got the break they needed. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, who’d only spent 2 mintues on the floor, nailed a corner three with his first shot of the game. A two possession lead felt big at this point as PAO led 56-50 going into the fourth.
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Fitter, happier
Ergin Ataman didn’t blink. He went with rest for his key men to start the fourth. Fenerbahce couldn’t exploit it. Then came the cavalry. Nunn and Kostas Sloukas returned first before Mathias Lessort and Dinos Mitoglu ended their breaks.
It was time to put the hurt on and the lead quickly stretched to double digits. The more tired Fener players slipped more. Where PAO could afford calm, Fenerbahce had to gamble. That led to turnovers and fouls. It was bonus territory for Panathinaikos with more than half the quarter left.
It had proven to be a strategically brilliant display from the Greens. While not a most thrilling of victories, it was still professionally executed. A Nunn and one situation finally made the Panathinaikos fans realise what Ataman seemed to know for the prior 15 minutes of real time. PAO were going to win and advance to the Euroleague title game.
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