By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Just four days after the miracle of Istanbul, Greek basketball enters again the suffocating cloud of misery that engulfs a whole country. Economic depression and violence go hand in hand and if you add to the mix the Greek “eternal rivalry” between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
The first playoffs final of the Greek League, scheduled to start on Thursday 17 of May at 22.00 local time, was officially postponed without even having a chance to start. Two hours before the tip off five unknown persons – you can bet that they were not fans of Panathinaikos – threw two stones at the bus of the Greens on its way to Olympiacos’ gym. Two windows were broken and two Panathinaikos players, Steve Smith and Stratos Perperoglou, were injured.
The two unlucky players were rushed to the hospital, their injuries are not severe and Panathinaikos reached the gym of Olympiacos (SEF) by the time that state officials, police and the Greek league had decided to postpone the game. The exact same thing has happened before, in 2002. Now the circumstances are different, on Friday the state officials, the teams, the league and the police will meet and there are three scenarios.
The finals will be held sometime in the following days without spectators, something that should be unthinkable in any professional sport, but it’s common ground in Greece. The second scenario is that the spectators will be only school kids, in order to produce a “happy” atmosphere. And there is also the third doomsday scenario. Due to the political and economical state of the country, some people are thinking that maybe there should not be any games and not a Greek champion this year.