By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus face off on Friday at OAKA in Round 16 of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and this is not a simple game.
Derby (the) excl. noun: a sports contest of decisive importance between teams of approximately the same capacity.
In the Greek case between Olympiacos, which hails from the port town of Piraeus, and Panathinaikos from the Greek capital of Athens, this is not just a regular derby.
It’s called the “Derby of the Eternal Enemies” since the two clubs are eternal rivals in every possible sport and things are always interesting when they meet. This is going to be the 22nd game between them at the EuroLeague level. Panathinaikos boasts a 5-4 record at home and Olympiacos has an overall advantage of 14-7. All signs point to things being hot once again.
Eurohoops has chosen the top five Greek derbies at the home of Panathinaikos, a series of games that really measures up to the hype.
Panathinaikos 49-69 Olympiacos, Game 1, Quarterfinals 1996-97
The Greek derby was starting to become a habit in the EuroLeague, as were the victories for Olympiacos. The Reds were the winners of the 1994 Final Four semifinal in Tel Aviv, 77-72, and the winner of the 1995 Final Four semifinal in Zaragoza, 58-52, but ultimately they didn’t get the trophy.
The victory over Panathinaikos in the first quarterfinal at OAKA paved the way for Olympiacos’s return to the Final Four in 1997 in Rome and the conquest of the trophy at last with a 73-58 triumph over Barcelona. Panathinaikos had the home-court advantage, but Olympiacos qualified with two wins. David Rivers with 17 points and Dragan Tarlac with 16 were the top scorers for the winning side, while Fragkiskos Alvertis scored 12 for the hosts.