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.
Panathinaikos 66-62 Olympiacos, EuroLeague Top 16 Round 7, 2013-14
It was a low-scoring affair, but it had everything: Passion, tension, and a dramatic finale. With 3 free throws by Dimitris Diamantidis to make it 62-61 with 46.8 seconds remaining and another by James Gist for a 63-61 edge with 21.4 on the clock, Panathinaikos had a crucial lead, but Olympiacos had the opportunity to turn the tide.
Unfortunately for the Reds and fortunately for Panathinaikos, Matt Lojeski missed a shot from mid-range with 5 seconds left. The Greens secured their lead with more free throws. Stephan Lasme with 18 points and Roko Leni Ukic with 14 were the leading scorers for Panathinaikos, while Stratos Perperoglou scored 12 for Olympiacos.
Panathinaikos 77-79 Olympiacos, Round 8, 2016-17 season
There is no better way for a player to end a game than with a game-winning shot. Georgios Printezis knows this as the man of the match in the 2012 EuroLeague Championship Game in Istanbul. His CV also includes winning in a similar way a derby against Panathinaikos at OAKA.
It may have been early in the regular season with both teams having a 4-3 record, however, no game between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos is “regular”. The hosts were focused on stopping Vassilis Spanoulis and he passed at the right time to Printezis, who made the layup off the glass and also got the call and sank a well-aimed complementary free throw to lead 77-79. All this with only 3 seconds left on the clock. A three-pointer by Antonis Fotsis at the buzzer for the hosts didn’t go in.
Nick Calathes had 16 points for Panathinaikos and Chris Singleton and KC Rivers scored 14 each, while Spanoulis (22) and Printezis (16) were the leaders for Olympiacos, still in its heyday.