By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
For the 11th time in the last 12 years – the only exception since 2004 was 2011 – CSKA Moscow got the ticket to the Euroleague Final Four by beating Panathinaikos (74-55) at OAKA and winning the playoffs series 3-1.
Panathinaikos managed to stay close in the first half, trailing by five points (37-32). However in the third period the situation changed. CSKA got a 58-41 lead and the game was out of reach for the Greens. The biggest lead of the guests was 21 points (74-53) just before the end of the game. Nando De Colo with 18 points was the leading scorer of the winners, Andrei Kirilenko had a double double (13 p., 10 r.) and Kyle Hines added 12 crucial points.
Panathinaikos tried its best against one of the big favorites to win the title, but even a full OAKA couldn’t push the players of coach Ivanovic to the tie as they shot just 4/21 threes. Still the fans gave a standing ovation for their team at the end of its Euroleague season.