Panathinaikos Athens defeated Montepaschi Siena in a close semi-final. The Italian team started very well and closed the first quarter with a 21-17 advantage. In the second quarter however Panathinaikos slowly started getting the right pace catching up then going ahead and closing the second quarter with a 40-36 advantage. In the third quarter the Montepaschi tried to keep up but gradually the advantage of the Greek team has increased and the third quarter ended 56-47. In the fourth quarter Panathinaikos has largely relied on its vast experience maintaining the advantage. Diamantidis didn’t score much but his 9 assists show how his made his teammate score. Instead the Italian team playmakers – McCalebb, Zisis and Jaric – have failed to have the same impact. Eventually the Greek team deservedly won with a final 77-69.
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv mostly struggled in the first half of its semi-final against Real Madrid. After a close first quarter ended with the Israeli team leading 14-12 Maccabi was able to successfully start the second quarter taking an 8-point lead but the Spanish team had the energy to fill the gap. The second quarter ended with Maccabi leading 32-29. In the third quarter Real Madrid started struggling to keep its opponents’ pace so the Isreaeli team finished it with a 55-47 lead. In the fourth quarter the Maccabi finally took the game in its hands and the gap has become even punitive for the Spaniards. The 82-63 final doesn’t leave any doubts about the superiority of Maccabi.
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For the record the final for the third and fourth place was won by Montepaschi Siena 80-62. I haven’t watched it, was there anyone actually interested in that game?
In the final for the first and second place both teams start well but in a very physical game we see that Panathinaikos has more experience because it puts a lot of energy both on offense and defense and closes the first quarter with a 22-15 lead. Maccabi raises its level and the second quarter is close. The intensity is great as always happens in these games so the score remains low and the second quarter ends with Panathinaikos leading 33-30. The third quarter is close for several minutes and Maccabi even goes ahead by one point but then the Greek team goes on a 8-0 run. The Israeli team doesn’t surrender but Panathinaikos ends the third quarter with a 54-43 lead. In the fourth quarter Maccabi tries everything to stay in the game. The Greek team is strong and experienced yet commits some unusual errors. The struggle continues until the last minute but in the end Panathinaikos wins 78-70 to conquer another Euroleague with Diamantidis as MVP.
The Euroleague 2010/2011 is over after giving us gave a lot of emotions as usual. In the next season several teams will try to take the title from Panathinaikos: we can expect new intense challenges.
