Panathinaikos AKTOR triumphantly reclaimed the Greek basketball throne after three years, securing the Basket League title and adding it to their Euroleague victory this season. The Greens clinched the championship by defeating Olympiakos in a thrilling Game 5 of the playoff series on Friday.
In an intense battle, Panathinaikos edged out Olympiakos with an 87-82 victory, mirroring the close contest of Game 4. This home win brought the final series to a dramatic 3-2 conclusion in favor of the Greens, ending Olympiakos’ reign after their 2022 and 2023 titles.
Olympiakos started strong, establishing an 11-point lead (13-2 and 15-4). However, Panathinaikos mounted a remarkable comeback, taking their first lead at 34-33 and maintaining their edge for the remainder of the game.
Despite Olympiakos’ efforts to defend their title, reducing a nine-point deficit (75-66) to just one point (81-80), Panathinaikos held firm to secure the win.
The final buzzer sparked wild celebrations as Panathinaikos captured their first league title since 2021, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series.
“We believed; we are a magic team,” said coach Ergin Ataman.
“In the Euroleague, we were 2-1 down [against Maccabi] but came back to win 3-2. Against Olympiakos, we were 2-0 down, and just when nobody else believed we would make it, we did it because we believed.”
Panathinaikos captain Kostas Sloukas, who switched allegiances from the Reds to the Greens last summer, played a crucial role in Friday’s victory, scoring 29 points. Jerian Grant contributed 15 points, and Kendrick Nunn added 13, despite losing two teeth in his efforts. Olympiakos’ top scorers were Alec Peters with 21 points and Kostas Papanikolaou with 18.
