Green chameleon and winter blubber

So, Panathinaikos committed the long-awaited shot, saving it for other shots that were clearly more violent and might even turn out to be the truth serum!

These others will find him first in Belgrade (Partizan), then in Istanbul (Efes) and then back in OACA against so-far unspoiled champions Real Madrid, while he will play three successive away matches in Lyon, Monaco and Milan.

Cardamom and fat For cold nights

Why am I listing upcoming matches?

But simply to make it clear that the framework he completed tonight (Alba, Zalgiris, Virtus, Valencia) is very important and useful: it becomes the material necessary to strengthen his momentum even further, enhances it from every point of view, and enhances his self-confidence. , forever fixing him in the top eight, keeping him in the top five, and even getting fat on cold winter nights!

Incidentally, also at this time last year, in the days of Dejan Radonjic, Panathinaikos once again achieved four consecutive victories (Virtus, Vilerbahn, Zalgiris, Armani Milano), a streak that had been “broken” by sheer chance. Valencia and then hellfire!

Value Added Both styles

Even if we consider that Valencia is not completely outdated, the dominance of the 16 European champions gains added value not only because of the result, but also because it was achieved in a double way…

The style was different in each half, highlighting their versatility, but above all, their ability to select efficiently and make the right and important decisions on a case-by-case basis.

This is also a certain talent, that’s for sure.

Navarone defender And the painted vault

In the first half, and already from the first seconds, the Greens presented a new basketball version of “The Cannons of Navarone”, where they started with 4/.4 three-pointers, and in 13 minutes they showed 9/12 and went to the goal. Locker room with 10/20.

And when they returned to the field, they did it for… Alex Mobrough!

During the break, the Valencia coach said:What we need to do is lower our three-point percentages and productivity“And his wish was fulfilled: until 33^the Per minute, Panathinaikos had 0/6 three-pointers, but despite their temporary slackness from the outside, the lead increased from +18 (36-18) to 30 (58-38).

If anyone up to that point could have accused the hosts of one-dimensional basketball, gambling and not wanting to put their bodies, pushing and shoving in the paint, they certainly would have received a convincing rebuttal!

celtics and bucks, Belt and Shakespeare

A Celtics-style slump ensued, and it looks like a shamrock!

Last night in Boston, the Bucks came back from -21 but remained inactive, while Valencia tonight with a partial score of 13-3 reduced the gap to -9 and when the bell rang Panathinaikos recovered, regrouped and left the visitors in the dust.

Clearly the Mowbro area defense played a part, perhaps the inner confidence of victory that usually brings relaxation and comfort, but as William Shakespeare wrote, “Finally good, all good».

In this case, all is well, all is well!

Just as they say in Ergin Ataman’s homeland.

Once again, here in Greece we have the proverbial expression “A good boy knows another way“, the meaning of which Panathinaikos respected, so they changed the violin in the second half.

The two techniques and prizes

In addition, and also something of a chameleon (in terms of the ability to adapt to changing conditions), the Greens also took home several other awards tonight.

The victory was a combination of the two styles, had several “fathers” (I mean players who play champions, without any of them blowing the bank and setting career highs), and, among other things, gave Panathinaikos four separate titles. honor.

What are they talking about?

• First, he crushed the best defense in the Euroleague (which, by the way, held Real Madrid to 76 points and Barcelona to 74 points in Devil Week).

• Second, he made 12/29 three-pointers, shooting 41.4% against a team that shot 30% of their opponents.

the essence, show time And sweat behavior

• Thirdly, he combined creativity and execution, high productivity and defensive efficiency, a lot of assists (19) with few turnovers (10), and the targeted dismantling of Chris Jones (last year’s executioner) by Jerrian Grant, while imposing his own rhythm, libido. One of the powerful peripherals for racket players. Substance with spectacle, impact with illusions, and realism with running time.

• Fourth, the participatory democracy (SIC) of his game made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to choose the best player, a title which I think, according to the logic of primusinterpares, Kostas Slokas deserves: he stepped on the gas from the beginning (given that he was the perpetrator of the physical attack And moral for the first 13 points), he was drenched in sweat from the fourth minute, achieved a double-double (12 points, 9 assists) and became the guarantor of order and… legitimacy when Valencia searched.

You don’t say all this lightly, nor with disdain.

At the end of the day, Panathinaikos sipped the nectar of victory, kept its clean sheet for the fourth time in a row, and had the upper hand forever – and judging by the reactions of its players during the match and the interaction with the crowd – it shows that it is a happy group that has emerged from the tunnel of isolation and (as I mentioned in my introduction ) Prepare for what is to come.