Panathinaikos is the new king of Europe. Sunday in Berlin, the Greek club won the Euroleague by dominating Real Madrid in the final (95-80), the outgoing champion. The Greek team had not been crowned since 2011. It pocketed its seventh European crown, making it the third most successful team, behind Real (11 times) and CSKA Moscow (9).
However, in the first period, the situation of “Pana” seemed badly off. After 11 minutes of play, the Madrilenians had widened a gap (41-27). But Mathias Lessort and his teammates chose this moment to wake up, and two three-point shots in a row from Jerian Grant then Luca Vildoza allowed them to get back on track (46-45, 17th).
Sloukas strikes for the first time
Real held on for a few more minutes, before handing over in the third quarter (58-56), after a shot from Kendrick Nunn, the former Miami Heat (NBA finalist in 2020) and Los Angeles Lakers . We didn’t know it yet, but Panathinaikos was no longer going to give up the advantage.
With only five minutes left to play, the Athenian team attempted a first knockout. by hitting two long-distance shots in a row, each time by Kostas Sloukas (79-71). But, carried by Sergio Llull and Walter Tavares, Real Madrid still held on (79-76, 35th). However, this was the last time that the reigning European champion was threatening.
17 points pour Lessort
A new three-point shot, this time signed by Konstantinos Mitoglou, definitively crushed the Spanish club (86-76, 37th). Solid on free throws at the end of the match, Mathias Lessort helped Panathinaikos secure their lead. The French player, who arrived in Greece this season, was one of the major players in the European title of “Pana” with 17 points scored.
Second in the regular season, qualified for the quarter-finals after five matches against Maccabi Tel-Aviv and finally the clear winner over Fenerbahçe in the semi-finals, Panathinaikos returned to the European summits. Sloukas was the top scorer of the match with 24 points, helped by Nunn (21 pts), Lessort (17) and Grant (11). On the Real Madrid side, Dzunan Masa was the most prominent (15 pts). Vincent Poirier scored eight points, Guerschon Yabusele, six, and Fabien Causeur, two.
