One of the most successful teams in European basketball history, Panathinaikos BC, the Athens (Greece) based club, won their sixth Euroleague title, defeating Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv of Israel 78-70 in the final of Europe's most prestigious basketball trophy on May 8th at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.This was their third title in the last five years.
Panathinaikos were always the favourite going into this match-up, and they didn't disappoint. Versatile guard/forward Dimitris Diamantidis, who was named as MVP of the Euroleague Final Four, scored 16 points and dished out nine assists. Mike Batiste added 18 points. Legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic won his eighth Euroleague ring, the last five of which have come with Panathinaikos. With six titles, Panathinaikos now trail behind only Real Madrid who have won eight Euroleague championships.
Earlier, Panathinaikos had defeated Italy's Montepaschi Siena to enter the final, while Maccabi head got a big win over Spain's Real Madrid in their semi-final clash. Montepaschi won the third-place match-up, beating Madrid 80-62. The Greek international Diamantidis was also named the MVP of the entire Euroleague Season as well as the best defender. Igor Rakočević of Efes Pilsen (Turkey) was the leading scorer of the season and Nikola Mirotic of Real Madrid was named the season's rising star.
It was a show of pure dominance because Panathinaikos had been consistent all season long. Even though Maccabi is one of the best teams in the league, they were still unable to hold down the Green's charge. Contrarily, they were limited in offense despite establishing the best league average when it comes to offensive scoring in the season!
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