Basketball
Final Four, Greek Cup: Crete gives basketball opportunity for its own turbulence
The cup is an important title for both Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. But it’s even more important for Greek basketball to start its own riot here in Crete. Spyros Kavalieratos writes.
The truth is, big words don’t always work well. So without being able to know the result of the Final Four, it’s clear that something good is happening here in Heraklion. Both organizationally and competitively.
But on Sunday (February 20, 5 p.m., ERT3, Match Center at Sportish) everything will be counted. The winner gets everything and the loser will not be able to smile. It has to do with Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, who had very comfortable first three days of the tournament, but if they don’t win the final, the return journey will be bitter. No matter how much progress has been made in the mentality of the two eternals and in Greek basketball in general, victory is the difference between success and failure. There is one wedding in Heraklion, not four.
The same applies to the federal government. The atmosphere has been festive so far, from Thursday to Saturday everything went exactly as it should and the weather permits. We are still living in a time of pandemic, the stadium cannot be full, the slogans and the voices of the fans are clearly missing, but it is not possible to change everything in one day.
Steps have been taken, Heraklion has finally entered the basketball rhythm thanks to 3on3, in short it has become a very good start. Anyone who plays basketball in Greece knows that there is a lot of room for improvement, but let’s wait for when our life gets back to normal. At the moment it’s not about spoiling the scene on the last day, because the last impression always remains and Olympiakos – Panathinaikos obviously have the edge. This is the greatest sporting rivalry that Greece has.
So everything seems to be going well for now. The basketball “chaos” is afoot with a mediator between the EEC and Crete itself with its mentality, but as locals well know, a spark can burn it all and reopen the vendetta. As there are many in Greece who invest in hostilities and vendettas and will always do everything in their power to create tension.
Not that Panathinaikos OPAP and Olympiakos will stop being opponents, but there are limits to everything. It’s different to ask for victory, to celebrate the trophy, the title, dominance on the floor. It’s another thing to want to humiliate your opponent, stand back and kill them. Greek sport has been searching for those boundaries for years, and Greek basketball has its own chance to lead the way.
Finally, the good news comes from the mentality of team administrations, especially the eternal ones. Everyone is looking to the future, not looking back, and doesn’t want to miss the opportunity. Anyone who has a gun and wants to shoot the other knows that death will find them all in the end. That’s why the longing for victory and cup on Sunday afternoon in the 47th Greek Cup final is great, the title is very important for both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos, but above all the next day is important.
Only one will celebrate, only one will return with the beautiful trophy, but the most important thing is the basketball ruck. That is why Crete seems to be the right place at the right time.
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
Star player of Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic Against the background of the embarrassing defeat of Houston Rockets (96:119), he explained what the team had to change to improve the results:
“I don’t know exactly what needs to change, but something definitely needs to change. We need to figure it out, that’s what we need to do. Everyone should discuss it.”
I know JJ Redick said it would be disturbing. And that’s the way it should be.
As I said, we need to discuss this. It may be uncomfortable, but everyone needs to try harder, starting with me.
We just have to challenge each other. Everyone should challenge themselves and their teammates. “There’s no way to play the way we play, so we’ve got to be better than that.”
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On the night of December 25-26, as part of the Christmas games of the NBA regular season, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 142:128.
Nuggets’ point guard Jamal Murray played with 35 points (2/3 free throws, 3/14 two-pointers, 9/18 three-pointers) and 10 assists in this game.
The Canadian player broke the record for the most accurate three-pointers in a match by making 9 three-pointers in the Minnesota hoop. Thus, he surpassed the record of 8 three-pointers each of Stephen Curry (2024), Grayson Allen (2023), Luka Doncic (2023) and Patty Mills (2021).
Murray also became the third player in NBA Christmas history to score 35+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ 3-pointers, joining Luka Doncic and Tracy McGrady.
JAMAL MURRAY brought the heat to CHRISTMAS DAY!
🔥35 POINTS
🔥10 AST
🔥 9 15:00 (most in Christmas Day matches)He joins Luka Dončić and Tracy McGrady only in the 35-PT, 10-AST, 5-3PM matches. #NBAXmas history. pic.twitter.com/LithevHmF5
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2025
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On the evening of December 25 and the night of December 26, five Christmas games were traditionally held as part of the NBA regular season.
The most important match of the match day was played in Oklahoma, where the Thunder hosted San Antonio.
The home team started the game better and were ahead for most of the first quarter, but they missed a move 0:11 into the quarter, allowing Spurs to take the lead 41:36. Oklahoma was unable to take the lead after that, but San Antonio maintained its lead by keeping the game under control and eventually won 117-102.
The Spurs have won all three games against the Thunder this season, while Oklahoma has lost just two of the other 28 games.
The most productive player of the match was Fox, who brought 29 points to San Antonio, while Vembanyama also scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers played Houston at home and suffered a crushing defeat.
The fate of the match was decided in the first quarter, when the Rockets won by 12 points (25:37). Afterwards, they increased their advantage by completely controlling the course of the match and eventually won with a score of 119:96.
For Houston, Thompson scored 26 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Denver and Minnesota closed out game day.
The first half of the match ended in a draw. Neither team managed to take a lead of more than 9 points, and Denver entered the big break with a 2-point lead at 57:55. In the third quarter, the Nuggets made an attack of 6:0 at the beginning and 10:2 in the middle, reaching a 16-point lead, and at the end of the quarter they were ahead +15 – 90:78. The Timberwolves did not give up and made a 16:2 move midway through the fourth quarter, reaching a lead of 107:108. This gave fans a tense ending; Edwards hit a three-pointer 2 seconds before the siren, sending the game into overtime at 115:115. And there Jokic played a decisive role and scored 18 points in 5 minutes, allowing the Nuggets to win 142:138.
Jokic scored 56 points in the NBA on Christmas Day, falling just four shy of Bernard King’s record. Nikola also recorded a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray had a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists.
NBA. Regular season. Christmas Day, 25-26 December
New York – Cleveland – 126:124 (23:38, 37:20, 24:38, 42:28)
New York: Brunson (34), Hart (15), Bridges (12), Towns (11 + 14 rebounds), Anunoby (8) – start; Clarkson (25), Kolek (16 + 9 assists), Diawara (5), Hookporty (0), Robinson (0 + 12 rebounds).
cleveland: Mitchell (34 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Garland (20 + 10 assists), Merrill (11), Allen (7 + 9 rebounds), Wade (6) – start; Tyson (16), E. Mobley (14 + 9 rebounds), Hunter (13), Bryant (3), Ball (0).
Oklahoma – San Antonio – 102:117 (36:41, 24:28, 19:26, 23:22)
Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (22), Hartenstein (13 + 12 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (12 + 6 assists), Holmgren (10 + 12 rebounds), Dort (8) – start; Caruso (12), K. Williams (8), Wiggins (5), Joe (5), Wallace (5), Carlson (2), Barnhizer (0), Youngblood (0).
San Antonio: Fox (29), Castle (19 + 7 assists), Barnes (15), Cornet (6), Vassell (5) – start; Vembanyama (19 + 11 rebounds), Harper (12), K. Johnson (9 + 7 rebounds), McLaughlin (3), Sohan (0), Shempeni (0), Brian (0), Olynyk (0), Waters (0).
Golden State – Dallas – 126:116 (40:28, 31:30, 29:31, 26:27)
Golden State: Curry (23), Butler (14 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Moody (12), Dr. Green (7), Post (6) – start; Melton (16), Horford (14), Podziemski (13 + 8 rebounds), Jackson-Davis (10), Payton II (6), Richard (5).
dallas: Flagg (27), Marshall (14), Washington (14 + 10 rebounds), Nembhard (4), Davis (3) – starter; Williams (26), Christie (13), Thompson (7), Gafford (6), Caleb Martin (2).
Lakers-Houston-96:119 (25:37, 28:26, 21:29, 22:27)
Lakers: Doncic (25 + 7 assists + 6 turnovers), James (18), Reeves (12), Ayton (10), Hachimura (0) – start; Vanderbilt (11), Smart (6), Larevia (5), James Jr. (3), Thiero (2), Knecht (2), Kleber (2).
Houston: Thompson (26 + 7 rebounds), Durant (25 + 9 assists), Smith (16 + 7 rebounds), Shengyun (14 + 12 rebounds + 6 turnovers), Eason (13) – start; Sheppard (13), Capela (6), Adams (4 + 9 rebounds), Tate (2), A. Holiday (0), Davison (0), Green (0), Okogie (0), Finney-Smith (0).
Denver – Minnesota – 142:138 (STARTING 32:29, 25:26, 35:23, 23:37, 27:23)
Denver: Jokic (56 + 16 rebounds + 15 assists + 5 turnovers), J. Murray (35 + 10 assists), Hardaway (19), Jones (12 + 9 rebounds), Watson (9) – start; B. Brown (7), Nnaji (2), Valanciunas (2), Strother (0).
Minnesota: Edwards (44 + 6 turnovers), Randle (32 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), McDaniels (21), Gobert (9 + 12 rebounds + 6 blocks), DiVincenzo (6 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists) – start; Reed (13), Hyland (11), Clark (2), Juzeng (0), Conley (0), Shannon (0).
tournament tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
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