Panathinaikos AKTOR thundered in Milan: Well done

Last week, Panathinaikos AKTOR devilishly opened a small wound by destroying Istanbul’s chance – the game against Real Madrid is a different story.

Since the program stated that there would then be three exams outside of OAKA, the level of difficulty was actually very high. And yet Panathinaikos AKTOR reacted appropriately. The “yet” is not a criticism of this team’s talent (there is plenty of that), but rather of how they handled the games before them. In a naive and problematic way in the finale.

However, this time (or if you prefer, this time) he was very different. Like day and night. Cynical, efficient, determined and tough. Competitively and mentally. He went to the LDLC Arena and did the obvious, turning around a… lost game at the Salle Gaston Medecin and a few days later simply swept Armani Milano at the Mediolanum Forum.

The common denominator? Kendrick Nunn!

The 28-year-old guard, who landed in Athens after the season began, proved why the EuroLeague’s big bucks wanted him all summer long. He found his time and his role (perhaps sooner than many expected) and… tied the knot.

The many safe hands

The good thing about Panathinaikos AKTOR is that he has many safe hands to defuse the situation when things get difficult. Jerian Grant provided error-free basketball, Kostas Slukas forced Armani Milano’s small and big boys into back-to-back pick-and-rolls, while Kendrick Nunn went into his – personal – favorite phases, confusing everyone he found in front of him.

After all, isn’t this the importance of the entire district that Ergin Ataman has this year? Feel the necessary security and – why not – finish the big games with three short ones. Ultimately, they decide, the ones who determine the course of the games.

Defense at (the right) level

Of course, none of what we’re discussing would have happened without the great (individual and group) defense feature. Unlike what happened against Monaco (there the data was more demanding), Panathinaikos’ AKTOR players were really good at the back of the floor. With the exception of two or three minutes that were relaxing, they did their job well.

The intensity they showed in the fourth quarter, the defensive rebounds they secured (note: they only missed one all season) and the constant presence of a hand on the ball to… disrupt the execution , made the difference. And accordingly, they filled those present with confidence, so that they felt calmer in the attack and did not lose the lead until the end.

MVP and the unsung heroes

If he hadn’t been injured, Matias Lessor might have won the MVP title thanks to the numerous duels he won against the big men of Armani Milano. But no one can deny that Kendrick Nunn (who scored seven points in the final) was the most valuable player of the night.

Of course, this doesn’t negate something else: the presence of many unsung heroes. From Jerian Grant, who was frugal on offense (10 points on 4/8 shooting) and impressive on defense. From Kostas Sloukas (9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists), who played the best game of his green career. Juancho Hernangomet (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists in 16’42”), who proved valuable and reminded everyone how much he was missed in the last month and a half.

Read the program

Somehow, Panathinaikos AKTOR turned the difficult schedule of three games in a row (Villerban, Monaco, Armani Milano) into the fuel he needed to regain his confidence. And it turns out that (every) program is not inherently easy or difficult, but the results make it so.

That’s why an OAKA victory over Red Star in six nights (Thursday, December 28, 9:15 p.m.) can further define the character of this week before a ten-day period that includes four (!) games in the EuroLeague.

With the first games in Spain against Valencia and Baskonia.