Panathinaikos – Armani Milano 64-77: Had strength and good percentages for three seasons

Unlike in the friendly against Anadolu Efes, Panathinaikos wasn’t as effective in attack against Armani Milano. And that made all the difference in the end. Ettore Messina’s team beat Dejan Radonic’s team (77-64) in the OAKA to win the title in the fourth edition of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos.

The Greens have learned many lessons over the past two days (especially in the final of the friendly tournament) as it is a team with many new faces, but they know that in a week’s time they will win the first trophy of the season – that of the Supercup in Rhodes.

Of course, one is waiting for both Marius Grigonis and Mateus Ponitka (he was with OAKA) to be included in the training sessions and then in the rotation to significantly expand Dejan Radonić’s possibilities.

Also, during the half-time break, KAE Panathinaikos honored the firefighters for the self-sacrifice and self-denial they show in carrying out their duties to protect the life and property of citizens and the environment. In this regard, the President of KAE Panathinaikos, Vassilis Parthenopoulos, presented a commemorative plaque to the Chief of the Fire Brigade, Lt. Gen. Alexios Rapanos.

The race

Panathinaikos tried to control the pace in the opening minutes, with Nate Walters playing a dominant role. However, despite the many absences, Armani Milano has been more consistent on both sides of the floor. The guests took a slight lead in the first few minutes (12:15 in the 8th minute), but by the end of the first period they had wings, Arturas Gudaitis almost breathed his last breath to give the Greens the lead (20:00). 18 at 10′).

Dejan Radonić restricted rotation compared to the first friendly at ‘Pavlos Giannakopoulos’ (an example he now wanted to better prepare for the Super Cup), with the derby continuing and the low pace being the rule of the friendly.

The good last two minutes were enough for the Reds to put them in the lead at the break by a good margin (33:40 at 20′), Ettore Messina seeing Tommaso Baldasso deliver much more than usual (8 points).

In the second half, the pace of the game slowed down significantly, with the players of the teams expending more energy in defense than in attack. This affected the quality of the friendly, with Armani Milano still maintaining the lead. Even if it’s small.

With Billy Barron now in action, the visitors were at +6 (45-51 at 27′) and widening the gap a bit early in the fourth period. +10 (53-63 at 32′) was the best Ettore Messina’s team had shown so far, while Dejan Radonic – through successive changes – tried to find viable form to chase the excitement.

But as long as the rim shots landed on the irons, it was impossible for Panathinaikos to collect or reverse the Italian lead. On the contrary, Armani Milano was much more substantial (mainly near the basket) and kept the safe distance to easily go to victory – a title for “Pavlos Giannakopoulos”.

THE DECADES: 20-18, 33-40, 53-58, 64-77.

PANATHINAICOS (Randonics): Panagiotis Kalaitzakis 3 (1), Walters 10 (), Lee 7 (1/6 threes), Papagiannis 7 (5 rebounds), Bohorides 8 (2), Williams 7, Andrews 9 (1), Giorgos Kalaitzakis 2 (1/6 shots), Mandzoukas 4 (2/2 2-pointers, 3 rebounds), Gudaitis 7 (1/3 2-pointers, 5/5 shots).

ARMANI MILAN (Messina): Davis 20 (5/6 2-pointers, 10/10 shots, 3 rebounds), Thomas 8 (1), Mitrou-Long 9 (1 3-pointers, 5 turnovers), Meli 6 (5 rebounds, 6 Assists), Baron 12 (2), Ritchie 2, Billiga, Hall 5 (1), Baldasso 10 (2), Alviti, Hines.

Panathinaikos team statistics: 14/32 2-pointers, 6/19 3-pointers, 18/22 shots, 23 rebounds (18 defense + 5 offense), 9 assists, 12 turnovers, 7 steals, 2 blocks.

Armani Milano team statistics: 19/32 2-pointers, 7/16 3-pointers, 18/22 shots, 32 rebounds (26 defense + 6 offense), 17 fouls, 14 turnovers, 5 steals, 3 blocks.