Greek basketball is in Final Four mode just hours before Friday’s opening tip-off at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are set to face Fenerbahce and Monaco, respectively, in the EuroLeague semifinals.
Panathinaikos will play at 6 p.m. Greek time, followed by Olympiacos at 9 p.m.
The odds of the two Greek teams meeting in the final for the first time ever are high, as both are considered favorites to win their respective games.
Thousands of Greek fans have already arrived in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with local authorities reportedly expecting up to 6,000 in total.
Panathinaikos, Olympiacos coaches in a joint press conference
On Thursday, the coaches of the four teams held a joint press conference.
Panathinaikos’ coach Ergin Ataman praised Fenerbahçe and acknowledged Olympiacos’ psychological advantage from finishing first in the regular season. Still, he said, Panathinaikos is full of confidence and determined to defend its title.
“We are here to defend our title that we won last year,” he said. “I’m sure that my team is ready to fight, ready to win, and I’m sure we will win one more EuroLeague title, like last year,” he added.
Panathinaikos is the reigning champion. With the expectation and goal of repeating their climb to the throne, the Greens showed on occasions during the regular season how dominant and seemingly unbeatable they can be.
However, what made Panathinaikos great is its fair share of bumps and obstacles along the way, which it managed to overcome to get to Abu Dhabi.
Coach Ergin Ataman’s squad, with every single important piece of the championship team returning this season, had a slow start in October and November. They had just eight wins after fifteen rounds to start the season and sat in tenth place in the standings.
Then came a gruesome leg injury to All-EuroLeague center and the team’s main source of energy, Mathias Lessort, to start the 2025 calendar year.
Nonetheless, Panathinaikos safely got to the harbor thanks to EuroLeague MVP Kendrick Nunn taking the reins and putting on display some remarkable performances. Juancho Hernangomez had the best season of his career, while Kostas Sloukas showed up in big games, the best of them being against Friday’s semifinal opponent, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
Winning the EuroLeague trophy is the goal
On the Olympiacos side, Bartzokas emphasized the significance of winning the trophy in what marks the team’s fourth consecutive Final Four appearance.
“Winning the trophy is the target, the goal for everybody here, and for us as well,” said Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas. “Let’s hope we have more luck this year.”
Olympiacos had a fantastic regular season in which the team was incredibly solid, finishing above the rest with a 24-10 record before eliminating Real Madrid in the playoffs.
Alec Peters was the only Olympiacos player to take part in all 38 EuroLeague games this season. Olympiacos comes into the Final Four without severe injury problems—even Keenan Evans, who has not played a EuroLeague game this season, could be available in Abu Dhabi.
Olympiacos has a deep roster that only got better after adding combo guard Saben Lee, an explosive athlete with great energy at both ends. That allows the Reds to play with high intensity on defense, keeping the intensity for all 40 minutes.
Related: The Day Greece Began Its Love Affair With Basketball
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