Maccabi in European final

TEL AVIV - Reigning European champion Maccabi Tel Aviv survived some tense moments Friday evening en route to an ultimately convincing 91-82 victory over Greek club Panathinaikos.

Throughout the game, Maccabi was pushed forward by some 5,000 Israeli fans who made the trip to Moscow and made their presence loud and clear.

Maccabi got off to a good start, winning the first

quarter by a 25-18 margin. The Israeli powerhouse opened up a double-digit lead later in the half, but the Greek club fought hard and finished the half down by only eight, 49-41.

The Greeks opened the second half with renewed energy, slowing down the game to a more deliberate pace and at one point taking the lead, 55-54.

Maccabi, however, came back with some tough defense and good shooting by superstar Anthony Parker, who pushed the Israeli side to six-point third quarter lead, 68-62.

'We didn't play well'

The fourth quarter was mostly Maccabi's, which again opened up a double-digit lead and never

looked back until the final whistle.

Despite the win, Maccabi's coach Pini

Gershon was not satisfied with his team's performance.

"We didn't play well," he said in a post-game interview.

Overall, Maccabi's big stars were not at their best, but Derrick Sharp with a huge 20-point night, with the help of strong efforts by Tal Burstein and Maceo Baston, who scored 14 each, lifted the European champs to victory.

Maccabi to play Tau Vitoria in final

In Sunday's final, Maccabi will face the Spanish Tau Vitoria, which shocked heavy favorite CSKA Moscow 85-78 in the second semi-final, preventing the hugely anticipated Maccabi-CSKA showdown.

The well-coached Spanish club got a big night from Lithuanian star Arvydas Macijauskas, who finished with 23 points.

The Spaniards also took advantage of a terrible night by the Russians, who apparently succumbed to the pressure, hitting only 36 percent of their free throws.