Maccabi TA loses Euroleague final
Israeli basketball team fails to win its first European titles in six years as it is beaten by Greek giant Panathinaikos 78-70
Panathinaikos used a strong third quarter to build a double-digit lead and then withstood a late run from the Israeli team in the fourth.
"I think we played well and all that matters is that we managed to win it in the end," Diamantidis said. "This is why you practice hard and why you play basketball."
Maccabi's Schortsanitis in action (Photo: Oz Mualem)
Former Arizona State center Mike Batiste scored 18 points for Panathinaikos, and guard Drew Nicholas added 14.
It is Panathinaikos' third title in five years and puts it level with CSKA Moscow in second place on the all-time list behind Real Madrid's eight continental crowns. It was coach Zeljko Obradovic's eighth European title and fourth with Panathinaikos.
Shooting guard Chuck Eidson led Maccabi with 17 points.
"I am really happy especially for this European championship because we worked so hard for it," said Batiste, who also won the title with the Greek powerhouse in 2007 and '09. "In the last two we were kind of expected to win, but not this one. We worked really hard all season for this."
Panathinaikos ousted defending champion Barcelona in the quarterfinals and Montepaschi Siena in Friday's semifinal.
Maccabi fans in Barcelona (Photo: Oz Mualem)
Panathinaikos used a physical inside game to hold Maccabi center Sofoklis Schortsanitis scoreless in the first half. The Israeli club was still within just three points at halftime after making six 3-pointers, but its outside shooting faltered in the second half when it made just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc as Panathinaikos pulled away.
Schortsianitis drew two quick fouls and had to go to the bench just five minutes into the game. Maccabi missed its first eight shots from two-point range, while Batiste came off the bench to score seven points as Panathinaikos closed the first quarter with an 11-2 run to go up 20-15.
"They were tough with (Schortsanitis). He got into foul trouble early and that hurt him and hurt us," Maccabi coach David Blatt said.
Panathinaikos outscored Maccabi 24-4 in the paint in the first half, but a pair of late 3-pointers from David Blu brought the Israeli team to within 33-30 at halftime.
Game moved up because of Memorial Day
Maccabi grabbed a one-point lead after the break with four quick points from point guard Jeremy Pargo. But Eidson and Schortsanitis picked up their third fouls shortly thereafter and forward Romain Sato hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push Panathinaikos to a seven-point lead at 43-36.
Panathinaikos got its first double-digit lead at 51-40 when Antonis Fotsis drove for a two-handed dunk late in the third, and the Greek club was up by 14 after Diamantidis made a pair of free throws early in the fourth period.
But Lior Eliyahu scored five quick points to pull Maccabi to within five with 1:20 to play, before Diamantidis found Batiste inside for a layup and then sealed the win from the foul line as thousands of green-clad Panathinaikos fans began to celebrate the championship.
Diamantidis, who was named the regular-season MVP and defender of the year for the sixth time, also won the award for MVP of the Final Four. The Greek guard joined Toni Kukoc (4) and Dejan Bodiroga (2) as the only players to win multiple Final Four MVP awards.
"A lot of good things happened to me this weekend but this is the best one _ winning the Euroleague title," said Diamantidis, who won the championship for the third time with the Greens. "Every trophy you win is great."
The tip-off of the game was moved up several hours to accommodate fans in Israel, which marked its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers on Sunday. Memorial Day is one of the most somber on Israel's calendar, and the country largely comes to a standstill after sundown with restaurants closed and TV stations devoting their programming to documentaries about the country's war heroes and terror victims.
Maccabi officials had repeatedly said the team would not play while Israel paid its respects to its fallen soldiers.
More than 5,000 Maccabi fans traveled with the team to Barcelona, making up a sea of yellow shirts and flags across half the stands.
Earlier, Montepaschi beat Real Madrid 80-62 to claim third place.
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