Olympiacos ties finals series against Panathinaikos

If the opening two games of the Greek championships finals series have shown us it is that Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos are equals, and that home court advantage means nothing. Panathinaikos snatched two point 81-83 win in Piraeus during Game 1, but Olympiacos returned the favour in Game 2 with a two point 66-68 success.

The two giants of Greek basketball are ferocious rivals, but this season when both are arguably shy of their classic best, the finals series is completely up for grabs.

Of course, there is a lot more than pride at stake. Olympiacos is the defending champ and will be desperate to hold onto its title and add 12th success to its honours list. Panathinaikos on the other hand is the undisputed dominant club in Greek hoops history with 34 titles, The Greens will be looking to extend that record.

Panathinaikos Athens vs. Olympiacos Piraeus, 66-68

The game started close, with both teams testing the proverbial waters around the bucket, with Panathinaikos setting the early pace to lead 14-11 through ten minutes. Olympiacos found a more consistent scoring vein in the second quarter and exploited it for a 17-21 run that made it 31-32 through the long break. There was just a single point in it, but the visitors extended in the third act with a 15-18 run that made it 46-50 through thirty minutes. The hosts rallied in the fourth quarter, managing to win the frame, but Olympiacos held on in the closing seconds to see out a series tying victory.

Girogios Printezis stood out in the game, scoring a game high 20 points for Olympiacos and almost doubling up with 9 rebounds. Vassilis Spanoulis followed with 11 points and 5 boards in the win.

Nikkos Pappas was the solo double digit scorer for Panathinaikos as he secured 11 points.