Pitino wins first league title in Europe with Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos won its third consecutive and 38th overall league title on Friday, sweeping proud finalist Promitheas Patras with a 111-77 result at the Olympic Sports Hall and a 3-0 score in the best-of-five finals. Having also beaten PAOK in the final in February, the Greens completed yet another domestic double.

This was also the first league title for NCAA legendary coach Rick Pitino on this side of the Atlantic.

The absence of Olympiakos, that has withdrawn from the Basket League in protest and got relegated to the A2 division last month, may have made the finals very predictable, but the affair was particularly entertaining and above all safe, without any fan clashes, riots etc. as in the past.

Games 2 in Patra and 3 in Athens were played in front of sell-out crowds and produced some memorable basketball, even if Panathinaikos was always the favorite and...