Basket League starts, without Olympiakos, but with plenty of action

The new Basket League season opened last weekend with the absence of Olympiakos for the first time in the Greek sport's history, and with a rare Thessaloniki derby reminiscent of the Aris vs PAOK classic clashes of the 1980s.

Olympiakos abandoned the Basket League in protest last spring and is about to field a team in the A2 division, while keeping its Euroleague business as usual. This makes Panathinaikos the huge favorite for another title, and the Greens confirmed that with an 89-68 sweep of AEK on Saturday at the Olympic Sports Hall.

Aris earned bragging rights in Thessaloniki after beating a stubborn PAOK 85-82 in overtime on Sunday, having Lefteris Bochoridis as its star, and the Most Valuable Player of the weekend for the Basket League.

In another court where the stands were filled to capacity, Ifaistos Limnou defeated Rethymno 66-50 with a record...