Kostas Sloukas

Panathinaikos is returning to the Euroleague Final Four after 12 long years, thanks to its emphatic 81-72 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Athens on Tuesday that saw the Greens win the quarterfinal series 3-2.

Game 5 of this very entertaining playoff tie was pretty much like the first four games, i.e. balanced and hard-fought, with the lead changing hands several times.

Both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are now on a 1-1 score in their Euroleague playoff series, after the Greens defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday and the Reds went down at Barcelona on Friday.

At the Olympic Sports Hall in Athens, Panathinaikos bounced back from its four-point loss on Tuesday to win Game 2 with a 95-79 score.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos have achieved their objectives at the end of the regular season of the Euroleague, as their home wins this week have taken them to the second and fifth spot of the final standings, respectively.

The Greens defeated lowly Alba Berlin 84-75 and finished second only to holder Real Madrid, with 23 wins and 11 defeats after 34 games.

Olympiakos was rewarded for its persistence and defeated visiting Monaco on Thursday, as did Panathinaikos at Valencia on Friday, in a positive end of the week for Greek teams in the Euroleague.

Olympiakos outfoxed Monaco at the end of their game at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus to win 75-73 for its 11th victory in 19 matches.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are back level on the Euroleague table, after Panathinaikos won at Villeurbanne on Thursday and Olympiakos suffered a home reverse to Valencia on Friday.

The Greens defeated Euroleague bottom team Villeurbanne in France with an 89-81 score, to snap their three-game losing streak.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are gradually improving their position on the Euroleague table, thanks also to their wins at the start of another double week.

The Greens edged out visiting Zalgiris Kaunas in Athens with a 73-71 score in a very tight game that the Lithuanians very nearly snatched away from their hosts.

Sergio Llull's basket three seconds from the end broke the Reds' hearts in the Euroleague final at Kaunas, as Real Madrid beat Olympiakos 79-78 on Sunday to win its 11th European crown.

Olympiakos has fulfilled its main ambition of reaching the Euroleague Final Four, after eliminating Fenerbahce on Tuesday, and is now harboring fair hopes of winning the title too.

The Reds defeated their Turkish visitor 84-72 on the night and won the best-of-five playoff series with a 3-2 score.

Olympiakos has brought the playoff series with Fenerbahce back to Piraeus, with the best-of-five quarterfinals tied at 2-2.

The Reds responded to their home loss in game 2 of the series winning Game 3 in Istanbul on Wednesday before losing Game 4 on Friday, also away.

Fenerbahce snatched home advantage away from Olympiakos on Friday with its win in Piraeus that has the best-of-five series tied 1-1 on the way to the Euroleague Final Four.

The Greek champion triumphed in Game 1 of the series on Wednesday thanks to a stunning second-half performance at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, winning 79-68 for 1-0.