Greeks’ night in Basketball Champions League
Yesterday was definitely a good day for Greek basketball, at least in Basketball Champions League. AEK Athens who was considered the underdog of the game against Tofas eventually won, qualifying for the Top 16. Then Peristeri turn the tables and had a comeback, winning also in thriller overtime at home over Dijon.
If the Peristeri win was a bit expected because they lost the first game of the elimination series in France, AEK Athens’s victory was a surprise. Peristeri was at home in a do-or-die game, in front of their fans and they had to fight to give 100 % to stay alive for game 3 of the series. Their main problem remains the low productivity of their bench players. The starting five of the team led by coach Spanoulis is a great one, and maybe the help of 2 other players can be useful, but the entire rotation is very short. In the probability that Peristeri will reach the TOP 16, the club have to sign at least one more experienced player to complete the rotation. Anyway, it will be a very tough game for them at Dijon next week.
AEK Athens instead had no pressure before this game. They won the first encounter last week so a potential loss yesterday at Tofas wouldn’t have been a tragedy for them. The game was very balanced and I think the experience and maturity of the Greek side propelled them over Tofas Bursa. In the end, both games were won by AEK with only 3 points, but it means more collective effort and smart sharing of the ball.
The article was written by Gratian Cormos, a Romanian journalist, book writer, life coach and mentor currently living in Barcelona, Spain.
If you are interested in collaborating with his website brainbasketball.net, in order to publish articles, interviews or other features related to basketball, feel free to contact Gratian Cormos by Whatsapp or Telegram at this Spanish number: +34 612414486.
Photo credit: Basketball Champions League
